Elements of Practical Aerodynamics by B. Jones

ELEMENTS OP
PRACTICAL AERODYNAMICS
BT
BRADLEY JONES, M.S.
Professor of Aeronautics, University of Cincinnati
M.I.Ae.S.
NEW YORK
JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.
LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED
1936
6.
10
COPYRIGHT, 1836
BT BRADLEY JONES
Ml Rights Reserved
This book or any part thereof mutt not
be reproduced in any form without
the written permission of the publisher.
Printed in U. S. A.
Printing Composition and Plato Binding
F. Â» GILSON CO. TECHNICAL COMPOSITION CO. STANHOPE BINDERY
BOSTON BOSTON BOSTON

1- /o-
PREFACE
The existence of several excellent works on the subject of
aerodynamics demands that an explanation be offered for the ap
pearance of a new one.
My experience in teaching has convinced me that a book in
tended primarily for the classroom must be, in general, different
in character and scope from books intended for reference by prac
ticing engineers. It is attempted in this textbook to present the
subject matter as simply as possible. In two isolated cases of
summation of forces, it is necessary to introduce the calculus to
prove the correctness of certain statements. If these statements
are accepted as being true, the proofs may be dispensed with, and
no mathematical training higher than elementary algebra is needed
for complete understanding of the text.
Although aerodynamics deals with air in motion and aerostatics
with air at rest, a short chapter on aerostatics has been included
because it is believed that students of aerodynamics should be
acquainted with the elements of the sister subject.
Use has been made of data from various publications of the
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the Army and
Navy Designers Handbook. I desire to acknowledge useful
criticisms and suggestions from Professor Harold W. Sibert of
this University.
UNIVERSITY OK CINCINNATI
April, 1936
BRADLEY JONES
iii
CONTENTS
CHAPTBB PAGE
I. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF AIR 1
II. EFFECT OF DEFLECTING AIR STREAMS 6
III. AIR FLOW 17
IV. AIRFOILS 23
V. INDUCED DRAG OF MONOPLANES 65
VI. INDUCED DRAG OF BIPLANES. 94
VII. PARASITE DRAG 115
VIII. ENGINES 126
IX. PROPELLERS 136
X. AIRPLANE PERFORMANCE 171
XI. PERFORMANCE AT ALTITUDE 208
XII. TURNS 220
XIII. CONTROL SURFACES 232
XIV. STABILITY 242
XV. AUXILIARY LIFT DEVICES 262
XVI. UNCONVENTIONAL TYPES OF AIRCRAFT 266
XVII. MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION 274
XVIII. INSTRUMENTS 285
XIX. METEOROLOGY 319
XX. AVIGATION 328
XXI. AEROSTATICS 346
APPENDIX A. NOMENCLATURE 365
APPENDIX B. ANSWERS TO PROBLEMS 381
INDEX 389
ELEMENTS OF
PRACTICAL AERODYNAMICS
CHAPTER I
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF AIR
Aerodynamics is the study of the motion of air and of the forces
on solids in motion relative to air.
In a fluid the particles cohere so slightly that they may be easily
made to change their relative positions by the application of small
forces; i.e., the modulus of shear is small. The amount of in
ternal friction of a fluid may be very small, and one may conceive
of a perfect fluid as a fluid wherein there is no internal friction, so
that between two particles the action of any force must be normal
to the contact surfaces, and cannot have any tangential component.
Air is often referred to as a perfect fluid. Air is a gas. It
is a physical mixture, not a chemical compound.
The earth's atmosphere at sea-level has the following percentages
by volume of these gases:
Nitrogen 78.08
Oxygen 20.94
Argon 0.94
Hydrogen 0.01
Neon 0.0012
Helium 0.0004
Carbon dioxide 0.03
Water vapor also is always present, the amount varying with the
temperature and other factors, but averaging about 1.2 per cent
at the earth's surface.
Up to altitudes encountered by aircraft (40,000 ft.) there are
always winds and vertical air currents to keep the various con
stituents commingled in approximately the same proportion, as
listed. At high altitudes, undoubtedly the different gases com
posing the atmosphere separate according to their respective
l
2 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF AIR
densities, hydrogen forming the outermost layer, helium the next,
and so on.
Because air is a gas, its density varies with temperature,
pressure, etc. The standard conditions most commonly used
(N.A.C.A.) are a barometric pressure of 29.92 in. (or 760 mm.) of
mercury, and a temperature of 59Â° F. (or 15Â° C.).
Under these conditions, the mass density (p) of dry air is
0.002378 slug per cubic foot.
Using for standard acceleration of gravity (g) equal to 32.1740
ft. per sec. per sec., the specific weight of " standard " dry air is
0.07651 Ib. per cu. ft.
Up till 1926 the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
used for standard conditions a barometric pressure of 29.92 in. of
mercury and a temperature of 60Â° F. (15.6Â° C.). The mass
density of dry air under these conditions is 0.002372 slug and the
weight density (g = 32.172 ft. per sec.2) is 0.07635 Ib. per cu. ft.
In using data from N.A.C.A. reports or other sources of informa
tion, care should be taken to note the standard conditions of the
test.
Air conforms to Boyle's law that at constant temperatures
and up to certain limits the volume varies inversely as the pressure
and to Charles's law that at constant pressure the volume varies
directly as the absolute temperature. These two laws are usually
expressed as the formula:
where P0, V0, and T0 are pressure, volume, and absolute tempera
ture under standard conditions, and PI, Vi, and T\ are under
other than standard conditions.
As weight density is the weight divided by the volume, the
density of a gas is increased by an increase in pressure, a decrease
in volume, or a decrease in temperature. In a given volume, the
density, as well as specific weight, varies directly as the pressure
and inversely with absolute temperature.
Po Po T
Â£âÂ£.Â£Â«
Example. What is the density of dry air if the pressure is 25.93
in. of mercury and the temperature is 45Â° F.?

The absolute temperature (T) = 45 + 459.4 = 504.4.
P To 25.93 .. 518.4
29.92 504.4
; 0.002378 = 0.00212
Example. What is the specific weight of dry air if the pressure is
16.38 in. of mercury and the temperature is â10Â° F.?
First method:
16.38 518.4
p = TV Tf
29.92 449.4 '
= Q.001502
Specific weight p X g = 0.001502 X 32.1740 = 0.04832 Ib. per cu. ft.
Second method:
Specific weight = 0.07651 X ^j^ X ^| = 0.04832 Ib. per cu. ft.
Problems
1. Find the density of dry air at 20 in. pressure and 10Â° F.
2. Find the density of dry air at 18.52 in. pressure and 0Â° F.
3. Find the specific weight of dry air at 24 in. pressure and 25Â° F.
TABLE I
ALTITUDE-PRESSURE-DENSITY RELATION
Based on N.A.C.A. No. 218
Altitude,
ft.0100020003000400050006000700080009000100001100012000130001400015000200002500030000Temperature,
Â°F.59.055.451.848.444.841.237.634.030.627.023.419.816.212.69.23.6-12.3-30.1-48.1Pressure,
in. Hg29.9228.8627.8226.8125.8424.8923.9823.0922.2221.3820.5819.7919.0318.2917.5716.8813.7511.108.88pPa1.0000.9710.9428.9151.8881.8616.8358.8106.7859.7619.7384.7154.6931. 6712.6499..6291.5327.4480.3740J5V "1.0001.01481.02991.04541.06111.07731.09381.11071.12801.14561.16371.18221.20121.22061.24041.26081 . 37011 . .19401 . 03.52P0.002378.002309. 002 242.002 176.002 112.002049.001 987.001 928.001 869.001 812.001 756.001701.001 648.001 596.001 545.001 496.001 267.001065.000889
Viscosity. The viscosity of air is much less than for water or
other liquids. It is not zero, nor in some calculations is it even
negligible. In liquids, viscosity is due to the internal friction of
the molecules. In gases, viscosity is due not so much to internal
friction as to molecular vibration. Consider a rapidly moving
stratum of gas immediately over another stratum of gas moving
more slowly in the same direction. Some molecules from the
upper layer, owing to their vibratory motion, will wander into the
lower layer and will accelerate the motion of the lower strata.
Molecules passing from the lower to the upper stratum will retard
the latter. Any mingling of the molecules between the two strata
results in the two velocities becoming more nearly equal.
In liquids, an increase in temperature causes a decrease in vis
cosity, because the intermolecular friction is less. In gases, an
increase in temperature causes an increase in viscosity, because
there is an increase in molecular vibration and therefore an in
crease in molecular interchange.
The coefficient of viscosity (/<) of air varies approximately as
the | power of the absolute temperature.
TABLE II . . .
COEFFICIENT OF VISCOSITY
Temperature,
Â°C.010203040.T06070.SO90100C.g.s. units,
poises1 709 X 10-'1 759 X 10-'1808X10-*1856X10-71 904 X 10~71 951 X 10-71 997 X 10-'2043X10-*2 088 X 10-'2 132 X 10-*2 175 X 10-*Slug-feet-second
units3.57 X 10-'3.67 X 10-'3.78 X 10-73.88 X 10-'3.98 X 10-'4.08 X 10-'4.17 X 10-'4.27 X 10-'4.36 X 10-'4.45 X 10-'4.54 X 10-'
The N.A.C.A. uses a value of 3.73 X 10~7 for coefficient of vis
cosity at 15Â° C.
Except for very high or very low pressure, the coefficient of
viscosity, n, is independent of pressure.

VISCOSITY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
HUMPHREY, Physics of the Air.
GREGG, Aeronautical Meteorology.
International Critical Tables.

CHAPTER II
EFFECTS OF DEFLECTING AIR STREAMS
Isaac Newton formulated three well-known laws of motion.
1. Every body persists in its state of rest or uniform motion
in a straight line, unless it be compelled by some force to change
that state.
2. The rate of change of momentum of a body is proportional to
the force acting on the body and is in the direction of the force.
3. Action and reaction are equal,and opposite.
Air, though of less density than flnids of solids, does possess
mass. It conforms to the laws of motion. If a mass of air is at
rest, a force is required to put it in motion. If the mass of air
is in steady rectilinear motion, a force is required to slow it, stop
it, or change its direction. Air in motion has momentum.
When a quantity of air is put in motion work has been done on
the air and it has acquired momentum. Momentum is the prod
uct of the mass and the velocity.
A cubic foot of air moving at a speed of V feet per second will
have a momentum of pV.
Kinetic Energy. A cubic foot of air at rest to be put in motion
must have a force applied. Let F be the force applied to increase
the velocity from zero to V feet per second. If this change in
velocity takes place uniformly in t seconds, the acceleration is
V/t feet per second per second. Since a force is measured by the
mass times the acceleration, F = pV/t. In the t seconds during
which the force is applied, the average velocity is 5 V feet per sec
ond and the distance covered is this average velocity multiplied
by the time in seconds, that is, \Vt. The work done on the
cubic foot of air in imparting to it a velocity of V feet per second
is the product of the force and the distance through which the
force acts.
Work = ^â X \Vt = IpF2 p in slugs per cubic foot
v W in foot-pounds
V in feet per second
6
DYNAMIC PRESSURE 7
This moving mass of air is capable of doing work and is therefore
said to possess energy of motion or kinetic energy. The kinetic
energy is numerically equal to the work which was required to
put the air in motion, that is, %p V2 foot-pounds.
Dynamic Pressure. If a horizontal stream of moving air were
to strike perpendicularly against a wall so as to lose all its momen
tum, the amount of momentum lost per second is equal to the mo
mentum of the quantity of air arriving at the wall per second, which,
by Newton's second law, is numerically equal to the force exerted
on the wall in pounds. If the air stream is A square feet in cross-
section and has a velocity of V feet per second, the volume of air
arriving at the wall each second is A V cubic feet. Since the mo
mentum of each cubic foot is the mass density times the velocity,
pV, the total momentum of AV cubic feet is pV multiplied by
A V or pA F2. The force acting on the wall will be equal to this, or
F in pounds
f â p. 1 v . . .
,, _ . T/2 p in slugs per cubic foot
A in square feet
The pressure in pounds per square foot will be
P in pounds per square foot
P = pV- p in slugs per cubic foot
If conditions are altered so that, instead of a small stream strik
ing against a large flat surface, a large stream strikes against a
small flat surface, the same reasoning applies only that the area in
the formula will be the area of flat plate instead of the cross-sec
tional area of the air stream. Again the force on the flat plate is
exactly the same, whether the small plate is held stationary against
a large stream of air which moves against the plate with a velocity
of V feet per second, or whether the air is still and the plate is
moved through the air with a velocity of V feet per second in a
direction perpendicular to its flat surface.
The foregoing presupposes that the air disappears or vanishes on
arriving at the flat surfaces. Actually, when particles of air are
stopped at the flat surfaces, they cannot get out of the way of the
following particles of air; some of the air is pocketed or trapped in
the central portion of the plate; eddy currents and whirlpools of

8 EFFECTS OF DEFLECTING AIR STREAMS
air are created. The amount of eddying depends on the size and
shape of the flat surface. Because of these eddies, etc., the actual
force against the flat surface is not exactly the same as given by the
formula. Numerous tests have been made in which have been
measured exactly the forces on flat plates of various sizes and
shapes when in air streams of various velocities. The results of
these tests have been quite consistent, so that, if the size and shape
of the flat surface are known, the amount by which the true force
differs from the theoretical force can be predicted.
It is usual to multiply the theoretical force by a correction factor
K to obtain the actual force on the flat surface. The magnitude
of K varies slightly with size if the area is only a few square feet;
it also varies with the shape, i.e., whether the flat surface is circular,
square, or rectangular. Except for very precise work, in aero
nautics, it is customary to neglect these variations of K and as
sume that it has a constant value of 0.64, so that the equation for
force on a flat plate normal to an air stream becomes
p in slugs per cubic foot
F = 0.64 pA F2 A in square feet
For standard atmosphere this becomes
F = 0.64 X 0.002378 A V2
= 0.00152 A F2
Since it is customary to measure airspeed in miles per hour, it
is sometimes convenient to have a formula wherein velocity is in
miles per hour.
F = 0.64 X 0.002378 X A X (Â§$F)2 Â£ !n Pounds
= 0.00327 A F2 Fin miles per hour
A in square feet
Example. A 40-mile-per-hour wind is blowing against a sign
board 8 ft. by 10 ft. in size. Atmosphere is normal density. What
is the force acting against the signboard?
Solution: F = 0.00327 A F2
= 0.00327 X 8 X 10 X (40)2
= 419 Ib.
The force on the flat plate varies as the square of the airspeed.
If the force acting when the relative speed is 1 mile per hour is known,
WORK AND POWER 9
the force at any other speed can be found by multiplying by the square
of the airspeed.
Example. The force against an automobile windshield is 0.012 Ib.
when the car is moving forward at 1 mile per hour. What is the
force when the car is traveling at 35 miles per hour?
Solution: F (pounds) = 0.012 X 35 X 35 = 14.7 Ib.
Work and Power. The accomplishment of motion against the
action of force tending to resist it is defined as work. Work is
expressed in units of force times distance, for example, foot
pounds or mile-pounds. No time is involved. In overcoming a
force of x pounds through a distance of y feet, the same work of
xy foot-pounds is done whether accomplished in a short or long
time.
Power involves the element of time. To do the same work in
half the time means that twice the power is required. Power is
expressed in units of work divided by time. Work is force times
distance. Velocity is expressed in units of distance divided by
time. Then power, which is force times distance divided by time,
is also force times velocity. It is usual to express power in terms
of an arbitrary unit, a horsepower, which is 550 ft-lb. per sec.
1 hp. =[550 ft-lb. per sec.
= 33,000 ft-lb. per min.
= 1,980,000 ft. Ib. per hr.
= 375 mile-lb. per hr.
That is, overcoming a force of 1 Ib. at a speed of 375 miles per
hour, or of 375 Ib. at a speed of 1 mile per hour, or 15 Ib. at a speed
of 25 miles per hour, requires 1 hp.
Except for minor corrections, if the plate is smaller than 12
sq. ft. in area, the force on a flat plate due to meeting air perpen
dicular to its surface is 0.64 pA F2. If this is multiplied by the
velocity to get power, then power is 0.64 pA F3.
1.28 ?A V3 H.P. in horsepower
H.P. = TT:: p in slugs per cubic foot
A in square feet
= 0.00233 ~ A V3 F in feet per second
for standard density
H.P. = 0.00000276 A F3 F in feet per second
H.P. = 0.0000087 A V3 F in miles per hour

Example. A flat surface 5 ft. square is moved through the air at
a speed of 30 miles per hour in a direction perpendicular to its surface;
what horsepower is required to do this?
Solution. The force on the plate will be
F = 0.00327 X (5)2 X (30)2
= 73.6 Ib.
the horsepower required will be
Hp
73.6 X 30
375
5.88 hp.
or directly v/ V.
H.P. = 0.0000087 X 25 X (30)1
= 5.88
Example. Driving at 1 mile per hour, the force on a certain auto
mobile windshield is 0.1 Ib.; what horsepower is used up by the wind
shield at 70 miles per hour?
F = 0.1 X 70 X 70
= 490 Ib.
Hp 490 X 70
375
= 91.5 hp.
Problems
1. What is the total force of a 40-mile-per-hour wind on a hangar
door 40 ft. by 20 ft.?
2. An auto windshield is 42 in. wide by 12 in. high. Neglect cor
rection for size and shape. What horsepower is used up by the wind
shield at 50 miles per hour?
3. The radiator of an automobile is 18 in. wide by 24 in. high.
With shutters closed, what horsepower is expended in overcoming its
head resistance at 45 miles per hour?
4. What horsepower is required for radiator in problem 3 if speed is
60 ft. per sec.?
Inclined Flat Plates. If the stream of air does not strike the
flat surface perpendicularly, as considered in the last few para
graphs, but at an angle so that the air on hitting the plate moves
off parallel to the surface, the problem is not the same. Let a
be the angle between the direction of the air and the plane surface.
If A is the area of the flat surface, the cross-section of the air stream
which comes in contact with the surface will have an area of

INCLINED FLAT PLATES 11
A sin a square feet. If the air stream is moving at a speed of V
feet per second, then A V sin a cubic feet of air will approach the
flat surface every second. This volume of AV sin a cubic feet
will have a mass of pA V sin a slugs and a momentum of pA V2
sin a pounds. If all this momentum were given up and lost by the
moving air, then the force on the flat sur-
face would be equal to the momentum or __J_\s^râSurface of A
pA V2 sin a pounds. Since the air on â ^v sq ft
meeting the plate is diverted and slides - >^
off in a direction more or less parallel to
the surface it still retains some momen- Fiu. ?. .Air Strikin8 *n
turn. Also there are bound to be some
.. ,, , j,i. inclined plate.
eddy currents formed when the air stream meets the flat surface.
The amount of turbulence will depend on the angle at which
the air meets the surface. At small angles the turbulence will
be relatively little, gradually increasing as the angle increases
to 90Â°.
Energy is required to put air in motion, and energy consumed in
moving air about in whirlpools or eddy currents will subtract
from the energy of the moving air.
The value of pA V1 sin a pounds can be considered as a maximum
value of the force acting on the plate, provided that the effect of
friction is neglected.
Necessarily when air flows along a surface there is bound to be
friction. The moving air tends to drag the plate along in the
direction parallel to the plane of the plate. If there were no fric
tion, the only force on the flat plate due to the moving air would be
perpendicular to the surface of the plate. With friction, there
would be additional force parallel to the surface of the plate. The
combination of these two forces is a resultant which is not perpen
dicular to the plate but is away from the perpendicular in the
direction of flow of the air.
In aerodynamic work, the force resulting from air meeting a sur
face is not as important as the two components of this force per
pendicular and parallel to the direction of the air stream. The
component force perpendicular to the direction of the air stream is
called the lift; the component parallel to the air stream is called
the drag.
The components of lift and drag will vary with the density of
the air, the area of the flat surface, and the square of the velocity.
12
EFFECTS OF DEFLECTING AIR STREAMS
The forces of lift and drag can therefore be expressed as a coefficient
multiplied by Â§ A F2 (A in square feet, V in feet per second). The
coefficient will be different for every different angle at which the
flat plate is set with respect to the air stream. Figure 2 gives the
.24
.20
CD
.16
oÂ°.12
.08
04
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Angle of Attack in Degrees
16
.8
.60
.2
FIG. 2. Graph of CL and CD for flat plate.
value of the lift coeffi
cient (Ci.) and drag co
efficient (Co) plotted
against angle of attack,
the use of these coeffi
cients being explained
later in this text.
The coefficients given
in Fig. 2 were obtained
by actual tests on a rec
tangular plane 90 cm. by
15 cm. in size, the plate
being set so that the air
s'tream first meets one of
the long edges. These
coefficients are correction
factors to allow for losses
or gains due to turbu
lence. The amount of
turbulence would be dif
ferent if the plate were
turned so that a short
side were first to meet the air; consequently the coefficients in this
case would not be the same as in Fig. 2. If the ratio of long
side to short side differs from six the coefficients will also be
different.
Problems
1. A signboard is 18 ft. long by 3 ft. wide. A 30-mile-per-hour
wind is blowing at an angle of 10Â° to the plane of the signboard,
(a) What is the force in pounds on the signboard at right angles to
the wind direction? (b) What is the force parallel to the wind di
rection? (c) What is the resultant of these two forces? (d) What
is the component perpendicular to the face of the signboard?
2. A kite having 6 sq. ft. area is balanced by its tail so that it
slants 15Â° to the horizontal. What is the lifting force in a 10-mile-
per-hour wind?
CURVED PLATES 13
3. A flat surface 6 ft. by 2 ft. is subject to a 25-mile-per-hour wind
which comes in a direction 6Â° to the surface. (a) What is the force
in pounds on the surface perpendicular to the wind? (6) What is
the force parallel to the wind? (c) What angle does the resultant of
these two forces make with the surface?
4. The side of a freight car is 60 ft. long and 10 ft. high. What is
the force against the side of the car due to an 8-mile-per-hour wind
from a direction perpendicular to the side (a) when freight car is
stationary; (6) when car is moving forward at 30 miles per hour?
5. A flat plate is moving in a direction 15Â° from the plane at a speed
of 250 ft. per sec. If plate has area of 50 sq. ft., what force applied
in the direction of movement is required?
Curved Plates. A curved surface may be placed in a stream
of air, so that the air meets the surface tangentially but is gradually
deflected so that the air leaves
the surface moving in a different
direction from its original path
(see Fig. 3). If the surface is
smooth and there are no abrupt
changes in direction, the air
stream should suffer no dimin-
ishment in speed.
Velocity has both speed and
direction. In deflecting the air
stream the velocity has been
. .. | ., , FIG. 3. Air sinking curved plate.
changed. By the first law of motion, any matter in motion in a
straight line continues in that straight line unless acted upon by
an (outside) force. A restatement of this is that if the direction
d of motion is changed there must exist a
force which produced the change.
In Fig. 4, let ab represent in magnitude
and direction the velocity (V) of the air
stream before it meets the deflecting sur-
Fio.4. Forceson a curved face> ^ the velocity as jt leaves the
surface, and Â« the angle between. Con
structing a parallelogram of velocity, abed, the diagonal be repre
sents the only velocity which combined with velocity ab will give
a resultant velocity of ac.
If the final velocity ac is equal in magnitude to entrance velocity
ab, length ac equals length ab, and since ab = bd = ac = cd,

triangles abc and dbc are equal, and angle abc equals angle cbd.
Then the direction of the velocity be bisects the angle abd, and since
angle abd equals 180Â° - angle bac, angle abc equals J(180Â° â e).
By trigonometry, 5 side be = side ab X cos abc.
Side be = 2 V cos J(180 - e)
- cos Â«)
To change the direction of the air stream, a velocity of the
magnitude of Fv/2(l â cosÂ«) must be impressed on'the moving
air. The force required to produce this change is equal to the
change in momentum, which is equal to the mass times the change
in velocity. If it requires t seconds for a particle of air to traverse
the curved surface and undergo deflection, the mass of air de
flected in t seconds will be pA Vt. The change in velocity takes
place during the time that the air is traversing the surface (t sec
onds); therefore the acceleration is -, as was shown
previously. The deflecting force is therefore pA F2V2(1 â cos Â«).
Assuming that there is no burbling, and neglecting friction, the
direction of the deflecting force will bisect the angle between the
directions of the air coming towards and leaving the surfaces.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, so if the
plate acts on the air stream as explained, the air stream will react
on the plate in an equal manner but opposite in direction as
shown by F in Fig. 3. If there is friction, the moving air will
tend to drag the plate along with it, so that there will be a slight
tangential force and the reaction will be more as shown by the
dotted line F' in Fig. 3.
If the curved surface be the part of a circular cylinder, the air
stream will follow a circular path while in contact with the surface.
Let o be the center and R the radius of the arc which is the path of
the particles in the center of the air stream, as shown in Fig. 5.
Let a be the position of a particle on the circular path and 6 be its
position a brief interval of time, t seconds later. Then, since the
velocity is V, the length of arc ab is Vt. Let ac and bd be tangents

CURVED PLATES
15
to the circular path at a and 6 respectively, and call the inter
section of these two lines point
e. Draw lines from a, b, and
e to o, the center of the circle.
Then the central angle 006 is
equal to the exterior angle bee,
and oe bisects angle aob. If
angle bee is called 8, angle aoe
is 8/2. Draw ab intersecting
oe at /. Provided angle aob â
is small, line ab is very nearly
equal in length to arc ab. As
ab is Vt feet in length, af will
be Vt/2 feet long. The sine
5. Forees on a circular
cylindrical plate.
of angle aoe will be af divided by oa, or
ffln2 = -i-
e Vt/2
then
- cos e _Vt
2"R
W2(l - cos 0)
In a previous paragraph, it has been shown that, if a curved
surface deflects an air stream through a total angle of e, the ac
celeration or change in velocity per second is cos *'.
If the surface is such that the air stream takes a circular path, and
the radius is known, the acceleration
can be expressed as V/R. This is
the usual way of expressing the ac
celeration due to centrifugal force.
As an illustration of the application
of this principle, let the following
example be considered. A rec-
Fio. 6. Direction of reaction on tangular metai sheet; 36 ft. by 6 ft
circular cylindrical plate. . , , ,.,. â
is bent as shown in Fig. 6 so that a
horizontal stream of air striking the sheet tangentially is gently

deflected and leaves in a direction 10Â° below the horizontal. The
air first meets the long edge of the deflecting surface. The air
stream is 1 ft. thick; its velocity of 40 ft. per sec. is unchanged.
What is the force of the air against the metal sheet, and in what
direction does it act?
In 1 sec., a volume of air 36 ft. wide, 1 ft. deep, and 40 ft. long
meets the surface and, in having its direction changed, reacts
against the plate. Since, in passing from front to rear, the air
traverses a distance of 6 ft., the time required will be 6/40 or 0.15
sec. In 0.15 sec., a volume of 0.15 X 36 X 1 X 40, or 216 cu.
ft., will meet the surface. The mass of this volume of air will
be 0.002378 X 216, or .514 slugs. The acceleration will be
40V2(1 - cos 10Â°) .,. . ,. _. ... . ^r-y= = 46.5 ft. per sec. per sec. Ihe force will be
0.514 X 46.5, or 23.8 Ib. Its direction, neglecting friction, will
be upward and backward, 5Â° from the vertical.
Problems
1. A curved surface, 36 ft. by 6 ft., deflects an air stream through
an angle of 5Â°. The air stream is 1 ft. thick and first meets a longer
side of the surface. The airspeed is 40 ft. per sec. before and after
deflection, and there is no turbulence. What is the force against
the surface?
2. What is the force in problem 1 if the airspeed is 80 ft. per sec.?
3. What is the force in problem 1 if the angle of deflection is 23Â°?

