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.
Wind Tunnel
This month Barnaby Wainfan turns his attention to the control system and how various aspects such as linkages, the elevator planform and tail aspect ratio, and trailing-edge treatments affect pitch control.
Wind Tunnel
The diagnosis of pitch sensitivity problems boils down to one of two things: too little static margin or control system problems. This month we discuss how to modify the airplane to fix them;
Wind Tunnel
This month we use the accumulated flight-test data to determine what exactly is causing the unacceptable flying qualities of the airplane so that the best way to fix the problem can be identified;
Wind Tunnel
Its an age-old duality: stability versus maneuverability. Many factors go into developing and building any aircraft, and the designers choices will affect a pilots workload, for good or ill. Among the topics discussed are trim, pitch stability and yaw stability;
Wind Tunnel
The author discusses the theory and effect of constant-speed propellers on piston-engine airplane performance, and compares fixed-pitch versus constant-speed props, effect on thrust HP and propulsion, the comprises involved in choosing a prop, how props perform in various conditions and phases of flight, how variable-pitch props work, and why a constant-speed prop is the best choice for high-performance aircraft.
In Case You Missed It
Build it Better
Paul Dye has used his engineering discipline to jot down his thoughts on the many lessons learned as we gain experience as pilots and builders. His goal, and ours, is to leverage the tribal knowledge of longtime builders such as Dye to get you thinking about Experimental aircraft on a higher level. Not simply nuts and bolts, but larger concepts centering on safety and self-discipline. We hope you enjoy this series.
Unbreaking the Bank
Although many more than eight Light Sport Aircraft can be built for less than $40,000, Dave Martin highlights some of the aircraft he has flown and offers personal insights on why they may be the way to go for you.
Maintenance Matters
No one wants to experience a faulty mag drop (especially with a nervous passenger on board). Steve Ells offers some tips on how to reduce misfires and maximize ignition-system performance.