Wind Tunnel
Today, monoplanes dominate, but biplanes came first. They had their advantages—and for some of today’s missions, they still do.
Wind Tunnel
Nine simple rules, distilled from years of experience (making—and fixing—assorted mistakes), can help any aircraft designer avoid disaster.
Wind Tunnel
It’s all about lift, and knowing your airplane’s lift margin at a given airspeed tells you what the airplane is capable of.
Wind Tunnel
Contrary to popular belief, the frontal area of an airplane is not the most important determinant of drag.
Vortex Generators and STOL Performance
One way to solve the problem of flow separation—and stall—is by installing vortex generators on your kit aircraft.
Wind Tunnel
While two-control airplanes were designed to make a pilot’s life simpler, they come with significant compromises.
Wind Tunnel
Certain situations and configurations just call out for a ducted-fan installation. Barnaby Wainfan explains the benefits and drawbacks.
Wind Tunnel
Seemingly inconsequential alterations—even mounting an inflight camera on the airframe—can result in big changes to an aircraft’s handling and performance.
Wind Tunnel
Builders are often in a rush to prove the airworthiness of their homebuilt projects, but thorough flight-testing is essential.
Wind Tunnel
Taxi testing may seem to be a mere formality, but it is a vital step toward bringing a new aircraft to flight, and is not without its dangers.
In Case You Missed It
Build Your Skills: Fabric
If you want sound and long-lasting fabric covering, proper shrinkage is essential. And an accurately calibrated iron is a means to that end. Ron Alexander details the process and offers tips on how to avoid damage to the underlying structure during tautening.
Design Process: Airfoils
Once the size and planform of the wing have been determined, it’s time to choose (or design) the airfoil.
Leters
Wag-A-BondRay Hill has built one beautiful airplane . However, the author, Dan Horton seems...
To Launch a Light Sport
Its 90% done with 90% to go! Bob Fritz has a flyable airplane and a semi-long list of things still left to do to improve it.