CHAPTER III
AIR FLOW
If a body is moved through air, or if air flows around a body,
the motion of the air may be either smooth or turbulent. Smooth
flow is called continuous or streamline flow. Turbulent flow is
discontinuous or sinuous.
A stream of air may be conceived of as consisting of a number of
particles moving in the same direction. On meeting an obstruc
tion, the path of some of these particles will be diverted. If the
obstructing body is so shaped as to not cause a sudden and
abrupt change in direction, the particles will move in new paths
which are usually gentle curves. In this case, a particle, which
was directly behind another particle in the original air stream,
will follow exactly the new path taken by the leading particle in
flowing around the obstruction. Succeeding particles will also
follow this path. A con
tinuous line describes this * ^ ~^T ^ 'â.*.
path, and the flow is called â-Â». â*. â*. â>. ^^
streamline. Figure 7 il- *" *"c *"B *-A.â*.,
lustrates this flow pattern. ^^""""""â¢â¢â¢â¢^'A"
Particle A follows the path FIG. 7. Streamline flow.
A A'A". Particle B, im
mediately to the rear of particle A, follows the same path as A, as
does particle C and all other particles behind C.
In turbulent flow, the flow is discontinuous; that is, particles
that follow each other in the original air stream do not follow in
all cases the same path as preceding particles in flowing around
obstructions. In Fig. 8, the air stream is shown meeting a flat
plate. In Fig. 8a, particle A and a small number of succeeding
particles will follow path A A' A". Reaching the position A",
in order to continue in motion, particle A must break across path
AA'A", so that momentarily the flow is as shown in Fig. 86.
Particle A moves onward as shown by path A"A'"A"". This
particular path is followed only till most of the particles which
moved into the vortex behind particle A have escaped onward,
17
18 AIR FLOW
when the original path (Fig. 8a) is resumed. The flow is thus
intermittent, particles first following one path then another.
(a)
Fio. 8. Turbulent flow.
Skin Friction and Viscosity. Even in so-called streamline flow
around an object, some turbulence is present. The layer of air
immediately adjacent to the body is retarded in its forward move
ment by friction with the surface of the body. No matter how
smooth the surface may be, there is bound to be some retardation.
This friction between moving air and a stationary body will
always be greater than between air particles themselves.
It is probably correct to assume that the layer of air in contact
with the body has little, if any, forward motion. The adjoining
layer of air is slowed up by friction with the motionless layer.
Contiguous layers affect each other, in that layers nearer the body
act to retard layers farther away. This interaction continues
through successive layers, the retarding effect diminishing with
increasing distance from the surface.
The viscosity and friction effects are very small, and it is only
in a narrow zone clinging to the surface that this effect is notice
able. This region, in streamline flow, is only a few thousandths
of an inch thick, and it is in this boundary layer that the velocity
rises from zero at the immediate surface to its full value in the
air stream. The velocity gradient, which is the ratio of velocity
difference to distance between layers, is very high in the boundary
layer, while very small in the main air stream.
The effect of the different speeds is to destroy the streamlines
and break them up into tiny eddies
as shown in Fig. 9, which is a greatly
enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 7.
FIG.9. Turbulence in Boundary Consider a particle in a streamline
Layer. close to but not touching the body.
Owing to the velocity gradient, on the
outer side it is being rubbed by particles moving forward with
greater velocity, on the inner side it is being rubbed by particles

REYNOLDS' NUMBER 19
having a slower velocity. This tendency towards rotation of the
individual particles serves to turn its path downward and causes
minute vortices.
In the thin boundary layer, the viscosity of air plays the pre
dominating part in determining the motion of the particles. Out
side of the boundary layer, viscosity has little effect and air may be
considered as a non-viscous fluid. With fluids of greater viscosity
than air, the boundary layer will be thicker.
Reynolds' Number. The English physicist, Osborne Reynolds,
made some interesting experiments with the flow of liquids in
tubes. By using a glass tube, and injecting small streams of an
insoluble colored fluid, he was able to study the form of flow.
Using water as a fluid, and starting with one size of tube, he
found that at low velocity the flow of the colored liquid in the water
was a continuous line; that is, the flow was streamline or laminar
except for an infinitesimal layer touching the side walls of the tube,
where there were slight eddies. As he increased the velocity the
flow remained streamline, though the outside layer in which
burbling was taking place became slightly thicker.
Increasing the rate of flow still more, he found that at a certain
speed the main flow changed from streamline to turbulent.
Above this critical speed the flow was turbulent; below, it was
streamline. Increasing the diameter of the tube, he found that
the critical speed, at which flow changed from streamline to
turbulent, was lessened. Using fluid of different densities and
different viscosities also varied the critical speed.
He evolved an expression which is called Reynolds' number and
commonly abbreviated as R.N. Reynolds' number is dimension-
less.
R.N. = >â¢
V = average axial velocity (feet per second)
R = inner radius of tube (feet)
p = mass density of fluid (slugs per cubic foot)
n = coefficient of viscosity of fluid (pounds per
second per square foot)
Reynolds found that for fluid flow through pipes or tubes if the
R.N. was less than 1,100 the flow was laminar or streamline.
Although later experimenters found a somewhat higher number
as the critical condition, the value of 1,100 is the one commonly

20 AIR FLOW
used as being perfectly safe. Below that value, the flow is certain
to be laminar.
Reynolds' number is important to hydraulic engineers in decid
ing the proper size of piping. With a given size of pipe, the
quantity of fluid that can be conducted through the pipe increases
with the velocity until the critical Reynolds' number is reached.
With turbulent flow, the quantity of fluid is decreased greatly.
It is to be noted that Reynolds' work was entirely with tubes
and pipes. The critical value of Reynolds' number for flow inside
of circular pipes is meaningless when the problem deals with flow
of unconfined air around objects, such as airplanes. It is con-
jecturable, however, that even free air moving around an obstruc
tion may have a critical factor, corresponding to the Reynolds'
number for pipes, which will differentiate whether the flow will be
streamline or turbulent.
Similar Flows. The important application of Reynolds' number
for the aeronautic engineer is its use in comparing the flow of air
at different speeds around objects of varying size. The manner
of air flow around an object, as shown in Fig. l0a, would be
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fio. 10. Flow around similar figures.
changed to a flow more like that shown in Fig. 106 if the speed
of the air were increased. If the speed of flow was the same as
for the flow shown in Fig. 10a, but the size of the object were
increased, the flow would be as shown in Fig. l0c. By decreasing
the velocity in an inverse ratio to the increase in size, i.e., keeping

SIMILAR FLOWS 21
VL the same, where L is a representative dimension of the
object, the flow would be as shown in Fig. lOd With the same
VL the flows are geometrically similar.
Again if the size of the object and speed of flow were the same
as in Fig. 10a but the density of the air were increased, the flow
would be changed to a flow, resembling that in Fig. 106. A
decrease in coefficient of viscosity would have the same effect on
the shape of the air flow as an increase of density or velocity.
To summarize: If the Reynolds' number is the same, the flows
are geometrically similar. With geometrically similar flows about
two bodies of different sizes, at corresponding points hi the two
flows the direction of the streamlines will be the same and the
magnitude of the forces will always have the same ratio to each
other.
This relation is important in the design of airplanes. Models of
wings or airplanes may be tested in wind tunnels, and the results
of these tests may be used in the computation of the performance
of the full-size airplane, provided that the Reynolds' number of
the model is the same as the Reynolds' number of the airplane.
Since the models are small in size in comparison with the actual
wings, in order to have the Reynolds' number of the same magni
tude as the Reynolds' number of the wing the velocity or the
density of the air in the wind-tunnel test must be much greater
than in the actual flight.
Where the Reynolds' number of the wind-tunnel test of a model
wing is not the same as for the full-size wing in flight, the data
obtained from the wind-tunnel tests cannot be expected to give
exactly correct results when used in calculating forces on the
full-size wings. At Langley Field, Virginia, the National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics has a variable-density wind tunnel.
The tunnel is entirely enclosed in a steel shell. The air, after
being drawn through the tunnel, past the model on test, flows
around the outside of the tunnel proper to re-enter the throat
once more. Since the air is at all times imprisoned inside the steel
chamber it can be put under pressure. The Langley Field
variable-density tunnel was designed for pressures as high as 21
atmospheres and air velocities past the model wings up to 75
ft. per sec.
In computing Reynolds' number, velocity (F) must be in feet
per second; a linear dimension of the object (L) must be in feet.

22 AIR FLOW
For wings, the length of the chord is commonly used for this
dimension (L). If the test is conducted under standard conditions
(15Â° C. and 760 mm. pressure) the density of the air (p) is 0.002378
slug per cubic foot and the coefficient of viscosity (^) is 0.000000373
slug per foot per second. If the temperature or pressure is not
standard, corrections must be made to density (p) and coefficient
of viscosity (M).
Example. Find the Reynolds' number for a model wing of 3-in.
chord, tests run at 100 miles per hour with standard air.
3 in. = 0.25 ft. r .
100 miles per hour = 146.7 ft. per sec.
0.002378 X 146.7 X 0.25 â
0.000000373
Example. Find the R.N. for model wing of 3-in. chord. Testa
run at 100 miles per hour. Air at normal pressure but at 100Â° C.
temperature.
R K 0.002378 X HI X 146.7 X 0.25 _ U
RK = 0.000000454 I4
Example. Find R.N. for model wing of 3-in. chord. Tests run at
100 miles per hour. . Air at standard temperature but 21 atmospheres
pressure. Note that M is independent of pressure (except for ex
tremely high or extremely low pressures).
R 0.002378 X 21 X 146.7 X .25 4Q10noo
R.N'= 0.000000373 4,910,000
Problems
1. Find R.N. for an airplane wing, 4-ft. chord moving at 120 miles
per hour through standard atmosphere.
2. Find R.N. for an airplane wing with a 3-ft. 6-in. chord moving at
180 miles per hour through standard air.
3. Find R.N. for an airplane wing, 4-ft. chord moving at 150 miles
per hour. Air is +40Â° C. and 21 in. barometer.
4. Find the velocity at which tests should be run in a wind tunnel
on a model wing of 4-in. chord in order that the R.N. shall be the same
as for a wing with a 4-ft. chord at 100 miles per hour. Air under
standard conditions in both cases.
6. In a variable-density wind tunnel, under what pressure should
tests be run on a model with a 3-in. chord, air velocity being 60 miles
per hour, in order that the R.N. shall be the same as for a full-size
wing of 4-ft. chord, moving at 100 miles per hour through the air?
Air temperature is the same in each case.

CHAPTER IV
AIRFOILS
Flat plates are not suitable for airplane wings. To be struc
turally strong, there would have to be a considerable amount of
bracing. This bracing, if located outside the plate, would cause
much friction in moving through the air; if inside the plate, it
would increase the thickness of the plate. By curving the plate
even slightly it is possible to increase the weight-sustaining
property greatly. By closing in the under side and making it
more nearly streamline in shape, the resistance to forward move
ment through the air can be greatly decreased.
The wings of the first Wright airplane were simply curved strips
of wood covered only on the upper side with cloth (see Fig. lla).
The Wrights soon re-
alized that when the ^"^
wing was horizontal
there would be a (Â°)
great amount of
burbling on the un
der side (see Fig. â
116). They conse-
quently covered up ^ 1 1 j^ Wrjght Wing
this space, giving the
wing appreciable thickness and reducing its resistance to forward
motion.
Changing the amount of curvature of a wing or its thickness will
change the lifting power and resistance. There is no ideal wing
which is suitable for all types of airplanes. The proper shape
must be chosen for each individual requirement.
Airfoils. Although the word airfoil may be used interchange
ably with the word wing, common usage dictates that the word
wing be used in referring to the actual wing of an airplane, and that
the word airfoil be applied in describing the contour or shape of
the vertical cross-section of a wing. Many differently shaped
airfoils have been proposed and their properties investigated.
Only a few of these airfoils will be discussed in this textbook.
23
24 AIRFOILS
For descriptions of other airfoils, the reader is referred to reports
of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and other
aeronautical testing laboratories.
Chord and Camber. To describe the curvature of the upper
and lower surfaces, a base line is used as a reference. Coordinates
are given with respect to a point on this reference line to locate
sufficient points on the airfoil to enable the curve to be drawn.
This reference line is the chord of the airfoil.
If the airfoil has convex curvature on both upper and lower
surfaces, as in Fig. 12a, the chord
is the line joining the most forward
Chord ^^^ point on the front edge (leading
edge) to the rearmost point (trailing
<d) edge). If the lower surface of the
airfoil is predominantly flat, as in
Fig. 126, the chord is the straight
Chord .^ "--^ line that coincides for most of its
(b) length with the lower surface. With
FIo. 12. Chords, (a) Double other shapes of airfoils the datum
camber, (6) Single camber. line is more or less arbitrary. This
causes no confusion as the chord
and the airfoil are never dissociated. Whenever an airfoil is
described, the chord is known.
The chord length is the length of the projection of the airfoil
section.on its chord. Its symbol is c.
Camber is the length of the ordinate perpendicular to the chord.
Top camber is the distance of a point in the upper surface of the
airfoil from the chord line; bottom or lower camber is the distance
of a point in the lower surface of the airfoil from the chord line.
Because airfoil sections, which are geometrically similar but of
different size, would be designated by the same name, amount of
camber is always as a percentage of the chord length. The
abscissa, or length along the chord, of a point in the airfoil surface
is also given in percentage of chord.
In Table III are given the dimensions of a Clark Y airfoil, a
typical medium-thickness wing. When once the chord length is
decided upon, the actual camber can be found from the above
table by multiplying the chord length by the suitable percentages.
The use of this table is shown in Fig. 13, the points laid out by
means of these roordir.ates defining a curve.

SPAN AND ASPECT RATIO
25
TABLE III
SHAPE OP CLARK Y AIRFOIL
Percentage of Chord
Distance from
Leading Edge01.252.557.51015203040506070809095100Upper
Camber3.505.456.507.908.859.6010.6911.3611.7011.4010.529.157.355.222.801.490.12Lower
Camber3.501.931.470.930.630.420.150.03000000000
The maximum camber is an important dimension and refers to
the greatest departure of the curve of the airfoil from the chord
line. Mean camber is the camber of a point equidistant from the
upper and lower surfaces.
FIG. 13. Clark Y wing contour.
Span and Aspect Ratio. Span is the distance from wing tip to
wing tip, inclusive of ailerons. It may be considered as the least
width of hangar doorway through which the airplane can be pushed
straight. The symbol for span is b.
The area of a wing is the area of the projection of the actual
outline on the plane of the chord. The symbol for area is <S.
26 AIRFOILS
The aspect ratio of a wing is the ratio of the span to the chord.
This is for rectangular wings. For wings that are not rectangular
in shape when viewed from above, the aspect ratio is the ratio of
the square of the span to the area.
AR -6-62
A'R. -e~S
It is customary in wind-tunnel tests to use model airfoils whose
aspect ratio is 6. Force measurements from these tests need to
be corrected when applying them to airfoils of differing aspect
ratio.
Relative Wind. Relative wind is the motion of the air with
reference to the wing. If the wing is moving horizontally forward,
then the relative wind is horizontally backward. If the wing is
moving both forward and downward, as when the plane is settling,
the relative wind is upward as well as backward. The direction
and velocity of the wind are found by the addition of two vectors,
one being the velocity of the air with respect to the earth, the other
being equal and opposite to the velocity of the wing with respect
to the air.
The angle of attack of a wing is the acute angle between the
chord and the direction of the relative wind.
Forces on an Airfoil. Air flowing around an airfoil exerts a
pressure on each little portion of the airfoil surface. This pressure
is considered positive if it is greater than atmospheric, negative
if it is less than atmospheric.
At small positive angles of attack the air flows smoothly over
the upper surface. Each particle of air sweeping along a surface
contributes to giving a small negative pressure as long as its
motion is parallel to the surface. If its motion is not parallel but
towards the surface it will contribute its component of positive
impact pressure. The direction of flow is shown in Fig. 14a, and
the pressures, to scale, are shown in Fig. 146.
At larger angles of attack the shape of the streamlines and the
magnitude of the pressures change. This is shown in Fig. 15.
As the angle of attack is increased still more, the air cannot
follow the upper surface of the wing as that would entail too great
a change in direction. The streamlines no longer conform to the
contour of the airfoil (Fig. 16). Burbling starts at the trailing
edge. If the angle of attack is made greater, the burbling will
extend farther forward.

FORCES ON AN AIRFOIL
27
Wherever burbling takes place, that portion of the wing has
lost its weight-sustaining property to a large extent. Burbling
also increases the resistance of the wing to forward motion.
(b)
FIG. 14. Flow at low angle of attack.
I'ii,. 15. Flow at medium angle of attack.
Jx.
FIG. 16. Flow at high angle of attack.
It will be noted in Fig. 156 that the forces on the upper side of
the airfoil are predominantly upward, and the magnitude of these

28 AIRFOILS
forces is greater than that of the upward forces on the under side
of the airfoil. Tests have shown that, for typical wings at 0Â°
angle of attack, 100 per cent of the total upward force on a wing
is derived from the upper surface; at 5Â° angle of attack, 74 per
cent is due to forces on the upper surface; and at 10Â°, 68 per
cent.
All the small forces acting on both upper and lower surfaces of
the airfoil may be added together vectorially, i.e., taking into
account both magnitude and direction, and this summation is
called the resultant force. At small angle of attack, this resultant
is small in magnitude and it acts near the trailing edge; as the
angle of attack is increased, the resultant becomes larger and its
point of action, called the center of pressure, moves forward.
Lift and Drag Components. The resultant can, of course, be
described by giving its magnitude and direction. It can also be
determined if its two components are given about known axes.
It is customary and most useful to give a resultant in terms of
lift and drag components.
Lift is the component of the resultant on a wing which is per
pendicular to the relative wind.
Drag is the component of the resultant which is parallel to the
relative wind.
The resultant force on a wing varies directly with the air
density, the area of the wing, and the square of the velocity. It
also depends on the angle of attack. The lift and drag compo
nents, also, vary in the same way. These relations could be
expressed in a formula by stating that the component was a factor
times air density tunes wing area times velocity squared, but it is
more desirable to use a different form of the formula containing
one-half the density instead of the density itself. The standard
formulas are
T .** n f CTTS Lift and drag are in pounds
J-fllt =^LS"'" . . i i . r
2 p is in slugs per cubic foot
.p. _/~rP<jyj iS is in square feet
D2 V is in feet per second
CL is called the lift coefficient; CD, the drag coefficient. They
are " absolute " or dimensionless coefficients and therefore can be
used with metric units of measurement. That is, the formulas
for lift and drag are perfectly valid if air density is given in metric
CHARACTERISTIC CURVES 29
slugs, area in square meters, and velocity in meters per second.
Lift and drag will then be in kilograms.
The equations may be written in the form
Lift = CLqS q = ?V2
and Drag =
Characteristic Curves. The lift coefficient CL, the drag coeffi
cient CD, and the center-of-pressure location, all for different
angles of attack, are considered the characteristics of an airfoil.
This information may be given in tables, but it is more usual to
plot these data in the form of a curve. The characteristic curves
for the Clark Y airfoil, for an aspect ratio of 6, are given in Fig. 17.
Sinccljpefficients are at most angles of attack much larger than
drag coefficients, the drag coefficients are plotted on a larger scale
in order to be legible.
Careful study should be given to Fig. 17. It should be noted
that the lift coefficient (CL) curve crosses the zero ordinate at
â 5Â° angle of attack. This does not mean that there are zero
forces acting on the wing at this angle of attack, but that the sum
of the upward or positive lift forces equals the sum of the down
ward or negative lift forces. The angle of attack, where the
upward and downward lift are equal, is called the angle of zero
lift. For symmetrical sections, that is, airfoils that have the same
camber on both upper and lower sides, the angle of zero lift is at
0Â° angle of attack.
From the angle of zero lift, the curve of lift coefficient is practi
cally a straight line for a considerable distance. The slope is
constant. The lift coefficient (Ci) is proportional to the angle of
attack provided angle of attack is measured from the angle of
zero lift.
At the larger angles of attack, the lift coefficient curve begins to
deviate from a straight line. The lift increase is no longer propor
tional to the increase in angle of attack. At some angle of attack,
for the Clark Y airfoil, it is 183Â°; the lift coefficient is a maximum.
This angle of maximum lift is also called the critical angle, the
burble point, or the stalling angle.
At angles above the angle of maximum lift, the lift coefficient
decreases with increasing angle of attack till lift coefficient becomes
zero at some angle slightly greater than 90Â°.

30
AIRFOILS
The drag coefficient curve resembles a parabola in part. At
some small angle of attack, for the Clark Y it is â83Â°, the drag
coefficient has a minimum value. Whether the angle of attack is
increased or decreased from this angle of minimum drag, the drag
increases. For a few degrees above or below the angle of minimum
drag, there is very little change in the value of the drag coefficient.
-6 -4-2 0 2
FIG. 17. Characteristics of Clark Y airfoil, aspect ratio 6.
With bigger increases in the angle of attack, the drag coefficient
increases greatly.
With a symmetrical airfoil, the angle of minimum drag is at 0Â°
angle of attack and the curve is symmetrical about a vertical axis
through this point. With the more common airfoils, having more
LIFT EQUATION 31
camber on the upper than the lower side, the angle of minimum
drag is a small negative angle of attack and the part of the curve
for more negative angles of attack has a steeper slope than the
other side of the curve.
The. center-of-pressure curve usually shows that at the angle of
zero lift the center of pressure is at the trailing edge. With a
slight increase in angle of attack, the center of pressure moves
forward. It has its most forward position when the angle of
attack is a few degrees below the angle of maximum lift. For
symmetrical airfoils, there is practically no movement of the center
of pressure; for this reason symmetrical airfoils are referred to as
stable airfoils.
Lift Equation. For horizontal flight, except for a small vertical
force on the tail and a small component of thrust which need not
be considered at this time, the weight of the airplane equals the
lift of the wing. If the lift is greater than the weight, the airplane
will rise; if the weight is greater, the airplane will lose altitude.
Then for horizontal flight
W in pounds
W = CL ^S V 2 S in square feet
The above equation may be used in other forms, viz.
V = l/ â
" â Â»/ n
The ratio of total weight to the area of the wing (W/S) is the
wing loading, expressed in pounds per square foot. From the
above formulas it will be seen that, for a given angle of attack,
the proper velocity depends on the square root of the wing loading.
Example. What weight can an airplane have to fly level with a
Clark Y wing 250 sq. ft. in area, at 4Â° angle of attack and airspeed of
100 miles per hour at sea-level?

