Designer's Notebook

Airplanes are surprisingly flexible, and changes in their shape can affect aerodynamic characteristics. Barnaby Wainfan explains how the two are coupled.

Barnaby Wainfan examines a sneaky and sometimes little understood cause of in-flight scares and engine failures: carb ice.

Barnaby Wainfan brings aerodynamics to life with an illustrated field guide to the various devices seen at AirVenture.

These small additions to your aircraft can make a significant improvement in its pitch response and authority at high angles of attack. Barnaby Wainfan gives you the strake story.

Got separation anxiety? Vortex generators can keep the airflow attached where it belongs.

Fixed gear or retractable gear? Barnaby Wainfan examines the physics behind this longstanding design question.

Barnaby Wainfan explores the optimum size of a wing and the best ways to balance performance and efficiency.

Tail stalls have been in the news lately-Barnaby Wainfan dissects this phenomenon, and clarifies what to do and what not to do.

Accelerate, pull and fly-thats not all there is to the takeoff. Barnaby Wainfan takes a second-by-second look at the aerodynamics of the takeoff: when it works, and when it doesn't.

Recently, there has been increasing interest in the efficiency of all vehicles, including airplanes. Designers are seeking to make airplanes that perform better and burn less fuel. Barnaby Wainfan takes a close look at the aerodynamics and mathematics behind this deceptively complex process.