Description

Respected homebuilt aircraft designer Barnaby Wainfan (best known for his pioneering work in both the Ultralight movement and for innovative aircraft such as the FMX-4 Facetmobile) has created this excellent text to help aircraft designers and builders understand the airfoils used on aircraft. It will also help potential builders or buyers of existing aircraft designs to more fully understand the airfoil choices and trade-offs they will find, and how this will affect them. Wainfan avoids complicated math and complex formulas… there’s nothing more advanced than junior-high level basic algebra (i.e., plugging values into simple equations). Rather than difficult theoretical discussions, the author focuses on providing simple explanations of useful aerodynamic concepts and terms, and offers practical advice on how to make good choices concerning airfoil and wing designs. He presents real-world situations and examples that are commonly faced by homebuilt aircraft designers, and discusses the trade-offs between various possible solutions. This book is a compilation of a series of articles originally published in Kitplanes magazine.

Written by Barnaby Wainfan, Copyright 1988 and 2005. 79 Pages, Softcover.

Chapters include:

1. Basic Concepts and Nomenclature
2. Lift and Stall Characteristics
3. Drag Characteristics
4. Laminar and Turbulent Flow Airfoils
5. Pitching Moment
6. Effects of Surface Quality on Airfoil Characteristics
7. High Lift Systems
8. Wing Sizing and Airfoil Choice
 References

Appendices:

1. Properties of the Atmosphere
2. Some Useful Formulae
3. Selected Airfoil Data