32 AIRFOILS
From Fig. 17, CL at 4Â° angle of attack = 0.649; 100 miles per
hour = 146.7 ft. per sec.
W = 0.649 X T X 250 X I4677 = 4,120 Ib.
Example. At what angle of attack should an airplane weighing
3,000 Ib. be flown, if the wing is 300 sq. ft. in area, Clark Y section,
airspeed 90 miles per hour?
/.' _ 3,000 _ Â« 4CQ
" 0.00118 X 300 X (90 X 1.47)4
Angle of attack (from Fig. 17) = +1.7Â°
Example. An airplane has a wing loading of 9 Ib. per sq. ft. ; the
angle of attack of the Clark Y wing is 6Â°. What should be the air
speed?
V=
0.791 X 0.00118
= 97.9 ft. per sec.
= 66.8 miles per hour
Problems
(Standard air density unless otherwise specified)
1. What is the lift on a Clark Y wing 300 sq. ft. in area at 8Â° angle
of attack and airspeed of 80 miles per hour?
2. What is the lift on a Clark Y wing 450 sq. ft. in area at 6Â° angle
of attack, airspeed 88 ft. per sec.?
3. A monoplane weighing 4,460 Ib. has a rectangular Clark Y wing,
353 sq. ft. in area; at an airspeed of 100 miles per hour, what should
be the angle of attack?
4. At what angle of attack should the airplane in problem 3 fly
when airspeed is 85 miles per hour?
5. With a wing loading of 12 Ib. per sq. ft., at what angle of attack
should an airplane with a Clark Y wing fly, if airspeed is 70 miles per
hour?
6. What should be the area of a Clark Y wing to support a total
weight of 5,000 Ib. when flying at 7Â° angle of attack and a velocity of
90 ft. per sec.?
7. What weight will be supported by a Clark Y wing 525 sq. ft. in
area, at 5Â° angle of attack, and an airspeed of 120 ft. per sec. at sea-
level?
8. What weight will be supported by the wing in problem 7, at the
same angle of attack and same airspeed, but flying at 10,000 ft. alti
tude (air density at 10,000-ft. altitude is 0.00176 slug per cu. ft.;
see Table I)?

MINIMUM SPEED 33
9. At what airspeed should a 6,000-lb. airplane be flown, having an
area of 700 sq. ft., Clark Y wing, at 10Â° angle of attack?
10. At what airspeed should the airplane described in problem 9
fly at an altitude of 10,000 ft.?
11. An airplane having a Clark Y wing at 6Â° angle of attack is to be
flown at 150 miles per hour. What should be the wing loading?
12. What should be the wing loading of a plane with a Clark Y
wing, if it is desired to fly at 6Â° angle of attack and 150 miles per hour
airspeed at an altitude of 10,000 ft.?
Minimum Speed. Examination of formula V =
(I)
shows that, with a fixed weight and a fixed wing area (fixed wing
loading), the lift coefficient must vary inversely as the square of
the velocity. It is axiomatic that small angles of attack mean
high speed; large angles of attack mean slow speed. The smallest
velocity will be when the lift coefficient is maximum. This
slowest velocity is the stalling speed. Some airplanes (low-wing
monoplanes), when gliding down to land, pocket air under their
wing, which has a cushioning or buoyant effect, helping to support
the airplane slightly. This added support enables the airplane
to fly at slightly less speed than it could if the ground effect were
not present. This effect is ordinarily negligible, and the minimum
airspeed is considered to be the landing speed or take-off speed.
Example. What is the landing speed of an airplane weighing 2,500
lb., having a Clark Y wing 300 sq. ft. in area?
.56 X 0.00118
= 67.0 ft. per sec.
Problems
1. What is the landing speed of an airplane weighing 4,500 lb.,
with a Clark Y wing 350 sq. ft. in area?

34 AIRFOILS
2. What is the landing speed of an airplane with a Clark Y wing and
a wing loading of 12 Ib. per sq. ft.?
3. What area should a Clark Y wing have in order that an airplane
weighing 1,500 Ib. shall not land faster than 30 miles per hour?
4. An airplane has a Clark Y wing. What would be the greatest
wing loading in order that the landing speed should not exceed 35
miles per hour?
6. An airplane has a Clark Y wing 425 sq. ft. in area. What is the
greatest weight this airplane can have with a landing speed not more
than 40 miles per hour?
6. An airplane with a Clark Y wing has a wing loading of 14 Ib. per
sq. ft. What is the minimum speed at an altitude of 10,000 ft.?
7. It is desired that a pursuit airplane be able to fly at 50 miles per
hour at an altitude of 10,000 ft. What should be the wing loading
of its Clark Y wing?
8. An airplane weighing 5,000 Ib. has a Clark Y wing 625 sq. ft. in
area. What is its minimum speed (a) at sea-level, (b) at 10,000-ft.
altitude?
Drag. Drag is the force, in pounds, with which a wing resists
forward motion through the air. The drag multiplied by the
velocity (in feet per second units) gives the power, in foot-pounds
per second, required to move the wing forward. One horsepower
is 550 ft-lb. per sec. Hence the drag times the velocity, divided
by 550, gives the horsepower required to move the wing forward.
HP = D X V Bin pounds
'"". 550 V in feet per second
But D = CD
CD
Therefore H.P.req. = _,_.,â
Example. A Clark Y wing 350 sq. ft. in area is moving through the
air at 80 ft. per sec. at 6Â° angle of attack. What is the drag? What
horsepower is required?
From Fig. 17, at a = 6Â°, CD = 0.0452
n nn9^7
Drag = 0.0452 X 2 X 350 X (80)2
H.P.
= 120 Ib.
120 X 80
550
= 17.5 hp.
DIFFERENCE IN AIRFOILS
85
Problems
1. What is the drag of a Clark Y wing, 300 sq. ft. in area, at 8Â°
angle of attack, at 120 ft. per sec. airspeed?
2. What is the drag of a Clark Y wing, 300 sq. ft. in area, at 8Â°
angle of attack, at 120 miles per hour airspeed?
3. What is the horsepower required to move a Clark Y wing 430
sq. ft. in area at 2Â° angle of attack and airspeed of 150 miles per hour?
4. What is the horsepower required to move a Clark Y wing 270
sq. ft. in area at 10Â° angle of attack and an airspeed of 70 ft. per sec.?
6. At an altitude of 10,000 ft., what is the drag of a Clark Y wing,
480 sq. ft. in area, angle of attack 4Â°, airspeed 95 ft. per sec.? What
horsepower is required?
0246
-4 -2
Angle 01 MtKk
Fio. 18. Characteristics of Gottingen 398 airfoil, aspect ratio 6.
30
.28
26
.24
Xt
20
J814
12
M.06
M02fi,/?^/^~-/7^XV/X/',/,/Co,/7///////^//â¢^y//N/\&13
IJt1.1
1.0.Â»
So1
.7
.9
.4
.J
.1
Difference in Airfoils. Many different shapes have been pro
posed and tested. Airfoils with contours radically different from
those in general use do not ordinarily prove to be satisfactory.

AIRFOILS
This indicates that certain general rules must be followed in
designing airfoils.
The leading edge should be slightly rounded. The camber of
the upper surface should be such that the highest point or maxi
mum ordinate is between one-quarter and one-third the chord
length back from the leading edge.
.22
.18
16
.14
1.1
10
.7
.12
>
10
08
06
04
at
Co/
-2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Angle of Attack
FIo. 19. Characteristics of C-80 airfoil, aspect ratio 6.
Increasing the camber increases the lift at any angle of attack
but it also increases the drag. The maximum lift coefficient is
increased, but the minimum drag coefficient is increased also.
No wing should have an upper camber greater than one-quarter
of the chord length.
An airfoil having a symmetrical section, the upper and lower
surfaces of equal camber, is streamline in appearance and conse
quently will have less minimum drag than a non-symmetrical
airfoil of the same thickness. Symmetrical airfoils have zero
lift at zero angle of attack, and this is also the angle of minimum
DIFFERENCE IN AIRFOILS
37
drag. Non-symmetrical airfoils have zero lift at a slightly
negative angle of attack.
Concave lower camber increases the lift coefficient at any angle
of attack but adds to the drag coefficient, especially at smaller
angles of attack.
22 .22
20 .20
18 .18
ie :u
14 J4
â¢ Â«?
12 .12
10 .10
13
12
1.1
14)
.7
&
8 .08
6 .06
4 .04
2 .02
0246
8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
Ancle of Attack
Fio. 20. Characteristics of M-6 airfoil, aspect ratio 6.
3.
.1
Figures 18, 19, 20, and 21 give characteristics of airfoils in
common use. Thick wing sections are commonly called " high
lift " sections because the maximum lift coefficients are large.
With a predetermined landing speed and wing area, more load
can be carried by a thick than a thin wing section.
Problems
1. (a) What is the lift on a Gottingen 398 wing 400 sq. ft. in area,
at 2Â° angle of attack and airspeed of 90 ft. per sec.? (6) What is the
drag?
38
AIRFOILS
2. What is the lift on a C-80 wing 400 sq. ft. in area at 2Â° angle of
attack and airspeed of 90 ft. per sec.?
3. What is the lift on a C-80 wing 400 sq. ft. in area at 7Â° angle of
attack and airspeed of 90 ft. per sec.?
4. What is the landing speed of an airplane weighing 5,000 Ib. with
a Gottingen 398 wing 400 sq. ft. in area?
.30
5 40
$50
^.60
.70 .24
32
18
.16
.14
5.12
10
08
06
JM
o1/AX//fâ â .^//^",^//SC P^CL/7x_^_^~//X///~~â .//^sm^///\\
)/////\12
11
10
601
.1
-2Â° 0" 2Â° V 6Â° 8Â° 10Â° 12Â» 14Â° 16Â» 18Â° 20Â°
Anglt of Attack
Fio. 21. Characteristics of RAF-15 airfoil, aspect ratio 6.
5. What is the landing speed of an airplane weighing 5,000 Ib.,
with a C-80 wing 400 sq. ft. in area?
6. What total weight can a Gottingen 398 wing 400 sq. ft. in area
sustain if landing speed must not exceed 45 miles per hour?
7. .What total weight can a C-80 wing 400 sq. ft. in area sustain if
landing speed must not exceed 45 miles per hour?

VELOCITY VERSUS ANGLE OF ATTACK
39
Velocity versus Angle of Attack. An airplane, if it flies at a
low angle of attack, must fly faster than if it flies at a high angle of
attack. For each speed there is one angle of attack for level
flight to be maintained. If the angle of attack is greater, the
airplane will gain altitude; if the angle of attack is less, the airplane
will descend.
340r
1200
.180
-1 -2
024
6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Angle of Attack
Fio. 22. Angle of attack versus velocity.
Conversely, for each angle of attack there is only one speed for
level flight. This depends on the relation
If the wing loading (W/S) is changed, the relation between
angle of attack and speed is changed. A partly loaded airplane,

40 AIRFOILS
flying level, will either have to increase its speed or angle of attack
if additional load is put on. Figure 22 shows the relation between
airspeed and angle of attack for a Clark Y airfoil.
Problems
1. Plot airspeed versus angle of attack for a G6ttingen 398 airfoil
with a wing loading of 14 Ib. per sq. ft.
2. Plot airspeed versus angle of attack for a RAF 15 wing with a
wing loading of 18 Ib. per sq. ft.
3. For an M-6 airfoil, plot wing loading versus angle of attack for an
airspeed of 100 miles per hour.
4. For a C-80 airfoil, plot wing loading versus airspeed, in feet per
second, for an angle of attack of 4Â°.
Flying Level at Altitude. At altitudes above sea-level, the air
density is less than its standard value. Since both lift and drag
coefficients are multiplied by the air density, as well as wing area
and the square of the velocity, to give lift and drag; at the same
angle of attack or airspeed, both lift and drag will be less at
altitude. In order to fly level no matter what altitude, the lift
must be equal to the weight.
As the wing area remains constant, when an airplane ascends
to higher altitudes either lift coefficient or velocity, or both, must
be increased to make up for the decrease in density. The case of
flying at the same angle of attack as at the ground will be considered
first. â¢
The angle of attack being unchanged, CL and CD will be the same
at all altitudes. Let po and Vo be the air density and velocity at
zero altitude and p, and Vx the density and velocity at any
altitude, x feet.
W = CL^SVf
W = Ci
Then PoFo2 = feTV and & F02 =
px
Drag at zero altitude = D0 = CD ?p
Drag at a. feet altitude = Dx = CD^C

FLYING LEVEL AT ALTITUDE 41
But Vx'=?*Vf
Px
Therefore Dt = CD % S & F02
^ Px
Therefore, whatever the altitude, the drag of the wing is the
same, provided the angle of attack is the same. This may seem
strange, but it should be borne in mind that with increased
altitude the airspeed must be greater, and this exactly counter
balances the decrease in density.
Power required is the product of drag and velocity. Let H.P.0
be the horsepower at zero altitude and H.P.x the horsepower
required at z-feet altitude.
H.P.o =
H.P.x =
Do X V0
550
xX V,
550
But Do = Dx
and 7.- .mff
Therefore H.P, = Î^
Px
The density becomes less as ascent is made in the atmosphere;
that is, px is less than p0, so that po/pÂ» is greater than 1. With the
same angle of attack, the horsepower required to move a wing
forward through the air will always be greater at altitude than
at sea-level.
When the angle of attack is changed, keeping the same airspeed,
a lightly loaded plane is affected differently from a heavily loaded
plane. At ordinary flying angles, the lift coefficient varies ap
proximately as angle of attack. The drag coefficient changes very
little with angle of attack at small angles of attack corresponding
to high speeds. At slow speeds, corresponding to high angles,
there is a big change of drag coefficient with angle of attack
changes.
42 AIRFOILS
When attempt is made to fly at the same speed at high altitude
as at the ground, the angle of attack must be increased to obtain
the greater lift coefficient to offset the decrease in density. The
larger angle of attack will mean an increased drag coefficient. If
at sea-level the airplane was being flown at low angle of attack,
a moderate increase in altitude would mean a very small increase
in drag coefficient. It is quite possible that the decrease in density
could be greater in proportion than the increase in drag coefficient.
In this case, the drag and consequently power required would be
less at altitude than at sea-level. A plane flying slowly at the
ground (high angle of attack) and rising to a moderate height, or
an airplane flying fast at the ground but rising to extreme altitudes,
will usually result in the drag coefficient increasing disproportion
ately more than the decreasing of density so that the drag and
horsepower will be greater at the higher altitude.
Example. An airplane has a Clark Y wing 400 sq. ft. in area. It
flies 100 ft. per sec. at 2Â° angle of attack. What are the lift, wing
drag, and horsepower required at sea-level? What are the lift, wing
drag, and horsepower required at 10,000-ft. altitude?
At sea-level, L = 0.5 X . X 400 X T00
= 2,378 Ib.
D = 0.024 X Â°.Â°Â°2378 X 400 X 1002
= 114 Ib.
wp 114X100
H.R= -550-
Jt
= 20.7 hp. required
At 10,000-ft. altitude
L = 0.5 X a0021756 X 400 X T001'
= 1,756 Ib.
D - 0.024 X aÂ°Â°01756 X 400 X T002
= 84.3 Ib.
â D 84.3 X 100
H.R= -550â
= 15.3 hp.
Example. An airplane weighing 4,000 Ib. has a Clark Y wing 350
sq. ft. in area and is flying at sea-level at 100 miles per hour. What
FLYING LEVEL AT ALTITUDE 43
are the wing drag and horsepower required for the wing? If the
airplane is flying at an altitude of 10,000 ft., at 100 miles per hour,
what are the wing drag and horsepower required?
At sea-level
n. 4,000
= 0.445
Therefore a = l\Â°
and CD = 0.0217
X 350 X (1.47 X 100)2
D = 0.0217 X a00|378 X 350 X 1.47 X 1002
= 195 Ib.
H p 195 X 147
550
= 52.2 hp.
At 10,000-ft. altitude
CL
Therefore a = 3^Â°
and CD = 0.0308
4,0000.001756 s2
= 0.604< 350 X (1.47 >< 100)2
D = 0.0308 X Â°.QÂ°01756 X 350 X I3f
H.P.
= 204 Ib.
_ 204 X 147
550
= 54.6 hp.
Problems
area and is flying at sea-level at 150 miles per hour. (a) What are the
wing drag and horsepower required for the wing? (6) What are the
wing drag and horsepower if flying at 150 miles per hour at 15,000-ft.
altitude? (c) What are the wing drag and horsepower if flying at
150 miles per hour at 30,000-ft. altitude?
2. An airplane weighing 6,000 Ib. has a Clark Y wing 250 sq. ft.
in area. It flies at 125 miles per hour. (a) What are the wing drag
and horsepower required for the wing at sea-level; (6) at 15,000-ft.
altitude; (c) at 25,000-ft. altitude?

44 AIRFOILS
in area. It flies at 4Â° angle of attack. (a) What are the wing drag
and horsepower required at sea-level; (b) at 15,000 ft.?
area. It flies at 150 miles per hour. (a) What is the horsepower
required at sea-level; (6) at 20,000-ft. altitude?
6. An airplane whose wing loading is 12 Ib. per sq. ft. has a Clark
Y wing and is flying at 200 ft. per sec. at sea-level, (a) What is the
angle of attack? (6) What is the angle of attack if flying at 20,000-
ft. altitude at the same speed?
Lift-Drag Ratio. Air flowing around a wing causes forces to
come into action, and the resultant of these forces is usually
expressed in terms of its lift and drag components. In level flight
the relative wind is horizontal, so that the lift component is vertical,
the drag component horizontal. The lift component sustains the
weight of the airplane. The drag component is the resistance to
forward motion of the wing. In a complete airplane there are
other parts, such as the fuselage, landing gear, and struts, which
offer resistance to forward motion through the air. The resistance
of these other parts of the airplane to forward motion is called the
parasite drag. The sum of the wing drag and parasite drag
constitute the total drag of the airplane. This total drag is the
backward force that must be balanced by the forward thrust of
the propeller in order to sustain forward movement of the airplane.
The sole purpose of a wing is to provide a sustaining force for
the airplane. It is to be expected that a wing will offer resistance
to movement through the air. The wing that offers the least
resistance and at the same time furnishes the most lift would be
the most desirable from this standpoint.
Wings must be capable of being made structurally strong. A
very thin wing might have merits from an aerodynamic stand
point, but it might be so shallow that the spars usable in such a
wing would be too light to have sufficient strength. The amount
of movement of the center of pressure on a wing is also important
in the securing of longitudinal balance. These matters will affect
the selection of the wing section to be used, so that big lift with
little drag will not be the sole consideration.
The term " efficiency " as used in engineering has a very exact
meaning, namely the power output divided by the power input.
In engineering, efficiency is always less than unity. The term

LIFT-DRAG RATIO 45
efficiency cannot be correctly applied to ratio of the lift force to the
drag force of a wing, since it is a ratio of forces, not of powers.
The expression " efficacy of the wing " which has been suggested
is rather cumbersome, and it is practically universal to employ
the expression " lift-drag ratio " or " L over D."
The lift-drag ratio is the same as the ratio of lift coefficient to
drag coefficient.
Lift .2 C
Drag 2 CD
and is the tangent of the angle which the resultant force on the
wing makes with the horizontal plane.
At small angles of attack, drag coefficient is small but lift co
efficient is also small. At large angles of attack, lift coefficient is
large but drag coefficient is also large. At the angle of attack of
minimum drag coefficient, it will be found that an increase of a
couple of degrees in the angle of attack will cause only a slight
increase in drag coefficient but it will cause a considerable increase
in the lift coefficient. It will therefore be at an angle of attack
If0 or 2Â° greater than the angle of minimum drag coefficient that
L/D will have its greatest value.
The values of L/D or CL/CD for various angles of attack of the
Clark Y airfoil are shown in Fig. 17. It will be noted that the
angle of minimum drag coefficient is â 3JÂ°, while the angle of
maximum L/D is slightly greater, i.e., +|Â°.
The angle of maximum L/D is important. For level flight,
lift is considered as practically equal to the weight. With weight
constant, lift is constant; the drag will be least when D/L is least,
that is, when L/D is greatest.
In a preceding paragraph, it was shown that for level flight there
is one velocity corresponding to each angle of attack. The velocity
corresponding to the angle of maximum L/D will be the velocity
at which the wing will have the least drag.
Since parasite drag coefficients vary only slightly with angle of
attack, it is approximately correct to state that, if the angle of
attack of the wing is that of maximum L/D, the whole airplane
will have less total drag than in any other position. This position
will require the least thrust force from the propeller.
It should be noted that power contains the element of speed

46 AIRFOILS
or time, so that less power may be required from the engine if the
airplane is flown at slightly less speed, i.e., slightly greater angle
of attack. This will be treated later in this book. The gasoline
consumption depends on horsepower-hours, which, in turn, de
pends on L/D total. In flying from one point to another, the
least amount of fuel will be required if the airplane is flown
entirely with the wing at the angle of attack of maximum L/D.
For best performance of the engine and propeller and for com
fort it is desirable that the longitudinal axis of the airplane be
horizontal. In order that in that position of the airplane the wing
shall be at the angle of maximum L/D, the wing is usually set at a
small positive angle to the axis of the airplane. This angle is
called the angle of incidence.
In a race, the nose of an airplane would be depressed, causing
the angle of attack to be less than that of maximum L/D. The
drag coefficient will be less at this angle of attack than at the angle
of maximum L/D, but in order that there shall be sufficient lift
to sustain the plane in the air, velocity must be greater than at
the larger angle. Because velocity is greater, the drag is greater
at the lower angle even though the drag coefficient is less.
Example. In level flight, what is the least drag of the Clark Y
wing of an airplane weighing 5,000 lb.?
Solution. From Fig. 17, (L/DW. for Clark Y is 20.8
L _ W _ 5,000 _~f.K
~=~~
Problems
1. (a) Plot L/D versus angle of attack for the Gottingen 398 airfoil.
(6) What is the least drag of a Gottingen 398 wing for an airplane
weighing 4,000 lb.? (c) What is the drag for this airplane when the
wing is at 6Â° angle of attack? (d) What is the drag when the wing is
at -3Â° angle of attack?
2. (a) Plot L/D versus angle of attack for the M-6 airfoil. (6) What
is the least drag of an M-6 wing for an airplane weighing 2,000 lb.?
(c) What is the angle of attack for least drag?
3. (a) Plot L/D versus angle of attack for the R.A.F. 15 airfoil.
(6) What is the least drag of an R.A.F. 15 wing for an airplane weighing
2,000 lb.? (c) What is the angle of attack for least drag? (d) What
is the drag at zero degrees angle of attack?

