Barnaby Wainfan
Barnaby is a Technical Fellow for Northrop Grumman’s Advanced Design organization. A private pilot with single-engine and glider ratings, Barnaby has been involved in the design of unconventional airplanes including canards, joined wings, flying wings and some too strange to fall into any known category.
Interference Drag Adds Up
Barnaby Wainfan explains the role of properly designed wing-fuselage junctions in reducing interference drag.
Wind Tunnel
Barnaby Wainfan examines the design factors that can mitigate damage in an accident and increase the chances of survival.
Wind Tunnel
Its easy to get carried away with new systems and technology that promise to make your airplane faster, smarter and even safer. But sometimes more is just more.
Wind Tunnel
Involved in the flight testing of a friends aircraft, Barnaby Wainfan contemplates the consequences (and wisdom) of designing an aircraft around an engine that may prove unsatisfactory or, worse, unavailable.
Wind Tunnel
Youd think a V-tail would have much to offer over a conventional tail in both reduced drag and lower weight. But how does it really pan out?
Wind Tunnel
How do the power-to-weight ratio, wing loading, drag effects and propeller choices affect an aircrafts climb rate and climb angle?
It Pays To Heed Convention
Barnaby Wainfan looks at unconventional flight-control configurations in the cockpit and why they can throw even a seasoned pilot.
Tail Surfaces and Aerodynamic Effects
Major aspects of tail design and how they affect the performance of an aircraft in flight.
Wind Tunnel
Pilots, especially those in low-powered aircraft, must always know how much energy they have available to maintain flight.
Wind Tunnel
Although we often consider maximizing airflow over the exterior of an aircraft, we sometimes neglect internal airflow design that can cause significant drag.
In Case You Missed It
The Cost to Build
When a kit airplane or plans purveyor provides an estimated cost to complete a project, consider it with a wary eye that's tempered with real-world experience.