POLARS
47
Polars. Instead of plotting lift and drag coefficients against
angle of attack, the information may be given in other ways.
Quite frequently the lift coefficient is plotted against drag coeffi
cient, as in Fig. 23. The curve represents the changes in CD with
1.5
13
At
12
LI
0Â°
l.o
.9
tS1^
.7
JB
.I
.02 04 .06 .08 .10 .12 .14 .16 .18 .20 .22 M
CD
FIG. 23. Polar curve for Clark Y airfoil, aspect ratio 6.
changes in CL> or vice versa. The angle of attack is designated
on the curve itself. This form of plotting is called a polar curve.
Since CD is small in comparison with CL it is customary to use
a much larger scale for plotting CD than for CL. If the same
scale were used for plotting both CL and CD, a line drawn from the
origin to any point on the curve would represent the resultant
coefficient, both in direction and magnitude. Its length could be

AIRFOILS
scaled off in the same units as the CL and CD scale. Multiplied
by (p/2)/SF2, it would represent the force acting on the wing.
Using different scales for CL and CD, the length and direction
of a line from the origin to a point on the polar curve are meaning
less. However, irrespective of scales, the line which makes the
largest angle with the horizontal base line, having the greatest
tangent, will have the highest CL/CD ratio. Therefore a line drawn
from the origin tangent to the polar curve will locate the angle of
maximum L/D. By reading the coordinates of the point of
tangency, the maximum value of L/D may be quickly found.
0 3.
8 1.0 \2 14 1.6 18
FIG. 24. L/D versus CL for Clark Y airfoil.
Another form of graph is shown in Fig. 24, where L/D is plotted
against CL. Because lift coefficient varies almost directly with
angle of attack up to near the burble point, this graph resembles
very much the plot of L/D against angle of attack in Fig. 17.
In comparing one airfoil with another, the actual angles of
attack are of little consequence. The important factors are CL,
CD, and L/D. These are all given by one polar curve; the
information would have to be obtained from three separate curves
otherwise.
POLARS
49
sq. ft. in area. What horsepower is required for the wing when flying
at 90 ft. per sec.?
rW
CL =
0.002379
0.891
X 350 X (90)2
From Fig. 23, when CL = 0.891, CD = 0.0561
H.P. =
550
_ 0.0561 X 0.001189 X 350 X (90)3
550
= 31.0 hp.
.02 .04 .06 .08 .10 .12 .14 .16 .18 .20 .22 .24
FIG. 25. Polar curve for U.S.A.-35A airfoil, aspect ratio 6.
Example. Compare maximum L/D of a Clark Y airfoil with that
of a U.S.A.-35 airfoil.
60 AIRFOILS
In Fig. 23, the line from origin tangent to curve is tangent at point
where CL = 0.38 and CD = 0.018.
For Clark Y, Maximum L/D = ^- = 21.0
In Fig. 25, the line from origin tangent to curve is tangent at point
where CL = 0.55 and CD = 0.03.
For U.S.A.-35 max. L/D = Â°-^f = 18.3
or directly from Fig. 24,
U.Uo
For Clark Y, Maximum L/D = 21.0
Example. An airplane weighing 2,000 Ib. has a C-80 wing 180
sq. ft. in area. What horsepower is required for the wing when the
airspeed is 120 miles per hour?
Solution.
ci = -5L
2,000
0.001189 X 180 X (120 X 1.47)2
= 0.301
From Fig. 26, when CL = 0.301, L/D = 23.2
For horizontal flight, W = L
2,000
~D~ ~23.2
D = 86.2 Ib.
H.P. =
86.2 X 120
375
27.6 hp.
Problems
1. An airplane weighing 2,,500 Ib. has a C-80 wing 200 sq. ft. in
area. What horsepower is required for the wing when airspeed is
200 ft. per sec.?
2. An airplane weighing 1,800 Ib. has a C-80 wing. What area should
the wing have in order that only 25 hp. will be required for the wing
when the airspeed is 150 ft. per sec.?
3. An airplane weighing 4,000 Ib. has a C-80 wing. It is flying
at the angle of attack which has CL of 0.6. What is the drag?
4. An airplane has a C-80 wing. When CL is 0.7 and the drag is
300 Ib., what is the lift?

POLARS
51
5. An airplane weighing 2,400 Ib. has a U.S.A.-35A wing 210 sq.
ft. in area. What is the drag when flying at an airspeed of 90 ft. per
sec.?
6. An airplane weighing 3,500 Ib. has a U.S.A.-35A rectangular
wing of 54-ft. span and 9-ft. chord. What horsepower is required by
the wing when the airspeed is 150 ft. per sec.?
7. What horsepower is required by the wing in problem 6 when the
airplane is flying at 100 ft. per sec.?
9.
.4 6 .8 1.0
Fio. 26. L/D versus CL for C-80 airfoil, aspect ratio 6.
8. An airplane with a U.S.A.-35A wing has a wing loading of 12 Ib.
per sq. ft. What is the L/D when airspeed is 100 miles per hour?
An airplane with a U.S.A.-35A wing 600 sq. ft. in area is flying
at a 6Â° angle of attack with an airspeed of 90 miles per hour. What
is the lift and what is the drag?
10. An airplane with a U.S.A.-35A wing has a wing loading of 14
Ib. per sq. ft. It is flying at a 4Â° angle of attack. What should be the
airspeed?
Absolute Coefficients with Metric Units. The absolute coeffi
cients of lift and drag, CL and CD, are diinensionless, that is, they
are pure numbers. Because of this, CL and CD are usable in the

52 AIRFOILS
standard equations for lift and drag, provided the other factors
are consistent. With the English units: lift and drag forces are
in pounds, mass density is in slugs per cubic foot, area is in square
feet, and velocity is in feet per second. With metric units: lift
and drag forces are in kilograms, density is in metric slugs per
cubic meter, area is in square meters, and velocity is in meters per
second.
Under standard conditions, a cubic meter of air weighs 1.2255
kg. Since the standard acceleration of gravity is 9.807 meters
per second, the standard mass density of air is 1.2255 .*. 9.807 or
0.12497 metric slug per cubic meter.
Example. An airplane having a GQttingen 398 wing 35 square
meters in area is flying at 4Â° angle of attack, with a velocity of 40
meters per second. What is the lift?
Solution. From Fig. 18, CL = 0.76.
Lift = CL
Â£
= 0.76 X ^^ X 35 X 402
= 2,660 kg.
Example. An airplane with a wing loading of 30 kg. per square
meter is flying with its Gottingen 398 wing at a 2Â° angle of attack.
What should be the airspeed?
Solution. From Fig. 18, CL = 0.585.
1585 X 0.0625
= 28.7 meters per second
Engineering Coefficients. In the United States, it was formerly
universal custom to employ engineering coefficients, Kx and Ky,
instead of the absolute coefficients, CL and CD. Kx and Ky in
cluded in themselves the standard density of air as well as a factor
for changing miles per hour into feet per second. With engineering
coefficients, the standard formulas for lift and drag become
L = KySV- S in square feet
D = KXSV- V in miles per hour

ENGINEERING COEFFICIENTS 53
Ky is the lift in pounds of a wing, 1 sq. ft. in area, traveling at a
velocity of 1 mile per hour; Kx is the drag of that wing, the move
ment taking place through standard air.
The Ky and Kx coefficients given by characteristic curves for
various airfoils are for use only when the airfoils are moving
through air of standard density. They should be more properly
designated Ky, and K* since their application is only at zero
altitude. At altitudes where the air density differs from that at
sea-level, the Ky and Kx shown on the graphs must be corrected
for the new air density. The symbol a (sigma) is used to express
the ratio of the density at any altitude to standard density. The
corrected Ky and Kx for any altitude is found by multiplying tli3
Ky, and Kn (taken from the graphs) by the a for that altitude.
Ky = aKy, = âKy,
Po
Kx = aK^ = â KX,
Po
By comparing the equations for lift and drag containing absolute
coefficients with the similar equations with engineering coefficients,
a relation is found between the two sets of coefficients, as follows
/0.002378\ /5,280
â
= 0.00256 CL
and Kt = 0.00256 CD
or CL = 390.7 Ky
and CD = 390.7 Kx
CL and CD, being each multiplied by the same constant of trans
formation, 0.00256, to obtain Ky and Kx respectively, L/D is equal
to the ratio of engineering coefficients, since
L = CL = 0.00256 CL = Ky
D~ CD~ 0.00256 CD ~ Kx
Engineering coefficients are much more convenient to use since
in practice airspeed is usually measured in miles per hour rather
than in feet per second. There is incongruity, however, in not
using the same unit of length in calculating area as in computing
velocity. Engineering coefficients cannot be used for metric units
without transformation.
ENGINEERING COEFFICIENTS 55
sq. ft. in area; what should be the airspeed at 4Â° angle of attack at
sea-level? At 10,000-ft. altitude? What is the drag under each
condition?
Solution,
At zero altitude:
F=./~ 5,000
400 X 0.00169
D = 0.000089 X 400 X 1
= 263 Ib.
At 10,000-ft. altitude:
V=
5,000
400 X 0.738 X 0.00169
F=v/0x86.0
= 100 miles per hour
D = 0.738 X 0.000089 X 400 X 1002
= 0.738 X 0.000089 X 400 X
= 0.000089 X 400 X Â§61?
= 263 Ib.
NOTE: With weight fixed, at a constant angle of attack, drag is
independent of altitude.
Problems (Use Fig. 27)
1. A wing 150 sq. ft. in area has a Clark Y section. What is the
maximum load that can be carried at 50 miles per hour?
2. For the wing in problem 1, what is the minimum speed to carry
a load of 1,600 Ib.?
3. For the wing in problem 1, what must be the angle of attack
for the wing to lift 1,600 Ib. when the airspeed is 80 miles per hour?
4. For a wing loading of 14 Ib. per sq. ft., (a) what should be the
angle of attack for a Clark Y wing at an airspeed of 90 miles per hour
at sea-level; (6) at 10,000-ft. altitude?
in area, (a) What is the drag at 120 miles per hour at sea-level; (6)
at 10,000-ft. altitude?
6. For an airplane with a Clark Y wing, what should be the wing
loading to fly 150 miles per hour at 0Â° angle of attack: (a) at sea-
level; (6) at 10,000-ft. altitude?

56 AIRFOILS
7. An airplane, with a wing loading of 18.2 Ib. per sq. ft., has a
Clark Y wing whose angle of attack is 7Â°. For level flight what should
be the velocity (a) at sea-level; (6) at 10,000-ft. altitude?
8. An airplane has a minimum speed of 40 miles per hour at sea-
level, what is its minimum speed at 10,000-ft. altitude?
9. An airplane has a Clark Y wing 270 sq. ft. in area. With wing
at 3Â° angle of attack, what should the airspeed be in order that the
drag does not exceed 300 Ib. (a) at sea-level; (6) at 10,000-ft. altitude?
10. An airplane weighing 1,800 Ib. has a Clark Y wing. What
should be the wing area, if the airspeed is 130 miles per hour when the
wing is at 1Â° angle of attack?
Power with Engineering Coefficients. With engineering coeffi
cients, velocity is in miles per hour units. Power required by the
wing, being the product of drag and velocity, will be in mile-
pounds per hour units, if velocity in miles per hour is multiplied
by drag force in pounds. One horsepower is 550 ft-lb. per sec. or
375 mile-pounds per hour. Using this factor, the formulas for
horsepower required by the wing become
DV
H.P.req. = oF D in pounds
S in square feet
= * V in miles per hour
375
Example. What is the horsepower required by a Clark Y wing
225 sq. ft. in area at 2Â° angle of attack and 125 miles per hour (a) at
sea-level; (6) at 15,000-ft. altitude?
Solution. From Fig. 27, at 2Â° angle of attack, Kx is 0.0000614.
At sea-level :
H.P.*,. = -^-
â B 0.0000614 X 225 X 1253
= 72.0 hp.
At 15,000-ft. altitude:
_ (0.629 X 0.0000614) X 225 X 125*
H.Rr*,. - â^-
= 0.629 X 72.0
- 45.2 hp.
Problems
1. What horsepower is required by a Clark Y wing 325 sq. ft. in
area at 7Â° angle of attack and airspeed of 85 miles per hour?

MOMENT COEFFICIENT AND CENTER OF PRESSURE 57
2. What should be the airspeed in order that a Clark Y wing
200 sq. ft. in area should require only 45 hp. at 4Â° angle of attack?
3. What should be the area of a Clark Y wing so that 50 hp. is
required to fly at 90 miles per hour at 5Â° angle of attack?
area, on an airplane weighing 1,750 lb., when flying at 3Â° angle of
attack (a) at sea-level; (b) at 15,000-ft. altitude?
area, on an airplane weighing 1,750 lb., when flying at 100 miles per
hour (a) at sea-level; (6) at 15,000-ft. altitude?
Moment Coefficient and Center of Pressure. In studying the
problem of longitudinal balance and stability, it is necessary to
know not only the magnitude and direction of the resultant of the
forces on the wing, but also the position of this resultant. Lift
and drag forces are perpendicular to each other and are com
ponents of the resultant force. The lift squared plus the drag
squared equals the resultant squared. Like its two components,
the resultant varies as the air density, the wing area, and the
square of the velocity; therefore a resultant coefficient may be
used in a similar manner to the lift and drag coefficients.
Resultant = R = VU + D2 S is area in square feet
V is velocity in feet per second
CR = VCL2 + CD2
The direction in which the resultant force acts is the angle cot~1
L/D, backward from the direction in which the lift component
acts.
The point on the chord through which the line of action of the
resultant force passes is termed the center of pressure. This is
abbreviated as C.P. Its location in percentage of chord length
is given by a curve which is customarily included among the
characteristic curves of an airfoil.
For all unsymmetrical airfoils, that is, those having greater
camber on the upper than the lower surface, the curves of center-
of-pressure location bear a close resemblance. At angles close to
the angle of zero lift, the center of pressure is near the trailing
edge of the wing. As the angle becomes more positive, the center
of pressure moves forward. At some angle, usually a few degrees
below the angle of maximum lift, the center of pressure is at its
most forward position. The maximum forward position of the

58 AIRFOILS
center of pressure is about 28 per cent of the chord length back
from the leading edge.
As the angle of attack is decreased below that for maximum
forward position, the center of pressure moves backward. The
resultant is an upward and backward force. At the exact angle
of zero lift, the resultant instead of being a single force becomes a
couple tending to depress the leading edge and raise the trailing
edge, plus the drag component. If the angle of attack becomes
more negative than the angle of zero lift, the resultant reappears
as a single force again but acting downward and rearward, with
the center of pressure near the trailing edge. Depressing the
leading edge still more, the resultant, as a larger downward and
backward force, moves forward.
The above-described movement is termed " unstable " center-of-
pressure movement. When the wing is balanced at one angle of
attack, if this angle of attack is momentarily increased by a gust
of wind or otherwise, the forward movement of the upward
resultant force tends to tip the leading edge of the wing upward
still more. This increase of attack angle moves the center of
pressure still further forward, tending to increase the nosing-up
still more, so that a stall would eventually result. Conversely,
a decrease in the angle of attack from a previously balanced
condition would cause a backward movement of the center of
pressure which, by lifting on the trailing edge, tends to decrease
the angle of attack more.
With symmetrical airfoils, that is, those having both surfaces
convex and of the same camber, there is practically no center-of-
pressure movement. These airfoils are termed " stable " airfoils.
On the more common non-symmetrical airfoils, a reverse curvature,
i.e., having the trailing edge
curve upward, gives an airfoil
with little or no center-of-
pressure movement.
The moment of the resultant
Oration of râtlv. Â»,nd^C>/ ^7^^ foI.Ce On the Wing is the product
of the force and the distance
FiÂ«. 28. Diagram of^moments about from the lme of action of
the force to the point about
which the moment is taken. Moments which act in a manner
tending to increase the angle of attack are called stalling moments

MOMENT COEFFICIENT AND CENTER OF PRESSURE 59
and are designated by a positive sign. Moments which tend to
decrease the angle of attack are called diving moments and are
negative in sign.
When the moment is taken about the leading edge, the sum of
the moments of the two components may be used; see Fig. 28.
Moment about leading edge = Mo = C.P. X c X cos a X L
+ C.P. X c X sin a. X D
moment is in foot-pounds.
C.P. is in percentage of chord length, c is chord length in feet,
L and D are in pounds.
This may also be written as follows:
Moment about leading edge = M0 =. CM,C ^SV2
CM, = (C.P.)(CL cos a + CD sin a), V in feet per second
In engineering units:
Moment about leading edge = Af0 = KM0cSV.
KM, = (C.P.)(/Ly cos a + Kx sin a), V in miles per hour.
Since a is always a small angle, cosine a is very close to unity,
and only a slight error is introduced if the term CL is used instead
of CL cos a. Also since CD is usually small compared with CL, CD
sin a will be still smaller compared with CL and only a slight
additional error will be incurred if the term CD sin a is dropped.
Then a sufficiently close approximation for most work is to let
CM, = â (C.P.)(Ci) V in feet per second
and KM, = â (C.P.X/Q V in miles per hour
minus signs being used to designate diving moment.
Equations [M0 = CW Â£ SV.] and (M0 = KM,cSV-) may be
\*/
transformed to read
A/f.
and KM, = -â¢ V in miles per hour
Example. Find moment about leading edge of a R.A.F. 15 airfoil
of 42-ft. span and 7-ft. chord at a 2Â° angle of attack with an airspeed
of 120 ft. per sec.

60 AIRFOILS
Solution.
From Fig. 21, when a = 2Â°
CL = 0.295
CD = 0.0156
C.P. = 36 per cent
Then:
Moment about leading edge =
0.36 X (0.295 cos 2Â° + 0.0156 sin 2Â°) X 7 X .f X 42 X 7 X T202
fl (Â¥19178
= -3740ft-lb.
Problems
2t
1. Plot Mc versus angle of attack for an R.A.F. 15 airfoil.
2. What is the moment about the leading edge of an R.A.F. 15 wing
of 8 ft. chord and 48-ft. span at a 7Â° angle of attack with an airspeed
of 70 miles per hour?
3. What is the moment about the leading edge of an R.A.F. 15
wing of 45-ft. span and ?5-ft. chord at a 4Â° angle of attack with an
airspeed of 120 miles per hour?
4. What is the moment about the leading edge of an R.A.F. 15
wing of 36-ft. span and 6-ft. chord at a 3Â° angle of attack with an
airspeed of 90 miles per hour?
6. What vertical force must be applied 5 ft. back from the leading
edge to prevent rotation of a R.A.F. 15 wing of 54-ft. span and 9-ft.
chord at an angle of attack of 0Â° at an airspeed of 115 miles per hour?
Flo. 29. Moments about point not
at leading edge.
Aerodynamic Center of Pres
sure. Instead of finding the mo
ments about the leading edge
of the wing, the moment may
be found about a point located
back of the leading edge. Let
pc feet be the distance from the
leading edge to this point, where
p is in percentage of chord
length; see Fig. 29. Then the
moment about this point will be
-Af = (CL cos a + CD sin a) Â£SF' [(C.P. X c) - pc]
the minus sign being used because the force shown in Fig. 29 will
AERODYNAMIC CENTER OF PRESSURE
61
cause a diving or negative moment. An approximate form of the
above is
-M = CLÂ£<SF'(C.P. Xc-pc)
dividing by 5 pSVc gives
fSV%
letting
= C.P. X CL - pCL
fSF'c
= Cu, moment coefficient about point p,
-Cu = C.P. X CL - pCL
That is, for any angle of attack, the moment coefficient about
any point along the chord is the lift coefficient for that angle
multiplied by the difference between the position of the center of
pressure and the position of the point measured in percentage of
chord.
40
30
20
10
0 1 .2 3 4 .5 .6 .7 8 .9 1.0
C. P from L E.
FIG. 30. l/Ci versus C.P. for Clark Y airfoil.
For most airfoils, if, from experimental data, l/Cr is plotted
against C.P., a curve resembling that in Fig. 30 results. It
closely approximates a straight line up to values of CL close to

62 AIRFOILS
the burble point. Any deviations from the straight line may be
accounted as due to experimental error. Assuming that it is a
straight line, it represents an equation of the form y = ax + b.
The intersection of the straight line with the vertical axis is
approximately 0.25 for practically every airfoil investigated.
That is, when l/CL equals zero, C.P. equals 0.25, and since the
straight line has a constant slope, from the experimental data,
it may be stated that
(IR = 0.25 +
or k = CL(OR - 0.25)
From the previously derived equation that â Cu = Ci(C.P. â p),
where Cu is the moment coefficient about a point that is p per cent
of the chord back from the leading edge, the moment coefficient
about a point that is a quarter-chord length back from the leading
edge is
= Ci(C.P. - 0.25)
The constant slope A; of the graph of C.P. versus 1/Cz. is there
fore equal to the moment coefficient about the quarter-chord
point, Cjfo.28. Since the moment coefficient, and consequently
the moment, about the quarter-chord point are constant, this
point is called the aerodynamic center of the airfoil. The moment
coefficient about the quarter-chord point for various airfoils is
tabulated in Table V.
Since -CUo.x = CL(C.P. - 0.25)
C.P. = 0.25 -
substituting this value for C.P. in the equation for moment
coefficient about any point p per cent of the chord back from the
leading edge gives
-Cu = -pCL +
= -pCL + 0.25 CL -
An inspection of this relation shows that, when CL equals zero,
the moment coefficient about any point is equal to the moment
coefficient about the quarter point. Therefore at the angle of zero
lift the moment coefficient about the leading edge is equal to the
AERODYNAMIC CENTER OF PRESSURE 63
moment coefficient about the quarter point, which is approxi
mately constant for all angles.
CW(0.25) = Cjf0(CL = 0>
Example. An airplane whose wing loading is 8 Ib. per sq. ft. is
flying level at an airspeed of 100 miles per hour. If at angle of zero
lift, CM, = â0.067, what is the center of pressure?
Solution. V = 100 miles per hour = 146.7 ft. per sec.
CL- W
ogw878xl3K?.
= 0.313
C.P. = 0.25 -
= 0.25 -
CL
-0.067
0.313
= 0.25 + 0.214
= 0.46
or 46 per cent chord length back of leading edge.
Example. At 6Â° angle of attack, an airfoil has a CL = 0.84,
CD = 0.06, and CM, = â0.27. Find position of center of pressure by
both approximate and exact methods.
Solution.
Approximate C.P. = ~ ***
= â I }
/-0.27\
\ 0.84 )
= 0.322
Exact C.P. =
-Cm,
CL cos a + CD sin a
-(-0.27)
0.84 X 0.995 + 0.06 X 0.105
+ 0.27
0.836 + 0.006
= 0.321
64 AIRFOILS
Problems
1. An airplane with wing loading of 15 Ib. per sq. ft. is flying at an
airspeed of 125 miles per hour. At angle of zero lift CA/O = â0.06.
By approximate method, where is the center of pressure?
2. A monoplane weighing 2,592 Ib. with wing span of 36 ft. and
wing chord of 6 ft. is flying at a speed of 120 miles per hour. If the
center of pressure is 35 per cent of chord length back of the leading
edge: (a) what is the moment about the leading edge; (6) what is the
moment coefficient about the leading edge; (c) what is the moment
about the leading edge at angle of zero lift?
3. An airfoil at 3Â° angle of attack has a CL = 0.65, CD = 0.036,
and CM, = â0.24. Find location of the center of pressure (a) by
approximate method; (6) by exact method, (c) Find CM, at angle
of zero lift.
4. At 0Â° angle of attack a certain airfoil has CL = 0.16 and the
center of pressure is 30 per cent of the chord length back from the
leading edge. What is the moment coefficient about the leading
edge when lift is zero?
6. For a certain airfoil, when lift is zero, the moment coefficient
about the leading edge is 0.06; what is CL when the center of pressure
is 40 per cent of chord length back of leading edge?
6. What value of moment coefficient about the leading edge at
angle of zero lift will give a center of pressure of 0.52 at a speed of
150 miles per hour for an airplane weighing 8,000 Ib. and having a
wing area of 750 sq. ft.?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
U. S. ARMY Am CORPS, Handbook of Information for Airplane Designers.
N.A.C.A. Technical Reports.
DIEHL, Engineering Aerodynamics.

CHAPTER V
INDUCED DRAG OF MONOPLANES
In the previous chapter, the action of air in flowing over wings
was described. All the data given, or used in problems, were,
however, for wings having an aspect ratio of 6; i.e., the span was 6
times the chord length.
By chance, early measurements of the lift and drag of airfoils
were made on small model wings having an aspect ratio of 6.
Later when it was desired to know whether a change in the camber
would improve the characteristics, the models of the newer airfoils
were made geometrically similar to the older models, i.e., with the
same aspect ratio, so that any difference in the characteristics
could be attributed solely to the difference in contour of the airfoil.
Practically all tests on airfoils are therefore made on models having
an aspect ratio of 6, and unless a definite statement is made to the
contrary, it may be safely assumed that data published about
airfoils refer to airfoils having this standard aspect ratio.
The changes in characteristics due to changes in aspect ratio are
now quite definitely known. For convenience, it is becoming more
customary to furnish data for airfoils having an infinite aspect
ratio. These data can then be corrected to be applicable to wings
of any aspect ratio.
Variation of Lift across Span. The motion of the air in flowing
around a wing is very complex. Air flows backward over the top
side and under the lower side. This motion is complicated
because of other incidental conditions.
The air pressure on the upper side of a wing in motion is slightly
less than atmospheric pressure; that on the under side is slightly
greater than atmospheric pressure. Fluids will always go from
a region of high to one of low pressure. Therefore, in flight, air is
spilling out from below the wing tip and up into the region of low
pressure on top of the wing. Therefore, on the upper side of the
wing near the wing tips, the pressure is not quite as low as over the
rest of the wing because of the excess coming up from below partly
filling this low-pressure area. On the under side of the wing near
65
66
the tip, because of the air passing out and up, the positive pressure
is not as great as under the inner portions of the wing.
Lift, being due to the difference in air pressure between the lower
and upper sides of the wing, is not uniform over the span of even
a rectangular wing. Tests have been repeatedly run which check
with these deductions. Pressure measurements, made at various
points across the span, show that difference in pressure is maximum
at the center of the span, decreasing by small amounts towards the
wing tips.
The distribution of lift along the span of a rectangular wing is
shown in Fig. 31. Close to the center of the span the decrease
ifM1 (. i1 1-1 ..i> iJ( 1.,> 1* (' itlililt.
Fio. 31. Lift distribution across span of a rectangular wing.
from maximum is slight. At a greater distance from the center
the rate of decrease is more pronounced.
In calculating the necessary strength of the spars the distribu
tion of the supporting forces of lift should be known. The
Department of Commerce arbitrarily prescribes that, for internally
braced wings, the lift shall be considered uniform from the center
of the span to a point one chord length in from the tip, and from
there it shall decrease to 80 per cent of the uniform lift (see Fig. 32).
T\
.8w
T.
Length
. Span
Tip Length
FIG. 32. Dept. of Commerce lift distribution for internally braced wing.
For non-rectangular or externally braced wings, slightly different
assumptions are made. Although these lift distributions are not
exactly correct, they do make some allowances for the decrease in
lift at the wing tips and are sufficiently close for strength com
putations.
It is to be noted that, with a wing of large aspect ratio, the
decrease in lift at the wing tip is less in proportion to the total
than with a wing of small aspect ratio. An imaginary wing of

ACTION AT TRAILING EDGE
67
infinite aspect ratio, having no wing-tip losses, would have uniform
lift across the span.
Inward and Outward Flow. Because, on the under side of the
wing, air near the tip is flowing out and upward, air nearer the
center flows out to replace this air. The air on the under side of
the wing has therefore not only a backward motion relative to the
wing but also an outward motion as well. Near the center of the
span this outward component is weaker than near the tip. The
resultant motion is illustrated in Fig. 33a.
On the upper side of the wing, owing to air coming up and
inward over the tips, there is an inward component, which is
Leading Edge
/ \\\
Trailing Edge
(a)
Leading Edge
Trailing Edge
<W
Fio. 33. Air motion (a) under side, (6) upper side of wing.
strongest at the tips. The resultant of this inward movement of
air and the rearward velocity is shown in Fig. 336.
The theoretical wing of infinite aspect ratio would have no
inward and outward flow. The flow would be directly backward
and downward.
Action at Trailing Edge. At any point on the trailing edge,
coming over the upper side of the wing, is a streamline of air
which has a direction backward, downward, and inward towards
the center of the span, and coming under the lower side of the wing
is a streamline of air which has a direction backward and outward.
The juxtaposition of these two streamlines at the trailing edge
initiates a tiny vortex. These vortices are formed at an infinite
number of points along the trailing edge.
On the left wing trailing edge, these vortices are counter
clockwise, viewed from the front; on the right wing they are
68 INDUCED DRAG OF MONOPLANES
clockwise. These small vortices, immediately after their forma
tion, merge into two main vortices, one at each wing tip. These
vortices are powerful air movements, and in flying in close forma
tion great care must be taken that the wing of a following airplane
shall not protrude in a wing-tip vortex of a leading plane.
The effect of the vortex at each wing tip is to give an upward
motion to air outside the wing tip and an inward and downward
motion to air inside it. Since at each wing tip air is coming in
ward, the momentums neutralize each other and can be neglected.
The downward components of motion are, however, of considerable
importance.
On a wing of infinite aspect ratio, there are no wing-tip vortices.
Air flowing over and under the wing is given a downward deflection
Fia. 34. Wing tip vortices.
as explained in the last chapter. A streamline, under these
conditions, is always in a vertical plane parallel to the vertical
plane of symmetry of the airplane. This type of flow is two
dimensional and is called profile flow.
With a finite aspect ratio, there are wing-tip vortices. The
down flow due to these vortices is in addition to the down flow of
the profile flow. With smaller aspect ratio the importance of this
down flow due to the wing-tip vortices becomes greater. The
downward velocity caused by the wing tips is called the induced
velocity and is denoted by the symbol w.
Induced Angle of Attack. The geometric angle of attack of a
wing, heretofore referred to simply as the angle of attack, has been
defined as the angle between the relative wind and the wing
chord. The relative wind is the direction from which the air
INDUCED ANGLE OF ATTACK 69
comes in meeting the wing, this direction being the direction of the
air stream before it has been disturbed by the approaching wing.
With a wing of finite aspect ratio, the air through which the
wing is passing has a downward velocity due to the wing-tip
vortices. Then the wing is not traveling through air which has a
relative direction exactly opposite to Relative wind
the wing's forward direction, but, in-
stead, through air which has a motion
both backward and downward past
the wing. The true velocity of the air FlG. 35. ^tive â¢d Kad
relative to the wing is the resultant
i ,. ,1 . .it. ii , mean relative wind.
of the two velocities, the backward velocity V, equal in magni
tude to the airspeed, and the induced downward velocity w; see
Fig. 35. This resultant may be considered a true relative wind
as it is the actual direction of the air passing backward and down
ward past the wing.
The downward velocity w is always small with respect to the
airspeed V, so that the resultant true velocity is very little different
in magnitude from the airspeed V. This slight difference is
negligible, and the magnitude of the true velocity is considered
to be V.
The angle between relative wind V and the true relative wind is
called the induced angle of attack and, though small, is very
important. It is represented by the symbol a,..
The geometric angle of attack a may be considered as being
made up of two parts, the induced angle of attack a,. and the
effective angle of attack a0, where
a = ao + aÂ»
With an infinite aspect ratio, there being no wing-tip vortices,
there is no downward motion of the air in which the wing is moving
so that the direction of the relative wind measured forward of the
wing in undisturbed air is the same as the direction of the relative
wind right at the wing. The induced angle of attack is therefore
zero, and the effective angle of attack is the same as the geometric
angle of attack. For this reason the effective angle of attack is
sometimes called the angle of attack for infinite aspect ratio.
A wing of finite aspect ratio in traveling forward horizontally is
always moving in air that has a downward motion. The resultant
relative wind is therefore the direction of the air which must be

PROFILE AND INDUCED DRAG 71
comparison with CLO and may be neglected. If angle a, is in
radians, for small angles the sine is equal to the angle itself; i.e.,
oj = sin a,.. The equations thus become :
CL = CLO
and CD = CLOU + Cm
or CD = Coi + CDO where C& =
The drag coefficient is composed of two parts. One part,
represented by the coefficient C&., is caused by the induced down
ward velocity of the wing-tip vortices and is called the induced
drag coefficient. The other part, CDO, is called the profile drag
coefficient. In the same way, the drag itself is divided into two
corresponding parts: the induced drag equal to CM 5 <SF2 and the
profile drag equal to CDO s<
Â£t
When the wing has an infinite aspect ratio, there is no induced
drag and all the drag is that due to the profile or two-dimensional
flow. The drag is then due only to the skin friction of the air with
the surface of the airfoil. The amount of this drag depends
chiefly on the shape of the airfoil at angles below where excessive
burbling takes place. It is because of the profile of the airfoil
determining its magnitude that D0 is called profile drag. Profile
drag is independent of angle of attack, up to the burble point, and
is independent of aspect ratio.
With finite aspect ratio, in addition to the profile drag, there is
the induced drag. The coefficient of induced drag depends on the
lift â which depends on the angle of attack â and on the induced
angle of attack, which depends on the effect of the wing-tip
vortices, which in turn depends on the aspect ratio.
The induced drag, being a component of lift, depends not only
on the lift but also on the slant of the lift backward from the per
pendicular to the relative wind. Dr. M. Munk has proved that
this angle, a,., is minimum when the downwash is constant along
the span, and this constant downwash is obtained when the lift
distribution along the span varies in such a manner that, when
plotted with the lift as ordinates and distance along span as ab
scissas, the resulting curve is a semi-ellipse with the span as the axis.
When a wing moves forward the air which comes in immediate
contact with the surface is affected and has motion imparted to it.
Farther away from the wing the air is affected less. At great
distances above or below the wing, there is still an effect on the air
but so slight as to be negligible. The actual situation is that air
is affected by a varying amount from close to the wing to infinite
distances away from the wing where the effect is zero, but for the
purpose of calculation it is assumed that the effect is the same as
if a definite area is affected uniformly. This fictitious area of
uniform effect is termed the swept area and is denoted by S'. It
is a cross-section of the air stream taken perpendicular to the
direction of motion of the wing.
Then the mass of air affected by the wing in unit tune is pS' V.
The downward momentum imparted to this mass in unit time is
pS'V X Vai where Fa,. is considered equal to w, the downward
velocity; it is measured in radians. It has been proved mathe
matically that the downward momentum in unit time is equal to
one-half the lift, i.e.,
Then on =
2PS'V
Prandtl has shown that, with semi-elliptic lift distribution, the
swept area is a circle whose diameter is the span. Then
's .
7T&2
But by definition aspect ratio is equal to b2/S. Therefore
CL
ai = lTAK.
also CK
7T62
7T A.R.
It must be emphasized that these two expressions are true only
when the lift plotted against span is a semi-elliptic curve. This

PROFILE AND INDUCED DRAG
73
makes a; the same all across the span. This particular lift distri
bution is obtained from wings that are elliptic in plan view.
For wings of other shape, such as rectangular or tapered wings,
these expressions are not exactly correct. The error in using them
is very slight, however, and they are commonly employed without
any corrections.*
The expression given above for a,. gives the induced angle of
attack in radians. Since 1 radian is 57.3Â°
a,. (degrees) =
7T A.R.
X57.3
18.24 CL
A.R.
The induced drag coefficient being known, the induced drag may
be found, as follows
A=
* Glauert has shown that, for rectangular wings, more nearly correct for
mulas are
and
*^L tt i /n\
i r A.R.
Cj}
xA.R.v '
where the correction factors T and S vary with aspect ratio as follows:
A.R.3456T0.11.14.16.18S0.022.033.044.054A.R.789T0.20.22.23S0.064.074.083
The neglect of these correction factors never results in an error exceeding
5 per cent.
L2
7T^'F2
0.148L2
F in feet per second
F in miles per hour
For level flight, the lift is always substantially equal to the
weight. Therefore for level flight
irq\b
The weight divided by the span is called the span loading. For
level flight the induced drag varies directly with the square of the
span loading and inversely as the dynamic pressure.
At sea-level (i.e., standard density)
X 0.00119 V2\b
125'
F in feet per second
F in miles per hour
The horsepower required to overcome induced drag is
D'V
550
W2
1,730 Â£ 62 F
550
0.00116 W2
PROFILE AND INDUCED DRAG 75
At standard density, this becomes
0.488 fy
H.P.0, = - =^ â â V in feet per second
H.P.a =
WT
V in miles per hour
That is, the horsepower required at sea-level to overcome the
induced drag is one-third the span loading squared divided by the
velocity in miles per hour. At any altitude the horsepower
required to overcome induced drag is the horsepower required at
sea-level, at that speed, divided by the relative density at that
altitude:
H.P.K = - X Af V in miles per hour
Example. A rectangular monoplane wing has a span of 39 ft. and
a chord of 6 ft. What are the induced angle of attack and the induced
drag coefficient, when the lift coefficient is 0.8?
Solution.
A u 39
A.R. = -
= 6.5
(degrees) =
18.24 X 0.8
6.5
Â«= 2.22Â°
0.82
"T X 6.5
= 0.031
Example. A monoplane weighing 2,000 Ib. has a span of 38 ft.
What is the induced drag at 10,000-ft. altitude if the airspeed is 80
miles per hour? What horsepower is required to overcome the in
duced drag?
Solution.
80 miles per hour = 117 ft. per sec.
Span loading = -r-
_ 2,000
38
= 52.6 Ib. per ft.
52.62
T X i X 0.00176 X 1172
= 73 Ib.
_ 0.00116 X 521?
0.00176 X 117
= 15.5 hp.
Problems
1. A rectangular monoplane wing has 42-ft. span and 5-ft. chord.
When CL = 0.65, what are the induced angle of attack and the
induced drag coefficient?
2. A rectangular monoplane wing has 38-ft. span and 7-ft. chord.
When CL = 0.72, what are the induced angle of attack and the in
duced drag coefficient?
3. At an airspeed of 90 miles per hour at sea-level what is the in
duced drag of a monoplane weighing 4,700 Ib. and having a wing span
of 52 ft.?
4. The Northrop Delta weighs 7,000 Ib., and its span is 48 ft.
What horsepower is required to overcome induced drag of wing when
flying at sea-level at 200 miles per hour?
5. The Taylor Cub weighs 925 Ib., and its wing span is 35 ft. 2^ in.
What horsepower is required at sea-level to overcome induced wing
drag at an airspeed of 60 miles per hour?
6. The Lockheed Vega weighs 4,750 Ib.; its wing span is 41 ft.
At sea-level, what is the induced drag at 210 ft. per sec.?
7. A Stinson Reliant weighs 3,125 Ib.; its wing span is 43 ft. 3| in.
At 5,000 ft., what is induced drag at 150 ft. per sec.?
8. A Fairchild monoplane weighs 1,600 Ib.; its wing span is 32 ft.
10 in. At 10,000-ft. altitude what horsepower is required to over
come induced drag at 110 miles per hour?
9. A monoplane weighs 3,000 Ib. At sea-level, flying at 150 ft.
per sec., what is the induced drag (a) if span is 35 ft.; (b) if span is
30ft.; (c) if span is 25ft.?
10. A monoplane weighs 3,000 Ib.; its span is 30 ft. What is the
induced drag, at sea-level, (a) at airspeed of 100 ft. per sec.; (6) at
200 ft. per sec.?

CORRECTIONS FOR ASPECT RATIO OF MONOPLANE 77
If engineering coefficients are used, since Ky = 0.00256 CL, the
expression for o, becomes
at (degrees) = Q 00256 A'R
> , , 18.24 Ky
= 7130 Ky
A.R.
Also in engineering coefficients, the coefficient for induced drag
is Kxi, where K* = 0.00256 CK.
Since
0.00256 CK = 0.00256
0.00256/
7TA.R.
" 0.00256 TA.R.
125 Ky1
A.R.
Corrections for Aspect Ratio of Monoplane. As shown in a
previous paragraph, the geometric angle of attack is made up of
two parts, the effective angle of attack and the induced angle of
-5 0 5 â 10 15 20
Oegrws
Flo. 37. Effect of aspect ratio on Clark Y characteristics.
attack. Two wings of the same area, same airfoil section, and
same airspeed will have the same lift, provided the effective angle
of attack is the same in both cases. If these two wings have a
different aspect ratio, the one having the smaller aspect ratio will
have a larger induced angle of attack and will consequently need
to have a greater geometric or total angle of attack.
These two wings having the same effective angle of attack will
have the same profile drag, but since the induced drag is greater
on the wing of smaller aspect ratio, the total drag will be greater
on that wing.
If the total angle of attack is known that gives a certain lift
coefficient with a wing of one aspect ratio, the total or geometric
angle of attack that will be needed for a wing of a different aspect
ratio to give the same lift coefficient can be found as follows.
The difference between the geometric angles will be the difference
between the induced angles. Let A and B be the two aspect
ratios, OA being the total angle of attack for wing of aspect ratio A
which gives the same lift as the total angle of attack UB gives for
the win of aspect ratio B.
Then
18.24 CL 18.24 CL
= 18.240,
[I -I]
The difference in total drags will be the same as the difference in
induced drags. Then for the two wings of the preceding para
graph, A and B being the two aspect ratios and the wings being
the same airfoil section and same area, the total drags for each
will be
Co(A) = CaHA) +
CD(B) = CDO(B) +
The profile drags, being independent of aspect ratio, are the
same for both wings. Then
=_
irA irB
= CL2/! n
' T \A B)
Example. An airfoil, with aspect ratio of 6, at an angle of attack
of 3Â°, has a CL = 0.381 and CD = 0.0170; find, for the same airfoil
section, the angle of attack and the CD that will correspond with the
CL of 0.381 if the aspect ratio is 4.

COEFFICIENTS FOR INFINITE ASPECT RATIO 79
Solution.
Approximate:
a6 - 04 = 18.24 X 0.381 (i - i)
= -0.579
3Â° - (-0.579) = 3.579Â° = angle of attack for A.R. 4
COM - COM = - X (I - i)
â â 0.3812 .. ,1 lx
= -0.00385
0.0170 - (-0.00385) = 0.0208 CD for A.R. 4
Exact (using Glauert corrections) :
a6 - a4 = 18.24 X 0.381
= -0.611
0.381V1.054 1.033
= -0.0038
Coefficients for Infinite Aspect Ratio. With infinite aspect
ratio, there is neither induced angle of attack nor induced drag.
Lately it has become customary to give the characteristics of an
airfoil as if the airfoil were of infinite aspect ratio. When they
are so given, the angle of attack is identical with the effective
angle of attack and the drag coefficient is the profile drag coeffi
cient. To find the characteristics for a finite aspect ratio, to the
effective angle of attack is added the induced angle of attack for
that aspect ratio to give the geometric angle of attack, and to the
profile drag coefficient is added the induced drag coefficient for
that aspect ratio to give the total drag coefficient.
Example. For a certain airfoil of infinite aspect ratio at 9Â° angle of
attack, the CL is 1.03 and CD is 0.067. Find corresponding charac
teristics for an aspect ratio of 8.
Solution.
Approximate:
a = ao + a<
00 , 18.24 X 1.03
'! ' ~8~
= 9Â° + 2.3Â°
= 11.3Â°
CD = CDO + CDI
0.067 + 0.042
0.109
80
Wing of aspect ratio 8 at angle of attack of 11.3Â° will have lift coeffi
cient of 1.03 and drag coefficient of 0.109.
-16 -12 -8-4 0 4
Degrees
0 .01 .02
8 12 16
.03 .04
.04 .05 .06
FIG. 38. Characteristics of Clark Y airfoil, infinite aspect ratio.
Example. From Fig. 18, the lift and drag coefficients for the
Gottingen 398 airfoil for an aspect ratio of 6, at an angle of attack of
2Â°, is CL - 0.293 and CD = 0.031. Find corresponding characteristics
for infinite aspect ratio.
Solution.
2Â° =
OO(A.R.Â«) .t
, 18.24 X 0.293
ao + g
a0 = 2Â° - 0.89
= 1.11Â°, angle of attack for infinite aspect ratio
to give CL of 0.293.
COEFFICIENTS FOR INFINITE ASPECT RATIO 81
ClKA.R.6) = CDQ + CrÂ«(A.R.S)
0.031 = CDv+^j^
7T /^ 0
CDO = 0.031 - 0.0045
= 0.026 drag coefficient for infinite aspect ratio
when CL = 0.293 (i.e., angle of attack 1.11Â°).
Example. A certain airfoil with aspect ratio of 6, Ky = 0.00245 and
Kx = 0.00017, at 6Â° angle of attack; with aspect ratio of 9, what will
be the angle of attack for Ky of 0.00245, and what will be Kx1
a(A.R.Â«) - a<A.RjÂ» = 7130 X 0.00245 (J - i)
= 0.97Â°
a(A.R.Â»i = 5.03Â° for Ky = 0.00245
JfÂ«lA.M - KÂ«AJL9) = 125 X 0.002452 (} - i)
= 0.0000417
Â£*(A.R.9) = 0.00017 - 0.00004
= 0.00013
By using these formulas, if the characteristic curves for one as
pect ratio are known, the characteristic curves for any other aspect
ratio can be calculated. Figure 37 shows the lift and drag coeffi
cient curves for an aspect of 8, as calculated from data for an aspect
ratio of 6.
Note that variation in the aspect ratio has no effect on the angle
of zero lift.
Problems
1. An airfoil of infinite aspect ratio has a CD of 0.01 when CL is
0.7. (a) What is the CD for a similar airfoil with aspect ratio of 9,
when CL is 0.7? (6) What is the L/D ratio?
2. For the same airfoil section as in problem 1, but with an aspect
ratio of 8: (a) what is CD when CL is 0.7; (6) what is the L/ D ratio?
3. For the same airfoil section as in problem 1, but with an aspect
ratio of 6: (a) what is CD when CL is 0.7; (6) what is the L/ D ratio?
4. An airfoil with aspect ratio of 6, at 2Â° angle of attack has CL =
0.78 and CD = 0.047. (a) At what angle of attack will this airfoil
have the same CL if the aspect ratio is infinity? (6) What will be the
CD under these conditions?
1.32 and CD = 0.110. (a) With an aspect ratio of 9, at what angle of
attack will CL = 1.32? (6) What will be Co? (c) What will be
L/Dt
0.85 and CD = 0.046. (a) With aspect ratio of 8, at what angle of
attack will CL = 0.85? (6) What will be CD?
0.64 and CD = 0.035. (a) With aspect ratio of 8.5, at what angle of
0.58 and CD = 0.031. (a) With aspect ratio of 4, at what angle of
9. An airfoil of aspect ratio of 6, at angle of attack of 8Â°, has Ky
= 0.0025 and Kx = 0.000175. (a) With aspect ratio of 8, at what
angle of attack will Ky = 0.0025? (6) What will be KJ
10. From Fig. 26 obtain the data and plot the lift and drag coeffi
cient curves for an aspect ratio of 8.5.
Total Drag of Monoplane Wings from Model Data. In practical
calculations, it is often desired to find the drag of a wing from the
characteristics of the model, without knowing the corresponding
velocities. The L/D of the monoplane can be found, and then
use is made of the fact that, in level flight,'lift equals weight.
The formula for induced drag
" *qV
may be rewritten as
LXCL
LXCL
* (A.R.)
The drag being composed of two parts, profile drag independent
of aspect ratio and induced drag dependent on aspect ratio, the
drag of any monoplane may be written as follows
D (monoplane) = D (model) â A (model) + A (monoplane)
= D (model) -
IT (A.R.model) If
TOTAL DRAG OF MONOPLANE WINGS
then
(^monoplane
CL/ i 1 X
T VA.R.modd A.R.monopUne/
Knowledge of L/D of the monoplane wing enables the drag to
be found quickly, since, in level flight, lift substantially equals
weight.
Example. An airplane weighs 2,000 lb.; the wing area is 180 sq.
ft.; the wing span is 39 ft. What is the wing drag at 4Â° angle of
attack? Wing section is U.S.A.-35A.
Solution. From Fig. 25 at 4Â° angle of attack CL = 0.934, CD =
0.0588.
0.0588
= 0.934 :
oq2
A.R. monoplane = -^- = 8.45
0.0629 - 0.0142
0.0487
Since lift is equal to weight
2,000 = 1
D 0.0487
D = 2,000 X 0.0487
= 97.4 lb.
It is to be noted that span is always the distance from wing tip to
wing tip. The term chord used in connection with the aspect ratio
of a tapered wing refers to the average or mean arithmetic chord and
should not be confused with the mean geometric or mean aerody
namic chords. The wing area is total area including ailerons and is
assumed to extend through the fuselage.
Problems
1. A monoplane weighing 3,000 lb. has a U.S.A.-35A wing, of
35-ft. span, 4-ft. chord. What is the wing drag at 2Â° angle of attack?
2. A monoplane weighing 2,600 lb. has a TJ.S.A.-35A wing, of 27-ft.
span, 3j-ft. chord. What is the wing drag at 6Â° angle of attack?
3. A monoplane weighing 700 Ib. has a U.S.A.-35A wing of 36-ft.
span and 4-ft. chord. What is the wing drag at 8Â° angle of attack?
4. A monoplane weighing 2,700 Ib. has a rectangular wing of 42-
ft. 5-in. span and 6-ft. 0-in. chord. If Gottingen 398 airfoil is used,
what is the wing drag at 5Â° angle of attack?
6. A monoplane weighing 9,300 Ib. has a Gottingen 398 wing
574 sq. ft. in area. The span is 66 ft. What is the wing drag at 8Â°
angle of attack?
6. A monoplane whose weight is 5,400 Ib. has a C-80 wing 285 sq.
ft. in area. The span is 44 ft. What is the wing drag at the same
angle of attack for which model airfoil (A.R. 6) has a CL of 0.7?
7. A monoplane whose weight is 4,360 Ib. has a Clark Y wing 292
sq. ft. in area. The span is 42 ft. 9 in. What is the wing drag at 8Â°
angle of attack?
8. A monoplane weighing 7,000 Ib. has a U.S.A.-35A wing 363
sq. ft. in area. Span is 48 ft. What is the wing drag at 10Â° angle of
attack?
9. A racing plane weighing 6,500 Ib. has a C-80 wing of 211 sq. ft. in
area. Span is 34 ft. 3 in. What is the wing drag at 2Â° angle of attack?
10. What is the wing drag of the airplane in problem 9 at 10Â° angle
of attack?
Effect of Taper on Induced Drag. Whenever the term area has
been used in connection with aspect ratio, it refers to the total
area of a wing including ailerons. Nothing is subtracted for
fuselage or nacelle; the leading edge is assumed to continue
across in a straight line from where the leading edges of each wing
intersect the fuselage, and the same assumption is made for the
trailing edge.
With the airfoil section decided upon, the area is fixed by the
landing speed. The largest possible span will, of course, give the
least possible induced drag. The long wing spars necessary for a
large span will have to be very deep to prevent sagging or hogging,
so that there are very practical limits to the length of span. Rec
tangular wings are cheapest to manufacture since each rib ia
identical; however, there are many advantages to tapering a
wing.
There are three ways of tapering wings. The first is tapering
in plan form only. This means using the same airfoil section
throughout the wing. The chord is lessened from the root to the
tip; this entails decreasing the thickness from root to tip. The
second method is to taper in thickness only. This means a rec-

EFFECT OF TAPER ON INDUCED DRAG 85
tangular wing, the chord remaining the same from root to tip.
The airfoil section is changed from a thick wing at the root to a
thin wing at the tip. The third method is a combination of the
first two.
The first method of tapering in plan form is the only one com
monly used. Besides constructional advantages and improvement
in performance, if the upper surface is flat, the under surface
slopes outward and upward, which gives an effective dihedral.
This feature is explained in the chapter on stability.
By decreasing the chord near the tip, the lift and drag loads are
made small at the outer extremities of the wing spars. This
makes it possible to design a spar that is properly effective, being
deep where the greatest stresses occur.
Example. When CL = 0.9, find the difference in induced drag for
a rectangular wing of 36-ft. span and 6-ft. chord and a tapered wing
of the same area, the tapered wing having a 6-ft. chord at the root, the
leading and trailing edges being tangent to a circle of 2-ft. radius at
the tip, and the fuselage being 3 ft. wide. The airspeed is 100 miles
per hour.
Solution.
Area = S = 36 X 6 = 216 sq. ft.
Rectangular wing:
TV _
TXA.R.
= O92 X 0.00256 X 216 X 1002
irX6
= 236 Ib.
By laying-out tapered wing conforming to above description, span is
found to be 44 ft.
r, O92 X 0.00256 X 216 X 1002
Di = _ , -
X2l6
158 Ib.
44
Problems
1. When CL is 1.2, what is the induced drag coefficient of a wing
which has a span of 40 ft.? The chord at the root is 5 ft. Both
leading and trailing edges are tangent to the arc of a circle of 1^-ft.
radius at the tip. The fuselage is 3 ft. wide.
2. When CL is 0.9, what is induced drag coefficient of a wing of
74-ft. 0 in. span? The chord at root is 15 ft. 0 in. Both leading
and trailing edges are tangent to circular tips, 3-ft. 6 in. radius.
Fuselage is 4 ft. wide.
3. When CL is 0.8, what is induced drag coefficient of a Douglas
Transport whose span is 85 ft. 0 in.? The center section of the wing
is 28 ft. 0 in. wide and has a 17-ft. 0 in. chord. The trailing edge is
straight. The leading edge sweeps back. Both leading and trailing
edges are tangent to circular tips of 3-ft. 0 in. radius.
4. When CL is 0.85, what is induced drag coefficient of a General
Aviation Transport wing of 53-ft. 0 in. span? Fuselage is 4 ft. 6 in.
wide. Root chord is 11 ft. 0 in. Wing is tapered from fuselage out,
both leading and trailing edges being tangent to circular tip of 2-ft.
0 in. radius.
5. When CL is 0.9, what is induced drag coefficient of Northrop
Delta wing? Span is 48 ft. 0 in. Rectangular center section is 1 1 ft.
0 in. wide. Root chord is 9 ft. 0 in. Wing tapers from center section
to tip, leading and trailing edges being tangent to circular tip of
2-ft. 0 in. radius.
Correction Factor for Aspect Ratio. By making certain ap
proximations, a correction factor may be obtained by which a
correction may be applied to the angle of attack of a model airfoil
to obtain the angle of attack with the same lift coefficient of an
airfoil with a differing aspect ratio.
Earlier in this chapter it was pointed out that the change in
angle of attack for a change in aspect ratio is due to the change
in the induced angle of attack.
57.3 CL
a = original angle of attack (in degrees)
a' = angle of attack for new aspect ratio
A.R. = original aspect ratio
A.R.' = new aspect ratio
It will be noticed that, when CL is plotted against angle of attack,
the curve is a straight line from the angle of zero lift up to near
the burble point. For this portion of the curve the following is
true
CORRECTION FACTOR FOR ASPECT RATIO 87
C = ACL x a
L Aa ZJ" azx. = angle of attack measured from
4 â -râ = slope of lift curve
angle of zero lift
Substituting this value of CL in the previous equation:
Examining a large number of lift curves for airfoils with aspect
ratio of 6, it will be found that the slope is practically the same
and ACi/Aa = 0.0718. Substituting this value of slope and the
value of 6 for original aspect ratio the equation becomes
Â«Z.L. =
57.3 X 0.0718 X azx. , 57.3 X 0.0718 X
57.3 X 0.0718 X aZ.L
= azx. -1.311 az.L. --
aZiJl - L311Q-xV'
L\
aZ.L.
A.R.7
0.782 A.R.' + 1.311
or
X./1 1 \
\6 A.R.7
where A'R/
0.782 A.R.'+ 1.311
This factor FA.R. is much used in stability computations,
especially in connection with finding the reactions at the tail sur
faces. It is rarely necessary to consider the condition of large
angle of attack of the tail surfaces, and the small errors incidental
88
to the use of this approximation are unimportant. The factor
. is plotted against aspect ratio in Fig. 39.
u?
|1.00b.e 90
1 so70>///^^â ~âK-
E. M A. R
10
FIQ. 39. FA.R. plotted against aspect ratio.
This factor, FA.R., is used by the Army Air Corps and is based
on the average slope of a large number of airfoils being 0.0718,
where a is measured in degrees. The Department of Commerce
advocates a slightly different value, based on theoretical results
deduced for thin airfoils.
The Department of Commerce uses the symbol m to represent
the slope of the lift curve: m = ACx/Aor, where a is measured in
radians. From the theory of thin airfoils, the slope of the lift
curve for a wing of infinite aspect ratio is 2 ir.
then
but
or
therefore
ACÂ£ = 2 7T Aa
" "- ' T X A.R.
Aa = Aa^, +
Aa = Aa
Then, for aspect ratio of 6,
Aa6 =
X A.R.
X A.R.
"A.R.
or
CORRECTION FACTOR FOR ASPECT RATIO 89
OOO
Then ms = -r mx = j (2 7T) if a is in radians, or m6 = 0 ._ Q
44 & X o7.o
= 0.0822 if a is in degrees.
Returning to the earlier equation
Substituting from above
3+
A.R.
= Aa6
then
Aa Aae â , 6
A.R.
using the Department of Commerce notation
Example. A certain airfoil has a lift coefficient of 0.76 at 8Â° angle
of attack when the aspect ratio is 6. The angle of zero lift is â2Â°.
What is the slope of the lift curve for an aspect ratio of 9?
Solution.
0.76
mÂ« -go _ (_2)0
= 0.076
m=
= 0.076
= 0.0829
Problems
1. An airfoil has a lift-curve slope of 0.0712 for aspect ratio of 6.
What is slope of lift curve for aspect ratio of 4^?
2. An airfoil has a lift-curve slope of 0.073 for aspect ratio of 6.
What is slope of lift curve for infinite aspect ratio?

3. With aspect ratio of 6, an airfoil has a CL of 0.7 at 5Â° angle of
attack. Angle of zero lift is â3Â°. What is CL at 3Â° angle of attack
when aspect ratio is 8?
4. With aspect ratio of 6, slope of lift curve is 0.076; what is CL
for 4Â° when aspect ratio is 85, if angle of zero lift is â 2Â°?
5. For a symmetrical airfoil (angle of zero lift = 0Â°), slope of lift
curve for aspect ratio 6 is 0.074; what is CL at 5Â° angle of attack when
aspect ratio is 9Â§?
Chord and Beam Components. In analyzing the stresses in
spars, it is necessary to know the force produced by the air flowing
around the wing. Whereas, for performance calculations, com
ponents are used which are perpendicular and parallel to the
relative wind (lift and drag components), for stress calculations,
components are desired which are perpendicular and parallel to
the chord.
If the lift and drag components are known, the components
about different axes may be found by resolution. Since the result
ant at high angles of attack is only a small angle back of the
vertical, the chord component at high angles of attack actually
acts in the direction of the leading edge.
Calling forces upward and rearward positive, the chord com
ponent coefficient Cc and the beam or normal coefficient CH may
be expressed in terms of lift and drag coefficients, as follows,
Cc = CD cos a â CL sin a
CN = CD sin a + CL cos a
Department of Commerce Method of Aspect-Ratio Correction.
In correcting angle of attack and drag coefficients for the effect of
aspect ratio, instead of using the formulas
a,-a, = 18.24 CÂ£-
and CDJL - â¬DB = -Â± (^ - .g
since it is customary for data to be given for airfoils with aspect
ratio of 6, the Department of Commerce uses formulas in the form
i- i c o^
a = are + 18.24 .L â , ~. . . ,
a = anSIe of attack
r r n sis AT, 2 CD = draS coefficient for as-
anu CD = COG + O.ol8 J\.LL .. Â» .1
pect ratio of the wing

METHOD OF ASPECT-RATIO CORRECTION
11
91
and
= - 0.1667
ti
The Department of Commerce uses a standard form for tabulat
ing the correctional data. Below appears a data sheet worked
out for a Clark Y monoplane, aspect ratio of 9, the data for the
second, fifth, and sixteenth lines being taken from Fig. 17. K is
equal to 1/9 - 0.1667 or 0.0556; a is 24.1 per cent chord.
TABLE IV
COMPUTATION OP AIRFOIL CHARACTERISTICS
DEPARTMENT OP COMMERCE METHOD
Explanation
Item 2, from characteristic curve, Fig. 17.
Item 3, Aa = 18.24 KCL.
Item 4, a = (2) + (3).
Item 5, from characteristic curve, Fig. 17.
Item 6, ACa = 0.318 KC^.
Item 7, CD = (5) + (6).
1234567891011121314151617181920CLatAaaCD,ACWCDCOS asin aCL cos aCD sin atCrrCj. sin aCBCOSOCcC.P.CUc/4CUaCKCD,0.2-2.20.2-2.00.0120.00070.0130.999-0.0350.2000.0000.200-0.0050.0130.0180.60-1.750-1.7520.00140.0120.40.60.401.00.0190.00280.0221.0000.0170.4000.0000.4000.0070.0220.0150.41-0.400-0.4040.00560.0160.63.40.64.00.0300.00640.0360.9980.0700.5990.0030.6020.0420.036-0.0060.35-0.167-0.1720.01280.230.86.20.87.00.0460.01130.0570.9930.1220.7940.0070.8010.0980.057-0.0410.32-0.087-0.0940.02260.0341.09.01.010.00.0680.01770.0860.9850.1740.9850.0151.0000.1740.085-0.0890.31-0.060-0.0690 03540.0511.212.21.213.40.0980.02560.1240.9730.2321.1680.0291.1970.2780.121-0.1570.30-0.042-0.0530.05140.0731.415.41.416.81.320.03460.1670.9750.2891.3400.0481.3880.4050.160-0.2450.29-0.029-0.0410.06940.098
Item 8, cos a = cos (4).

Item 9, sin a = sin (4).
Item 10, CL cos a = (1) X (8).
Item 11, CD sin a = (7) X (9).
Item 12, CN = (10) + (11).
Item 13, CL sin a = (1) X (9).
Item 14, CD cos a = (7) X (8).
Item 15, Cc = (14) - (13).
Item 16, C.P. is for aspect ratio 6, from Fig. 17.
Item 17, Cuc/t = (0.25 - (16)) X (12).
Item 18, Cu* = (17) + (a - 0.25) X (12).
Item 20, CDO = (7) - (19).
NOTE: Item 12, the beam or normal component, and item 15, the chord
component, are used in stress analysis but are not needed in performance
calculations.
Problems
1. Prepare a table similar to above for a Clark Y wing with an
aspect ratio of 8.
2. Prepare a table similar to above for a wing with an aspect ratio
of 7.5.
METHOD OF ASPECT-RATIO CORRECTION
TABLE V
AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF AIRFOILS
AirfoilClarkYYM-15YM-18CurtissC-72Gottingen387308N-22N.A.C.A.00060012221224092412241524184412CYHM-6M-12R.A.F.15U.S.A.2735-A35-BvÂ£OMK.Maximum
Lift
Coefficient1.561.581.491.621.561.571.600.881.531.601.511.621.551.431.651.471.401.251.211.591.481.69Clfc/4Moment
Coefficient
about 1
Chord Point
where CL = 0-0.068-0.068-0.065-0.084-0.95-0.083-0.07400-0.029-0.044-0.044-0.040-0.037-0.089-0.0270.002-0.022-0.052-0.077-0.111-0.076aAerodynamic
Center in
Percentage of
Chord24.224.123.623.823.924.425.024.324.124.624.724.624.324.024.524.525.025.023.223.723.424.5MdCL
dee
for
A.R.60.07160.07220.07160.07390.07450.07340.07430.07480.07430.07530 07530.07430.07430.07260.07360.07400.07440.07050.07190.07180.07300.0749
From tests in the variable density tunnel of the National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics.

CHAPTER VI
INDUCED DRAG OF BIPLANES
Biplane Mutual Interference. The air flowing over and under
a wing causes the pressure to be less than atmospheric on the upper
side of the wing and slightly more than atmospheric on the under
side of the wing. If another wing is placed over the first wing,
the gap being relatively small, the low-pressure area on the upper
side of the lower wing will be affected by the high-pressure area
on the under side of the upper wing, and vice versa. Owing to the
proximity of the upper wing, the pressure on the upper side of the
lower wing will not be as low as if there were no upper wing. The
pressure on the under side of the upper wing will not be as high as
if there were no lower wing.
In addition the vortices on each wing have interaction on each
other, so that added drag is produced on each wing by the presence
of the other wing. This has the same effect as reducing the aspect
ratio.
Equivalent Monoplane Aspect Ratio. Prandtl has proved that
in a biplane the added induced drag on one of the wings caused
by the other wing is
where Lj. jjid &i are the lift and span respectively of one wing,
Lt and 62 are the lift and span of the other wing, q is (p/2) F2, and a
is a dimensionless factor dependent on the ratio of gap to average
span and on the ratio of the shorter to longer span, a is called
the Prandtl interference factor.
The added drag on the upper wing produced by the lower wing
is the same as the added drag on the lower wing produced by the
upper wing. The total added drag has twice the value of that
for a single wing. Then the total induced drag of a biplane is
L>i ~ __ j. i T .
Li2 , 2ffLiÂ£,2 , 2
94
EQUIVALENT MONOPLANE ASPECT RATIO 95
If GI and c2 are the two chords, the subscripts corresponding
with the subscripts for lift and span, then, assuming there is no
decalage, so that the angles of attack and consequently the lift
coefficients are the same for both wings,
-^
&!<
2-+
7TO
+ - +.
7T TT
but since D,. = CwxiSV* where <S = wing area
then Cxx = â^ (ci2 -f- 2 ac\c% -\- c22)
this bears a strong resemblance to the expression for induced drag
coefficient for a monoplane, viz.,
'" *.A.R.
The expression â n a .i_â 's therefore called the equiva-
lent monoplane aspect ratio of a biplane, abbreviated as E.M.A.R.
E.M.A.R. =
.,
c22
Where the chords of both wings are the same length, c\ = c2,
and the expression becomes
Figure 40 gives values of a plotted against ratio of gap to mean
span for various values of n where n is the ratio of the shorter to
longer span. Using values of Prandtl's interference factor from
this figure, the E.M.A.R. may be found.
It is to be noted that the area, S, in expressions for E.M.A.R. is
the total area of wings including ailerons. Where there is a fusel-

96
INDUCED DRAG OF BIPLANES
.09
.08
35
40 .45 .50 .55 .60 .65
Values of fT- Frandti's Interference Factor
FIG. 40. Prandtl's interference factor.

EQUIVALENT MONOPLANE ASPECT RATIO 97
age or nacelles, the wing is assumed to be continuous through the
fuselage or nacelle, the leading and trailing edges being considered
as continuing across in straight lines from where they intersect
the fuselage.
Another expression for E.M.A.R. is derived as follows. The
ratio of the lift of the wing with the shorter span (L2) to the lift
of the wing with the longer span (Li) is called r. Then Lz = rL\
and the total lift L = LI + rLi = L,(l + r) = L2 + Lt/r. The
ratio of the shorter span 62 to the longer span 61 is called /*: /x =
62/61; M is never greater than unity.
Making these substitutions in the original expression for induced
drag of a biplane
Lf
The coefficient of induced drag for a biplane may then be found.
(S + 2 '
'"
The expression -5. [ . **. n - -. â .- ] is another form of writing
6 V2 + 2 <rMr + r/
the E.M.A.R. and is more widely used than the one previously
given.
Example. Find the equivalent monoplane aspect ratio of a biplane
with rectangular wings; upper span 40 ft., upper chord 4 ft. 10 in.,
lower span 32 ft., lower chord 3 ft. 9 in., gap 4 ft. 6 in.
Solution.
TXâ =
Mean span 36
= Â°.125
98 INDUCED DRAG OF BIPLANES
From Fig. 40, a = 0.56
Area, upper wing = 40 X 4.83 = 193.2 sq. ft.
Area, lower wing = 32 X 3.75 = 120.2 sq. ft.
Total area = 313.4 sq. ft. = S
'" " ' ' ~ O32 + 2 X 0.56 X 4.83 X 3.75 + 3T752
313.4
23.4 + 20.3 + 14.0
= 5.4
Problems
1. Find E.M.A.R. of a biplane with rectangular wings; upper span
31 ft. 65 in., upper chord 4 ft. 8 in., lower span 28 ft. 4^ in., lower
chord 4 ft. 0 in., and gap 4 ft. 6 in.
28 ft. 0 in., upper chord 4 ft. 0 in., lower span 25 ft. 3 in., lower chord
3 ft. 6 in., and gap 50 in.
3. Find E.M.A.R. of a sesquiplane with rectangular wings; upper
span 25 ft. 0 in., upper chord 4 ft. 6 in., lower span 15 ft. 0 in., lower
chord 3 ft. 0 in., gap 45 in.
4. Find E.M.A.R of a biplane with rectangular wings; upper span
4 ft. 6 in., gap 4 ft. 6 in.
9 ft. 0 in., gap 9 ft. 0 in.
Best Lift Distribution in a Biplane. The two wings of a biplane
cause mutual induced drag, and the amount of this drag depends on
several factors. The best performance will be secured when these
factors are so selected that the induced drag is the least.
The reasons for not having an airplane designed as a monoplane
are several. If the weight is too great to be carried on a single
wing, the designer resorts to a biplane. A biplane has greater
maneuverability than a monoplane. Probably some airplanes are
built as biplanes merely because the designer has a predilection
for biplanes.
The simplest form of biplane would be one having equal spans
and equal areas. It is sometimes thought advisable to have wing
panels interchangeable, so that an upper right wing, for example,
may be used as a lower right wing, etc. It is also desirable in

BEST LIFT DISTRIBUTION IN A BIPLANE 99
some designs to make the lower wing smaller to improve the
visibility in landing. Sometimes the reason for making the wings
of unequal size is to aid stability.
The greater the gap between the wings the smaller will be the
interference between the wings. The biplane having an infinite
gap between the wings will have no mutual wing interference and
the induced drag will be solely the induced drag of each wing.
Practically, of course, the gap must be finite. Each wing might be
built as a cantilever monoplane wing, but the internal bracing
would be excessive. Very simple struts between wings will
permit very moderate wing spans to be used. Struts act as
columns, and, if the gap is unduly big, the struts are excessively
long and the structure is weak. It is usual to make the gap ap- .
proximately equal to the mean chord. If the gap/chord ratio is
greater than 1 the structure becomes weak; if the gap/chord ratio
is less than 1 the mutual drag interference becomes excessive.
Any departure from gap/chord ratio of unity is usually for reasons
of visibility.
The expression for E.M.A.R. = .7=. I â , _ - '- â ;) contains
52 / 2Q i ry \
S \M2 + 2 a)3.T + r2/
three factors n, r, and a. To find the relation of these variables
which will give the minimum induced drag, the expression for drag
may be differentiated. If it is differentiated with respect to n,
the ratio of spans, the solution for r, ratio of lift, is inapplicable.
Differentiating with respect to r, the following results.
dDi = U d /V + 2 g.Mr + r*\
dr irqbf dr\ M2(l + r)2 )
r)2(2 <rM + 2 r) - MV + 2 <rpr
M4(l + r)*
r) - (M2 +
U P2 (an + r + ffyr + r2 - tf - 2 ayr - r2)]
rg6i2LM2 (1+r)3 J
r(l - ffM) ~ (M2 ~ ffjQI
(l+r)3 J
7Tgbi2
This differential of the induced drag ' is equal to zero when
r = infinity or when
1 â an
Mathematically when r has this value the induced drag may be
either a maximum or a minimum. It should be noted that ju is the
ratio of the smaller to the larger span, so that n is always either
unity or less than unity. Prandtl's interference factor a is always
less than unity. Then the product <TH is always less than unity
and the quantity (1 â <TM) IS always positive. If r is greater in
value than ^ - , the expression ( r â . - ) is positive and
I - an' \ 1 - anj
M / "' \
-r^ is positive; that is, the slope of D, plotted against r is positive.
'' / '' \
If r is less than .= - â , the expression [r â 7 - - ) is negative.
1 - an \ l â fn/
and the slope of Di plotted against r is negative. Therefore,
when r = ^ - â , the induced drag of a biplane is a minimum.
i â an
In the expressions for induced drag and induced drag coefficient,
r is the ratio of lifts of the two wings. If the lift coefficients of the
two wings are the same, then the ratio of lifts is the same as the
ratio of the areas. Actually, even if the same airfoil section is
used for both wings, there will be interaction between the two
wings, so that neither CLU, the lift coefficient for the upper wing,
nor CLL> the lift coefficient for the lower wing, are the same as CL,
the lift coefficient of the biplane.
CLU = CL
When both wings are the same area, the increments AC^y and
are equal and of opposite sign.
where KI and KÂ» are functions of stagger, overhang, gap/chord,
decalage, and wing thickness. The reader is referred to N.A.C.A.
Report 458 for details of relative wing loading.

BEST LIFT DISTRIBUTION IN A BIPLANE 101
Common practice ignores this correction to lift coefficients and
assumes that r, the ratio of lifts, is also the ratio of wing areas.
Then if unequal spans have been decided upon for a biplane, the
areas should be divided so that there is least induced drag, that is,
r is made equal to .: - = 7.7 â â . If unequal areas have been
1 â crM â
chosen, the spans should be so selected that, when the ratio of the
smaller to larger span, less the interference factor, a, is divided
by the ratio of the larger to smaller span, less the interference
factor a, the quotient is equal to the ratio of smaller to larger wing
area. This ratio being known, the proper chords can be found.
Example. A biplane is to have a 30-ft. span on the upper wing and
a 27-ft. span on the lower wing; the gap is to be 4 ft. 6 in. What
should be the ratio of lower wing to upper wing? If rectangular
wings are used, what should be the chords?
h- no *! - 1 11
6, Â°'9 6, L11
Mean span ~ 28.5 ~
From Fig. 40, a = 0.538
Gap j!5 _-,â,
0.9 - 0.538
r " 1.11 - 0.538
= 0.632
Therefore the area of the lower wing should be 0.632 times the area of
the upper wing. The area of both the wings will be 1.632 times the
area of the upper wing, or the area of the upper wing will be 1/1.632
or 0.613 of the total area.
^ = 0.632
OlCl
5 = 0.632^
d bt
Cl
-= 0.632 X 1.11
= 0.702
Therefore lower chord should be 0.702 times the upper chord.
Problems
1. A biplane with rectangular wing is to have upper span 30 ft.,
lower span 24 ft., and gap 4 ft. What should be the ratio of areas and
chords?
2. A biplane is to have 45-ft. upper span, 38-ft. lower span, gap
55 in. What should be the ratio of areas?

102
INDUCED DRAG OP BIPLANES
3. A biplane is to have 40-ft. upper span, 24-ft. lower span, gap
6 ft. (a) What should be the ratio of areas? (6) For rectangular
wings, what should be the ratio of chords?
4. A biplane is to have 28-ft. upper span, 20-ft. lower span, and
gap 45 in. What should be the ratio of areas?
6. A biplane is to have 28-ft. upper span, 20-ft. lower span, and
gap 5 ft. What should be the ratio of areas?
E.M.A.R. for Best Lift Distribution. Of the two expressions for
equivalent monoplane aspect ratio, namely,
E.M.A.R. = â2
and
E.M.A.R. = ^
+2
+ C22
n = r- = ratio of spans
01
r = .j- = -^ = ratio of areas
"'
The second may be modified by introducing the condition for best
lift distribution, namely, that
r=
1 â an
Making this substitution the expression becomes
E.M.A.R.(Min.00
-s
^!
s+
.(1 -
1+
1 - 2 <rM +
(1 -
2-2<
.1 â 2 ffM + M8 â o1' + 2 <73M ~ *2A
~12I"/"]
E.M.A.R. FOR BEST LIFT DISTRIBUTION 103
Since a < n
then 0 < n â a
0 < M2 - 2 tr/t + a3
and 1 - ff2 < 1 - 2 <TM + MS
therefore the fraction - , ffM â â is always greater than 1.
1 â <r
Comparing a monoplane with a biplane whose greater span is
the same as the monoplane, and both monoplane and biplane
having the same lift (area), the equivalent monoplane aspect ratio
of the biplane will be greater than the aspect ratio of the mono
plane, since the E.M.A.R. of the biplane is the A.R. of the mono
plane multiplied by a fraction which is greater than 1. Since the
induced drag depends on the aspect ratio, the biplane will have
less induced drag than the monoplane.
The above expression for E.M.A.R. = (1 ~ is
.A.R. = ^ [(
applicable only for biplanes which have the best lift distributions
between the wings.
If j^ = fi be substituted in the equation, it becomes
E.M.A.R.(MÂ». ft> = iH r^~
O V 1 â er
5(1 -
If spans are equal 6i = 62 and
, V ~ 2 <r62
in. Di) =
,8(1 - Â«*)
+ a)
62
Also if 6i = 62, r- = A" = 1> and the ratio of wing areas for best
lift distribution becomes
r=
1 â (T/X
1-a
The spans being equal and the areas (lift) being equal, the chords
of each wing are equal and the aspect ratios of each individual
wing are the same. The area of one wing is one-half the total
area. The actual aspect ratio of each wing is 2 b/S. The equiva
lent monoplane aspect ratio of the biplane is the aspect ratio of
one wing divided by (1 + a), where a is a factor depending on
the gap.
If the spans are not equal, n is less than 1. Then for any ratio
of areas, the aspect ratio will be less and the induced drag more
than for the same ratio of areas with equal spans.
Although it is always desirable to have equal spans, it is some
times necessary for various design reasons to have one wing,
usually the lower, shorter span than the other. With unequal
spans, the best efficiency is obtained not with equal areas but with
the wing of greater span having the greater area.
Example. A biplane has a span of 40 ft. for upper wing and 36 ft.
for lower wing and a gap of 5 ft. The total wing area is 400 sq. ft.
Assuming that the area of each of the wings has been selected for best
lift.distribution, what is the E.M.A.R.?
Solution.
Mean span = 38 = 0.132
hi 40
Gap 5
From Fig. 40, a = 0.580
â .. . _ 402 (1 - 2 X 0.580 X 0.9 + 0.92)
&.M.A.K. - 4QQ - i _ n >Â«o2
- 400 X 1.16
= 4.64
_i02
EQUIVALENT MONOPLANE SPAN 105
Problems
1. Assuming that wing areas are for best distribution, what is
E.M.A.R. of a biplane with total area of 380 sq. ft., upper wing 35-ft.
span, lower wing 28-ft. span, gap 5 ft.?
2. Assuming wing areas for best distribution, what is E.M.A.R.
of a biplane with total wing area of 350 sq. ft., upper span 30 ft.,
lower span 25 ft., and gap 4 ft.?
3. What is the E.M.A.R. of a biplane with equal spans of 24 ft.,
each wing having an area of 90 sq. ft., gap being 3 ft.?
4. What is the E.M.A.R. of a biplane whose upper span is 31 ft.
7 in., lower span 29 ft. 5 in., total area 298 sq. ft., gap 75 in.? Assume
best lift distribution.
6. What is the E.M.A.R. of a biplane the span of both upper and
lower wings of which is 30 ft., the chord of each wing 5 ft. 3 in., and
the gap 4 ft. 10 in.?
6. What is the E.M.A.R. of a biplane whose total area is 245 sq. ft.,
upper span 30 ft. 0 in., lower span 26 ft. 4 in., and gap 4 ft. 10^ in.?
upper span 38 ft., lower span 35 ft., and gap 64 in.?
upper span 40 ft., lower span 38 ft. 5 in., and gap 61 in.?
9. What is the E.M.A.R. of a biplane whose total area is 1,182
sq. ft., both spans being 79 ft. 8 in. and gap 110 in.?
10. What is the E.M.A.R. of a biplane whose total area is 1,596
sq. ft., both spans being 90 ft. 0 in. and gap 126 in.?
Equivalent Monoplane Span. The aspect ratio for a monoplane
being V/S and the equivalent monoplane aspect ratio of a biplane
fu2Cl 4. rVl I u2(l -|- r\i
<S M + 2 OTM + r2 V /u- +
g to -i Â» 2
lo 1 -i Â» the expression \7 2 ^ 1 ^ is called
+ 2 OTM + r2 V /u- + 2 arn + r2
the " apparent span factor " or " Munk's span factor " and is
usually represented by the symbol K.
+ 2 <rr> +
\V + 2 (77.M + r2
Using this factor K, the expression for E.M.A.R. of a biplane
becomes
E.M.A.R. =
The expression for induced drag coefficient becomes
The expression for induced drag becomes
*'
Being used in these expressions exactly in the same manner as b,
the span in the case of a monoplane, the term (Kbi) is called the
" apparent span " or " equivalent monoplane span."
Example. Find equivalent monoplane span of a biplane whose
upper span is 32 ft., lower span 29 ft., gap 4.63 ft., area upper wing
152 sq. ft., and area lower wing 120 sq. ft.
Solution.
op
" = 32 = Â°'879
Mean span 30.5
From Fig. 40, a = 0.54
0.879 X 1.79
A=
V'0.8792 + 2 X 0.54 X 0.79 X 0.879 + 0.792
= 1.07
= 1.07 X 32
= 34.2 ft.
Problems
1. Find equivalent monoplane span of an MB-3 airplane; area
upper wing 124 sq. ft., area lower wing 122.9 sq. ft., upper span 26 ft.,
lower span 24 ft. 6 in., gap 4 ft. 5 in.
2. Find equivalent monoplane span of a PW-8 airplane; area
upper wing 172 sq. ft., area lower wing 125 sq. ft., upper span 32 ft.,
lower span 32 ft., gap 4 ft. 1\ in.
3. Find equivalent monoplane span of a Vought training plane,
area upper wing 143 sq. ft., area lower wing 140.7 sq. ft., upper and
lower spans each 34 ft. 65 in., gap 4 ft. 8 in.
4. Find equivalent monoplane span of a Curtiss observation air
plane; area upper wing 214 sq. ft., area lower wing 150 sq. ft., upper
span 38 ft., lower span 35 ft., gap 5.35 ft.

INDUCED DRAG OF A BIPLANE 107
6. Find equivalent monoplane span of a Curtiss bomber; area of
each wing 795 sq. ft., upper and lower spans each 90 ft., gap 9 ft. 3 in.
6. Find equivalent monoplane span of a Sperry Messenger; area of
each wing 77 sq. ft., length of each span 20 ft., gap 3 ft. 10 in.
7. Find equivalent monoplane span of a Douglas observation plane;
area upper wing 192 sq. ft., area lower wing 186 sq. ft., upper span
40 ft., lower span 38 ft. 5 in., gap 6 ft.
8. Find equivalent monoplane span of a Stearman biplane; area
upper wing 150 sq. ft., area lower wing 135 sq. ft., upper span 32 ft.,
lower span 27 ft. 10 in., gap 5 ft.
9. Find equivalent monoplane span of a Stearman sportster;
area upper wing 175 sq. ft., area lower wing 150 sq. ft., upper span
33 ft., lower span 26 ft., gap 4 ft. 10 in.
10. Find equivalent monoplane span of a Consolidated Courier;
total wing area 295 sq. ft., upper and lower spans 34 ft. 5j in., upper
and lower chords equal, gap 4 ft. llj in.
Effect on Aspect Ratio of Gap Variation. In previous para
graphs, the gap has been specified and changes in aspect ratio
with different areas studied. It was shown that with a given
gap, the least induced drag (i.e., maximum aspect ratio) would be
obtained with equal spans and areas. It is evident, however,
from a study of Fig. 40 that a is a function of gap as well as both
spans, and with both spans fixed, a decrease in gap will mean an
increase in a. As the gap is decreased the mutual interference
increases. When the gap has decreased to zero, a becomes 1, the
two wings of the biplane merge and coincide, becoming a mono
plane; the spans will then be equal, the expression for E.M.A.R. =
26" , 262 W
S(l +<r) " ...... "5(1 + 1) 5
becomes
Induced Drag of a Biplane. The equivalent monoplane aspect
ratio of a biplane being known, the induced drag may be found
from the formula
Dt=
ir(E.M.A.R.)
where 9=5 V"2, V in feet per second
For level flight, lift must equal the total weight of the airplane.
Example. A biplane is to weigh 4,000 Ib. It has been decided
that a wing area of 250 sq. ft. will be sufficient to give proper landing
speed and that the lower span should be 0.8 of the upper span, which
is to be 40 ft. What are best chords, and what is the E.M.A.R., if
the gap is chosen as one-sixth of the longer span? What is the in
duced drag at sea-level, at airspeed of 100 miles per hour?
Solution.
then
From Fig. 40, a = 0.477
For best lift distribution
= 0.167
Ol
0.9
_ (0.8)2 - 0.477 X 0.8
1 - 0.477 X 0.8
0.64 - 0.382
1 - 0.382
= 0.417
0.417-
Cl
= 0.522
Total area (S) = 250 sq. ft.
Si(l + r) = 250
250
' ' ~ L4l7
= 176.5 sq. ft.
â¢S'2 = 0.417 X 176.5
= 73.5 sq. ft.
61 = 40 ft.
_ 176.5
Cl " 40
= 4.41 ft.
b, = 0.S X 40
= 32 ft.
_ 73.5
08 ~ 32
= 2.3 ft.
p = 1 - 2 X 0.477 X 0.8 +O88
1 - OAT?
= 1.138
INDUCED DRAG OF A BIPLANE 109
402
E.M.A.R. = J^ X 1.138
= 7.28
40002
X 0.00119 X T4f X 1.138 X 402
= 109 Ib.
It is to be noted that the formula K2 = =â^â% is applicable
only when the ratio of areas is such that the induced drag is minimum;
if the areas are arbitrarily chosen without regard to this, the general
formula K? = 2 . ,, â3â5 must be used.
â2(! + r)2
Example. A biplane weighs 4,000 Ib.; the upper span is 40 ft.,
lower span 32 ft., upper chord 3.45 ft., lower chord 3.5 ft., and gap
6.67 ft. What is the induced drag at 100 miles per hour at sea-level?
Solution.
32
"=40
= 0.8
G 2 X 6.67
I (Zu + 6i) ~40 + 32
= 0.185
From Fig. 40, a = 0.477
32 X 3.5
r=
â,
40 X 3.45
112
138
0.81
(0.8)2 X (1 + 0.81)2
(0.8)2 + 2 X 0.477 X 0.81 X 0.8 + (0.81)Â»
= 1.096
_ 5JOCK? _
' % X 0.00119 X T472 X 1.096 X 402
Problems
1. A biplane weighing 4,000 Ib. has a total wing area of 250 sq. ft.,
upper span 40 ft., lower span 32 ft., upper chord 4.41 ft., lower chord
2.3 ft., gap one-seventh of longer span; what is induced drag at air
speed of 100 miles per hour at sea-level?
2. What is the induced drag for the airplane in problem 1, if gap
is one-ninth of longer span?

3. What is the induced drag for the airplane in problem 1, if gap
is one-eighth of longer span?
4. A biplane weighs 4,000 Ib. and has a total wing area of 250 sq.
ft., upper span 40 ft., lower span 32 ft., gap one-seventh of longer span,
and chords such as to give minimum drag. What is the induced drag
at 100 miles per hour at sea-level?
6. What would be the induced drag for the airplane in problem 4
if the gap were one-eighth of the longer span and the chords such as
to give minimum drag?
6. What is the induced drag for the airplane in problem 4 if gap is
one-fifth of longer span, and the chords are chosen to give minimum
drag?
7. A biplane weighing 4,000 Ib. has an upper span of 40 ft., lower
span 32 ft., total wing area 250 sq. ft., gap one-seventh of larger span.
What should be chords and E.M.A.R. for minimum drag, and what is
drag at airspeed of 100 miles per hour at sea-level?
8. A biplane weighing 2,932 Ib. has a total wing area of 257 sq. ft.,
the upper span 31.58 ft., lower span 26 ft.; chords are chosen for
minimum drag, and gap is 4.19 ft. What is drag at 150 miles per
hour at an altitude of 10,000 ft.?
9. A biplane weighing 10,350 Ib. has a total wing area of 1,154
sq. ft., upper and lower spans are each 66.5 ft., the chords are equal,
and the gap is 9.17 ft. What is the drag at 120 miles per hour at sea-
level?
10. The Curtiss Condor weighs 17,370 Ib., its total wing area is
1,510 sq. ft., each span is 91 ft. 8 in., the gap is 10 ft. 6 in., the chords
are equal. What is the induced drag at 110 miles per hour at sea-
level?
Biplane Characteristics with Engineering Coefficients. The
expressions for induced drag coefficient
_ CL'(CI' + 2 gcicÂ« + c22)
LK= ~^S~
and
'" =
may be transformed by substituting CK = 391 KM and CL = 391 Ky
v 391 Ky2(cf + 2
125 JJL/Cci2 + 2 acict + c22)

TOTAL DRAG OF BIPLANE WINGS FROM MODEL DATA 111
K = 125 K * S \^ + 2 *"> + ^1
*Â±f\
r)2 J
The expressions for E.M.A.R., equivalent monoplane span, and
span factor are functions of areas and lengths and are the same
whether absolute or engineering coefficients are used.
The expression for induced drag is as follows.
V in miles per hour
= 125
Ky2S2V*
(A.OI)Â°V-
= (KbtfV> Fin miles per hour
125 U ...
H.P.a
3V \Kbi
It will be noted that the expressions for induced drag and for
horsepower to overcome induced drag are independent of lift and
drag coefficients and are therefore the same whether absolute or
engineering coefficients are used in the airfoil data.
Total Drag of Biplane Wings from Model Data. With the veloc
ity not known, the total drag may be found from model data.
The simplest method, devised by F. W. Herman, is first to find
the L/D of the combination of wings and then make use of the
fact that, in level flight, lift equals weight.
Di
r.>
*.(E.M.A.R.)
Let Da, be the induced drag of the biplane wings and Z)* the
total drag of the biplane wings.
Db = Anodd â Di model + Ai
LXCL L X CL
â Mnodel ~ /. A T> "\'
7T(A.R.)modd ' T(E.M.A.R.)blpUne
D/biphac / D\ +^( - 1 \
\Â£/model T \E.M.A.R.biplane A.R.model/
(Â»} +^_Â« I
\iÂ«/modd T \(^6i)2 A.R.,
With engineering coefficients, this becomes
Â©
/bipUne /^\ + 125
\ Wraodcl
In level flight, lift is practically equal to weight; so that, if the
weight and the L/D at that angle of attack are known, the drag
may be found.
Example. A biplane weighs 3,116 lb.; the upper wing area is
154.8 sq. ft., lower wing area 103.67 sq. ft., upper span 30.1 ft., lower
span 24.33 ft., gap 4.7 ft., wing is Clark Y. What is the total wing
drag at 6Â° angle of attack?
Solution.
2G 2X4.7
bi + 62 ~ 24.33 + 30.1
= 0.173
From Fig. 40, a = 0.493
' M2 + 2<rr/x + r2^
0.808' (1 + 0.67)2
O8082 + 2 X 0.493 X 0.67 X 0.808 + OT672
1.03
1.03 X (30.1)2
E.M.A.R. = 103 7 + 154 8
= 3.61
TOTAL DRAG OF BIPLANE WINGS FROM MODEL DATA 113
Clark Y, A.R.6, at 6Â° angle of attack; CL = 0.791; L/D = 17.5.
fL\ 1
/biplane
1 0.791 / 1 1\
17.5 + JT \3.61 6/
0.0849
D = 3,116 X 0.0849
= 268 Ib.
If the spans are equal, the E.M.A.R. is =7^ â ; â . or the aspect
2W
o(l + a)
ratio of one wing divided by (1 + a). This simplifies the expression
for total drag to
- Z)model 4 âjfâ Â.R.(oM ^ ~ A.R.modJ
n . L x CL f (1 + ^ _J _ "\
Example. Find wing drag of a D.H. at 6Â° angle of attack. Weight,
5,000 Ib. ; total wing area, 450 sq. ft. ; equal spans of 42 ft. ; gap 6 ft.,
Clark Y section.
Solution.
M- 1
Gap .6_
Span ~ 42
= 0.143
From Fig. 40, a = 0.574
A.R. (one wing) = ^5
= 7.84
L1
D ~ J_ 4. Â°.791 /I.57 _ 1\
17.5 ^ T \7.84 6/
0.0655
D = 5,000 X 0.0655
= 328 Ib.
Problems
1. Biplane weighs 3,000 Ib. Wing section, Clark Y. Area, upper
wing 120 sq. ft., lower wing 100 sq. ft., upper span 30 ft., lower span
24 ft., gap 3.5 ft. What is total wing drag at 8Â° angle of attack?
2. A Thomas Morse observation airplane weighs 4,104 Ib. It uses
Clark Y airfoil section. Area upper wing 212 sq. ft., area lower wing
146.7 sq. ft.', upper span 39.75 ft., lower span 37.6 ft., gap 5.64 ft.
What is wing drag at 6Â° angle of attack?

3. A Consolidated training plane weighs 2,445 Ib. and uses a Clark
Y airfoil. Total wing area is 300.6 sq. ft., equal spans are 34.46 ft.,
gap is 4.72 ft. What is total wing drag at 8Â° angle of attack?
4. Plot L/D versus CL for the D.H. biplane. Wings from data
in sample problem.
CHAPTER VII
PARASITE DRAG
When an object moves through air, a resistance is encountered.
The air flowing around the object exerts a force on the object.
This force always has a component acting parallel to the direction
of movement of the body with respect to the air. This component
is drag.
Struts, wires, landing gear and other parts of the airplane offer
resistance to forward motion of the airplane. The force of the air
on these parts is all drag. There is no upward or lift component.
This is called parasite drag.
Formerly the total drag of an airplane was considered as being
composed of two parts, the wing drag and the parasite drag.
Classified in this way the parasite drag was the drag of all parts
of the airplane except the wings.
The wing drag, however, is composed of two parts, the induced
drag and the profile drag. It is now the custom to consider the
profile drag of the wing as part of the parasite drag. Parasite
drag being drag that is not associated with the production of
useful lift, it is quite correct to consider profile drag as parasite.
Parasite drag is caused not only by skin friction but is also
due to turbulence. Every care must therefore be exercised in the
design to eliminate protuberances or sharp corners. To this end,
" fairing " of balsa wood or sheet metal is frequently used. Wher
ever possible the airplane parts that would cause parasite drag
are made streamline in shape.
Sometimes, but rarely, parasite drag is referred to as structural
drag.
Units of Measurement of Parasite Drag. It was formerly the
custom to give data on parasite drag in terms of equivalent flat plate
area. That is, the actual drag in pounds at a given airspeed being
known, the area of a flat plate normal to the wind, which at the
same airspeed would have the same drag, would be calculated.
This unnecessarily complicated the computation, and the con
vention of referring to a fictitious flat plate has been discarded.
115
116 PARASITE DRAG
Some data of old tests are still recorded as being in " equivalent
flat plate area." The resistance in pounds of a flat plate at sea-
level is 0.0032 aV2, where a is the area in square feet and V is in
miles per hour; or the resistance is 1.28 Â» aV2, where p is the air
density in slugs per cubic foot, a is the area in square feet, and F
is in feet per second.
Another method of stating the drag of an airplane part is to
give the drag of that part at some defined airspeed. If the drag
is given at an airspeed of 1 mile per hour, this drag multiplied by
the square of the airspeed is the drag at that airspeed. Since the
drag of minor parts of an airplane is usually quite small, the drag
is often recorded for an airspeed of 100 miles per hour. The drag
at any other airspeed will be the drag at 100 miles per hour
multiplied by the square of the airspeed and divided by
10,000.
Another/method of designating drag is to use a parasite drag
coefficient
The total drag of the wing, CD ~ SV2, is made up of two parts:
the profile drag CD, n SV2, and the induced drag CoinSV..
Â£t &
The total drag of the airplane is the wing drag plus the parasite
drag. The calculation of drag is therefore much simplified if the
parasite drag coefficient is put in such a form that when multiplied
by KiSF2, the product is parasite drag. The parasite drag coeffi-
cient in this form can then be added directly to the profile drag
coefficient and the induced drag coefficient.
If a is the equivalent flat plate area of all the surfaces except
wings, which produce drag, then the coefficient of parasite drag is
CDt = o S is wing area m square feet
1.28 X a t ,
Then the total drag, exclusive of wing drag, is
Dp = Cop Â£ SV2 V in feet per second
and
Dt = 0.00236 CopSV2 V in miles per hour

STREAMLINING 117
If the drag of an airplane part is given in pounds at an airspeed
of 100 miles per hour, the coefficient of parasite drag is
CDt
.PlOO m.p.h.
0.00256 S X 10,000
= 0.0392 X Aoom.PjÂ».
Streamlining. The purpose of streamlining is to reduce as
much as possible the turbulence in the rear of. objects moving
through the air. The air flowing along the sides of a streamlined
object experiences no sudden change in direction. If the object
always met the air in a direction parallel to the axis of the object,
there might be merit in having the nose of the object pointed or
knife-shaped. A very slight change in direction of an object
whose entering surface is so shaped would increase the resistance
or turbulence enormously. It is therefore best to have a blunt
nose. Since an object whose rear end is blunt leaves a wake when
passing through air, and the air rushes into this region of low
pressure in a turbulent manner, the contour of a streamlined body
must taper back to a " tail."
Any non-streamlined body can have its resistance or drag
greatly reduced merely by the addition of a blunt nose and a
tapered tail. If the contour is also a continuous curve the shape
approaches the ideal streamline. It has been found that for least
resistance the maximum thickness should be about 40 per cent of
the length back from the nose.
Fineness. Fineness is the ratio of the length of a body, i.e.,
parallel to the usual direction of motion, to its maximum thick
ness. Best results can be obtained with a fineness ratio of about
4. A fineness less than 4 shows a big increase in drag coefficient.
A fineness ratio greater than 4 gives a slight increase probably due
entirely to the added skin friction.
The preceding remarks about streamlining and fineness apply
both to solids of revolution like the gas-bag of dirigibles and to
the cross-section of objects like struts about which the flow is
two-dimensional.
Cylinders and Round Wires. Circular cylinders and wires are
rarely used in aircraft construction. If round tubes are used,
they are faired with falsework of balsa or sheet metal.

118 PARASITE DRAG
The drag of a cylinder in an air stream whose direction is
perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder is
D = drag per foot of length
D = 0.00026 X d X V d = diameter in inches
V = airspeed in miles per hour
or
D = 0.000121 X d X V1 V = airspeed in feet per second
The drag of round wires may be found by the above equations.
If the wire is less than 0.2-in. diameter, the result will be slightly
high.
Stranded cable will have greater drag than smooth wires, and
the following.equations should be used:
D = 0.00031 X d X V2 V in miles per hour
D = 0.000144 X d X V2 V in feet per second
If two parallel wires are in the air stream and one wire shields
the other by being directly behind it, the total drag will be less
than for two single wires, and will be approximately 15 times the
drag of a single wire. If the distance center to center of the wires
is greater than 3 tunes the diameter of the wire, the shielding
effect is negligible and the drag of each individual wire should be
counted separately. Quite often thin strips are fastened on the
double wires, in which case the pair of wires has approximately
the same resistance as a single wire.
" Streamline " Wire. A solid wire or rod is manufactured
commercially which is termed " Streamline " wire. It is not
truly streamlined, but it is much better from the standpoint of
decreased air resistance than round wire. The drag of this wire
is found by the equation:
D is drag in pounds per foot of length
D = 0.000089 X T X P T is thickness in inches
V is airspeed in miles per hour
or
D = 0.0000414 X T X V2 Vis airspeed in feet per second
There is usually present, in flight, some vibration of the wires.
Owing to sudden rapid reversal of stresses, hard wire is liable to
fatigue and failure with little or no warning. Stranded wire cable

STRUTS 119
will usually stretch, and one or two wires will fray so that the need
of repair will be noted.
Struts. Round tubing is the most efficient structural shape,
but its drag is high. Nowadays all struts in the air stream have a
streamline-shaped cross-section. The drag of a streamline strut
depends on the fineness ratio. In air of standard density, the drag
in pounds per foot of length of a strut whose leading edge is per
pendicular to the direction of the air stream is as follows:
_ â IT, w is width in inches
u = K.WV* ..... ,
V i n miles per hour
FINENESS K
2.5 0.0000194
3.0 0.0000180
3.5 0.0000175
4.0 0.0000171
4.5 0.0000175
or
D = K'wV2 -Vm feet per second
FINENESS . K'
2.5 Â» 0.00000902
3.0 0.00000836
3.5 0.00000812
4.0 0.00000795
4.5 0.00000812
By comparing coefficients for round .tubes and for streamlined
struts, it will be seen that, for the same width, the round tube has
approximately 15 times the drag of a streamlined strut.
If a strut is in tension only, its strength depends on its cross-
sectional area. The area of a solid circular rod is approximately
one-half the area of a solid streamline-section strut of the same
width. A streamline-section strut to have the same cross-
sectional area as a round rod would have less thickness and more
depth; so that the drag of the streamline strut will be about ^5
of the solid circular rod of the same area.
Hollow streamline struts are made of tubes rolled to the proper
shape. The cross-sectional area of metal will be the same for
both shapes and the tensile strength will be the same, but the
streamline form will have ^ the resistance.
In direct compression, the strength of a piece depends on area
only. Struts as used in aircraft act as columns and are subject

120 PARASITE DRAG
to compression and bending. Failure will occur about the axis
which has the least moment of inertia. A streamline strut will
have a greater moment of inertia about any axis than will a round
rod of the same diameter (thickness). If comparison is made
between round and streamline rods having the same area and
consequently the same weight, the streamline strut will be found
to have a greater moment of inertia about its short axis than the
round strut; but about its long axis, the streamline strut will have
less moment of inertia than the round rod.
Example. Find difference in drag at 100 miles per hour, at sea-
level, of four main struts each 6 ft. long if they are round tubes J in.
in outside diameter or streamline f in. in width and have a fineness of
3.5.
Solution.
Round:
D = (0.00026 X ! X T002) X 4 X 6
= 46.8 Ib.
Streamline:
D = (0.0000175 X | X T002) X 4 X 6
= 2.6 Ib.
Problems
1. What is resistance in pounds of light standard streamline wires
each ^ in. thick and 21 ft. long, at an airspeed of 90 miles per hour at
sea-level?
2. What is the resistance of the wires in problem 1 at 12,000-ft.
altitude?
3. What is the drag of the four interplane struts of a biplane if
they are streamline in shape with fineness of 3, thickness is f in., and
length of each is 5 ft. 10 in.? Airspeed 100 miles per hour.
4. What is the drag of 40 ft. of standard " streamline " wire, f in.
thick, at 125 miles per hour airspeed?
6. A radio antenna mast is a round tube 6 in. in diameter. It is
40 ft. high. What is the force on the mast in a 50-mile wind?
Fittings. At the end of a strut, where it meets the wing or the
fuselage, the air flow is disturbed by the conjunction of the two
surfaces. In a carefully designed plane the end of the strut is
buried inside the wing and the interference effect is practically
negligible. In the ordinary planes, the socket on the end of the
strut and the fitting holding it to the wing surface cause extra drag.
FUSELAGES 121
A very good way to allow for the extra resistance is to follow the
practice of the U. S. Navy, as follows: For resistance of cables
and wires, " Add one foot to length of cable for turnbuckle, and
one foot for the eye and fitting. . . . For total resistance of struts,
use total length including space occupied by sockets and fittings,
and add three feet per strut for the additional resistance of the two
end fittings."
Another rule for fittings is to find the projected area on a plane
normal to the air stream. This projected area is multiplied by 2
and figured as flat plate area. The reason for figuring on double
the area is the interference effect of the nearby surfaces.
Fuselages. The drag of a fuselage is very difficult to predict.
There are usually many projections, such as windshields, control
wires, and pinned joints, to break up the smooth flow of air. The
most accurate way of finding the drag is to build a scale model
and actually make wind-tunnel tests. This model to be of value
should be an exact reproduction and should have all excrescences
such as windshields and filler-cap covers duplicated in miniature.
Building a scale model to exact scale requires meticulous care
and is quite costly. If such a proceeding is not feasible, the
designer endeavors to ascertain the drag of the fuselage of an al
ready built airplane whose fuselage most nearly resembles his own
design. Knowing the cross-sectional area of the fuselage and the
airspeed at which the drag was measured, he finds a coefficient
he may use to determine the drag of his own-designed fuselage.
Example. An airplane fuselage has been designed which resembles
the fuselage of a Vought (VE-9) training plane. The Vought fuselage
has a cross-sectional area of 8.9 sq. ft.; at 110 miles per hour its drag
is 102 Ib. The unknown fuselage has a cross-sectional area of 12
sq. ft.; what is its drag at 145 miles per hour?
Solution.
From data on Vought:
102
Coefficient = ;
8.9 xTi02
= 0.00095
For newly designed airplane fuselage:
Drag = coefficient X A X F2
= 0.00095 X 12 X 1452
= 239 Ib.
122
PARASITE DRAG
With wheels, struts, tie wires, etc., there is usually very little
difference whether the relative wind is exactly parallel or at a
small angle to the longitudinal axis of the airplane; with fuselages,
there may be a difference in the drag coefficients with different
angles of attack. More exactly, the fuselage drag coefficient de
pends on the lift coefficient, since a major portion of the fuselage
and the tail surfaces is always in the downwash from the wings
and the downwash angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the
airplane depends on the lift coefficient. For a very rough approxi
mation, the drag coefficient for the fuselage may be assumed
constant; but for any degree of accuracy, use should be made of
Fig. 41, where a factor F is plotted against the ratio of airspeed
FIo. 41. Parasite drag factor for fuselages, etc.
(V) to stalling or minimum speed (Fs). This factor F multiplied
by the fuselage drag coefficient at high speed (i.e., low angle of
attack) gives the drag coefficient at any airspeed V. It may be
considered as the ratio of the flat plate area of the fuselage at any
speed to the flat plate area at high speed.
Example. The top speed of a DH-4 is 124 miles per hour at sea-
level; its stalling speed is 61 miles per hour. The wing area is 440
sq. ft.; at a speed of 100 miles per hour, the fuselage has a drag equiva
lent to a flat plate 3.06 sq. ft. in area. What are the equivalent flat
plate area and drag coefficient at stalling speed and at maximum
speed?
Solution.
100
Vs
61
1.64
From Fig. 41, F, at Vf Vs = 1.64, is 1.02
F at stalling speed is 4.00
F at maximum speed is 1.00

LANDING GEAR 123
At stalling speed:
Equivalent flat plate area = noâ = 12.0 sq. ft.
At maximum speed:
I.UA
Equivalent flat plate area = -â. Q2 'â = 3.0 sq. ft.
At 100 miles per hour:
CD fuselage â ^^Q
3.06 X 1.28
= 0.0089
At stalling speed:
(.D fuselage â j Q2
0.0089 X 4
= 0.0349
At maximum speed:
CD fuselage â â j nn
0.0089 X 1.00
= 0.00874
Landing Gear. In the fixed type of landing gear, the drag is
composed of the resistance of the struts, the wheels, the mutual
interference of the struts and wheels, and the interference caused
by the fuselage and wings. Merely estimating the resistance of
the individual struts and the wheels will not take into account the
interference which may cause a major part of the drag.
If feasible, the landing gear should be incorporated with the
wind-tunnel model of the fuselage, and the total drag of fuselage
with landing gear measured. If wind-tunnel tests are not obtain
able, an approximate idea of the drag may be gained by totaling
the resistance of the struts and the wheels, using table VI.
Within the past few years, it has become common to use low-
pressure tires. With a smaller wheel the same landing shock can
be taken up as with a larger wheel using high-pressure tires. The
low-pressure tires decrease the chances of ground looping since
they grip the ground better, they permit a smoother take-off and
landing on a rough field, and they afford a better traction on a
wet, muddy field. Brakes operate well, and owing to their pro
portions the drag is less than for a wheel with high-pressure tire
to take the same landing load. The 8^ in. by 10 in. low-pressure

124
PARASITE DRAG
tire and wheel have become the most widely used. The drag is
6.1 Ib. at 80 miles per hour. An extra-low-pressure tire and wheel,
sometimes referred to as the " doughnut " wheel, are also used;
the tire dimensions are 11J in. by 25 in.; the drag is 7.1 Ib. at 80
miles per hour.
TABLE VI
HIGH-PRESSURE TIRES AND WHEELS
Tiresize26X328X430X532X636X844X1054 X 1264X14Drag in pounds per wheel at 100 miles per hourBare wheel10.814.118.122.833.851.275.9105.6Usual fairing7.20.412.015.222.534.150.670.4Full fairing3.64.76.07.611.217.025.335.2
Retractable landing gear is now being employed with remarkable
success on transport planes. It was first used in the United States
on the Verville-Sperry racing plane which won the Pulitzer
Trophy Race in 1921. In flight, the wheels are retracted into the
wings or into the fuselage. Lowering the landing gear not only
increases the drag but it also lowers the line of action of the total
drag force, so that, if the airplane is balanced before lowering,
there is a tendency to nose over when the gear is caused to descend.
This presents no problem since the landing gear is lowered when
the pilot wishes to descend for a landing. During the introduction
of retractable landing gear, great difficulty was encountered by
pilots' forgetting to lower the gear when landing. Warning
devices and the presentation of " dumb-bell " trophies to pilots
who land on the belly of the fuselage appear to be of value in
aiding the pilot to remember to lower his gear.
Engine Cowling. It is possible to improve the airflow around
the engine and thus reduce the parasite resistance, by proper
cowling. The Townend ring was developed in England for this
purpose. Research at McCook Field by Lieutenants Breene and

ENGINE COWLING 125
Greene and later work at the N.A.C.A. produced other forms of
cowling. Radial air-cooled engines have considerable drag owing
to the eddies around the fins and valves, so that cowling is chiefly
beneficial for this type of engine.
It is difficult to predict the decrease in drag which may be
attained by cowling the engine, and it is almost impossible in
small wind-tunnel models to reproduce in miniature all the little
details of the engines which initiate the air disturbances. Full-
size flight tests appear to be the only method of finding out exactly
the precise value of any particular cowl. Tests would need to be
run at several different speeds since a cowling might be helpful
at one speed and detrimental at another.

CHAPTER VIII
ENGINES
The universally employed aircraft engine is the internal-com
bustion type. It is either air cooled or liquid cooled. The
cylinders may be arranged either radially or vertically in line or
in two rows in the form of a letter V.
The essential requirements of an airplane engine are light weight
per horsepower, extreme reliability, low fuel consumption, and
low frontal area. In principle, aircraft engines do not differ
materially from automobile engines. At full throttle, the auto
mobile engine has usually a higher number of revolutions and
greater piston speed than the airplane engine, but whereas the
average automobile engine rarely is run wide open and the bulk
of its operation is at less than half speed, the airplane engine is
frequently at top speed and most of its operation is at three-
quarter speed or better.
The Department of Commerce before approving a new type of
airplane engine requires a 100-hour endurance test. For 50 hours
of this test the engine must be run at wide-open throttle, and for
the other 50 hours at not less than 75 per cent of rated horsepower.
This test is more severe than those required by other countries,
and it is not believed that any automobile engine has sufficient
reliability to pass it.
The requirement of lightness in weight is a severe handicap in
obtaining reliability. It would not be so difficult to obtain de
pendability if all the parts could be made sturdy and rugged.
Reducing weight to a minimum means that the stresses of every
part must be carefully analyzed so that there shall be no weakness.
In automobile operation, after the engine is started, the car is
slipped into low gear. After the automobile is moving, the speed
is slowly increased, and it is usually not till some time has elapsed
that the engine develops full power. With airplane operation,
the engine is wide open for the take-off and wide open for the climb.
It is not till the altitude selected for flight has been reached that
the engine is throttled back.
126
AIR-COOLED VERSUS LIQUID-COOLED 127
For reliability all engines of more than 100 hp. are required by
the Department of Commerce to have dual ignition systems and
two spark plugs per cylinder.
Mounting engines at the rear of the wing as in the pusher type
airplane brings the center of gravity of the airplane far back and
makes the problem of balance quite difficult. It is only in flying
boats where the hull extends a good distance forward of the wing
to offset to some extent the weight of the engine that the pusher
type is permissible. Having the engine in the rear of the pilot
presents a hazard in a crash.
To some degree in the pusher type but chiefly in the tractor
type is the question of frontal area important. In the early
days of aviation, the width of the engine largely determined the
width of the fuselage. With improvements in the V-type engine,
it became the breadth of the pilot's shoulders that restricted the
narrowness of the fuselage. With radial engines, it is still the
frontal area of the engine which sets the limit on the decrease in
cross-sectional area of the fuselage, as the body is streamlined
backwards from the size at the motor.
Air-Cooled versus Liquid-Cooled. The term cooling is some
what a misnomer since it is not desired to make the engine cold
or even moderately cool. In the cylinders, gasoline is burned;
and unless the heat is removed, the engine parts would soon reach
a temperature at which they would have no strength. The pur
pose of cooling is to keep the temperature sufficiently low that the
engine will function properly.
All engines are air cooled. Some types are cooled directly by
air; other types are cooled indirectly by having liquid remove
heat from the cylinders and then having the liquid cooled by air.
If an air-cooled and a water-cooled engine are of the same power,
it is to be expected that the same amount of heat would need to be
taken from each. The rate at which heat passes from a surface
to air circulating past the surface depends on the difference in
temperature of the air and the surface, so that, if the two engines
are to run at the same temperature, the same volume of air per
minute should go past the cooling fins in one engine and through
the radiator in the other. Then, if there were no burbling or
eddy currents, it might be expected that the drag of each would be
the same.
In order that each cylinder could be properly cooled, the first

128 ENGINES
air-cooled engines had radial cylinders. This arrangement has an
advantage of very short length which is desirable in not having
the center of gravity of the plane too far forward. In recent
years, air-cooled engines have been built both in-line and V-type,
and no difficulty has been experienced in keeping the rear cylinders
properly cool. Water-cooled engines have the disadvantage of
extra weight of the water, the radiator, pump and plumbing â
which on a 400-hp. engine would amount to upward of 180 Ib.
Air-cooled engines save this weight, but in large horsepowers the
parasite drag, even with the benefit of cowling, is more than that
of water-cooled engines of the same horsepower.
Because of the great weight of water, in the past few years,
ethylene glycol has been used as a coolant. The weight of ethy-
lene glycol to cool an engine properly need be only one-quarter
the weight of water that would be necessary. The size of radiator
needed for ethylene glycol would be about one-quarter that of a
water radiator, thus greatly reducing the parasite drag. Because
the boiling point of this chemical is considerably above that of
water, the engine can be run at a temperature of 300Â° F. At this
temperature the mixture in the intake manifold is absolutely dry,
whereas, if water cooled, " wet gas " often is drawn into the
cylinders. More horsepower is actually obtained for this reason
from an engine when ethylene glycol cooled than when water
cooled. Greater care is needed with the plumbing, as this chemical
will seep through tiny cracks that would be impervious to water.
There appears to be a definite limit to the horsepower per
cylinder of an internal-combustion engine. Good practice dictates
that the stroke should be approximately the same length as the
diameter of the cylinder. The diameter of the piston is limited
by the problem of cooling; with a large piston it is difficult to keep
the center of the piston-face from getting too hot. The displace
ment of each cylinder being restricted and the mean effective
pressures on standard engines not exceeding 150 Ib. per sq. in.,
the power obtainable is rarely above 60 hp. per cylinder on present
standard engines. To obtain large power means a large number
of cylinders, and nine cylinders are the most that can be crowded
around the crankcase of a radial engine. Resort has been made,
with notable success, to a double bank on one American-made
engine.
Engine failures may be classified under four heads: fuel trouble,

STEAM POWER 129
lubrication trouble, electrical trouble, and cooling trouble. With
liquid cooling there is possibility of leaky radiator, water boiling
away, hose bursting, pump failing, etc. With air cooling, one of
the sources of possible trouble is eliminated.
Steam Power. Langley used a steam engine in his small suc
cessful flying model airplane.
In considering the practicability of a steam engine for aircraft
use, one must consider the entire unit of boiler, engine, and con
denser, since obviously a non-condensing engine is not feasible.
Some German torpedo boats have been powered with steam
engines, and on the basis of the entire unit, the weights were 13.2
Ib. per hp., with a fuel consumption of 0.573 Ib. per hp-hr. These
were large power plants, and always efficiencies in power and sav
ings in proportionate weight can be effected in large units that
cannot be realized in smaller units. Authorities on steam-engine
design have, however, announced their belief that the weights
of units adapted to aircraft use can be reduced to 9 Ib. per hp.
For ordinary flying, this weight would bar out all consideration
of steam, since gasoline units have been built weighing less than
1 Ib. per hp. These were special jobs, and the average internal-
combustion aircraft engine can be taken to weigh around 2 Ib.
per hp.
Lately considerable thought has been given to stratosphere
flying. The steam engine does not lose horsepower with altitude.
If there is any difference, the low temperature at high altitudes
will give better condensing and there may be a slight increase in
power. With unsupercharged gasoline engines, there is a decrease
in power with altitude. At 36,000-ft. altitude the horsepower of
an unsupercharged gasoline engine is approximately one-fifth of
its horsepower at the ground. It has been estimated that at an
altitude of 66,000 ft. all the power of an ordinary gasoline engine
will be used up in overcoming mechanical losses, so that the
effective power will be zero. Supercharging will enable the
gasoline engine to deliver full power at moderate altitudes, but
there is a definite limit to supercharging. The weight remaining
the same with decreasing power, the weight per horsepower
increases so that it may safely be said that, at altitudes higher
than 40,000 ft., steam engines are lighter than gasoline engines.
With a steam power plant, energy is obtained from the fuel and
stored up as pressure energy, to be drawn upon later. This is

130 ENGINES
considered extremely hazardous as high-pressure superheated
steam is very dangerous. Against the objectionable features of
greater weight at ordinary altitude and peril from boiler explosion
may be weighed the following advantages. A much cheaper fuel
may be used, and it may contain more energy per unit weight. A
steam engine has no carburetion difficulties, nor has it spark
plugs, distributors, or other electrical devices. Eliminating these
removes sources of trouble which have caused many forced
landings.
Steam turbines have received little consideration since for effi
cient operation they must be in such large units or must be run at
such high speed as to be unsuitable for aircraft use.
Rotary Gasoline Engines. In the early days of gasoline engines,
since the ordinary four-stroke cycle means one power stroke per
four strokes, it was thought that a flywheel was absolutely neces
sary. To eliminate extra weight and still have a rotating mass,
an engine was built with the cylinders rotating about a stationary
crankshaft. The propeller was affixed to the cylinders. The
cylinders were arranged radially about the hub and were air
cooled.
In order to furnish the gaseous mixture to the cylinders the
crankshaft was made hollow. Through the hollow shaft, the
mixture passed into the cylinders. The mixture in the crankcase
was very dangerous. A backfire might result in the crankcase
exploding, tearing the engine apart.
The gyroscopic action of the rotary engine is quite pronounced.
On certain wartime airplanes, the pilots found that pushing the
rudder for a right turn started a precession so powerful that the
plane would be nosed down. Pushing the left rudder caused the
plane to nose up to a dangerous stall. As the enemy pilots were
not unaware of this action, they would approach these planes
from the left side. The pilots of the rotary-engined plane were
thus faced with the alternatives of attempting a left turn with its
possibility of loss of control or of making a right turn of 270Â° or
more while completely exposed to enemy fire.
Another objection to the rotary engines was that, on stopping,
the lower cylinders became filled with oil. Because of the above-
listed objections, and because on modern engines it is found that
no flywheel action in addition to that of the propeller is needed,
rotary engines are no longer manufactured.

DIESEL ENGINES 131
Diesel Engines. Engines operating on the Diesel principle
have been used successfully as stationary engines and as power
plants for large marine vessels. They have always been very
heavy in pounds per horsepower compared with engines operating
on the Otto-cycle principle.
For reliable performance, the ordinary aircraft engine requires
a high-test gasoline. With high compression, special compounds
are desirable to prevent pre-ignition. An especially volatile
gasoline will cause trouble by vapor-lock in the lines unless the
plumbing is specially designed to guard against this.
Because of the high cost of special gasolines for the standard
aircraft engines, thought has been given recently to the adaptation
of the Diesel cycle to a light-weight aircraft engine. Not only
will the Diesel engine use a very cheap oil, but also, since it
depends on compression for ignition, electrical troubles are
banished. The fuel consumption of a Diesel is a little more than
half the pounds-per-horsepower-hour of a gasoline engine.
Two manufacturers have to date produced aircraft Diesel
engines, having no greater size than a radial gasoline-fueled engine
of the same horsepower. Because of the low weight of fuel con
sumed per horsepower-hour, an airplane equipped with a Packard-
Diesel engine now holds the world's endurance record of 84 hours
and 32 minutes.
In the Diesel engine, clean air is drawn into the cylinder and,
as the piston moves up, the air is compressed to a pressure of
1,100 Ib. per sq. in. While the piston is at the end of its stroke,
oil fuel is sprayed into the cylinder under great pressure. Since,
owing to compression, the air is at a high temperature, the oil
immediately ignites.
As the engine is running at high speed, the time at the end of
the compression stroke, during which the oil is injected, is infini-
tesimally short. During a minute fraction of a second, the drops
of oil must be broken up into droplets and mixed with the air.
Unless the oil is finely atomized in the brief working stroke, a drop
of oil will not burn completely inward to its core and there will be
incomplete combustion.
For various reasons, airplane designers have been chary of
adopting the Diesel engine as standard equipment. With further
development and improvement, however, it undoubtedly will be
viewed with more favor.

132 ENGINES
Brake Horsepower. The power of an engine depends on the
force exerted on a piston being transmitted through a connecting
rod to a crank, to produce a turning or twisting moment on the
shaft. If a pressure-indicating instrument were connected to
each cylinder and the pressure measured throughout the cycle it
would be possible to calculate the horsepower of the engine. This
is the indicated horsepower.
Owing to. various friction losses in the engine itself, not all the
indicated horsepower can be used for outside work. The indicated
horsepower less the power required to overcome the friction in the
engine leaves as remainder the brake horsepower, which is the
power of the engine to do outside work. The ratio of brake horse
power to indicated horsepower is the mechanical efficiency of the
engine, usually about 90 per cent. The indicated horsepower
multiplied by the mechanical efficiency gives the brake horsepower.
The mean effective pressure, in pounds per square inch, multi
plied by the area of the piston, in square inches, gives the average
force acting on the piston during a cycle. If this force is multiplied
by the stroke, in feet, the product is the work, in foot-pounds,
applied to the piston during a cycle. If the work per cycle is
multiplied by the number of cycles per minute, which in the four
cycle engine is one-half the revolutions per minute, the product
is the work per minute. This may be expressed as follows
P = mean effective pressure
L = stroke in feet
Horsepower (indicated) A = piston area of one cylinder in
PL A Nn square inches
33,000 N = working strokes per minute
= ^ X revolutions per minute
n = number of cylinders
Horsepower (brake) = Mechanical efficiency X Horsepower
indicated
Increasing the compression ratio will have the effect of increasing
the mean effective pressure and thus increasing the horsepower.
From the foregoing formula, it would appear that horsepower
varies directly with revolutions per minute. Within a range close
to the rated revolutions per minute, this is true within a reasonable
degree of accuracy, below rated power and speed. Above rated
speed, the frictional losses get to be very large and the mechanical
EFFECT OF ALTITUDE ON HORSEPOWER
133
efficiency is very poor, so that above rated speed the horsepower
no longer increases directly as speed.
The variation of horsepower with engine speed has been tested
for a large number of engines, both air and water cooled, and the
results conform closely with the relation described above. For
any particular engine, the manufacturer can furnish information
of the relation of horsepower to speed for its type.
The load on the engine is furnished by the propeller. The pro
peller is chosen for the engine so that at a selected airspeed and
rated engine speed the propeller will offer enough torsional resist
ance to absorb all the horsepower of the engine and the engine will
not speed up. At an airspeed less than that for which the pro
peller is assigned, the propeller will offer more resistance to turning,
so that even if the throttle is at the same setting as for full rated
power, the revolutions per minute will be less. Slowing up the
engine will have the effect of decreasing the brake horsepower.
At less than design airspeed, the brake horsepower will be less.
PerCent Normal
R. P. M.g * 8 iÂ»â ~ââ .*"'^â¢".*^^^^^
Percent Design Airspeed
FIG. 42. Variation of revolution per minute with airspeed.
Effect of Altitude on Horsepower. An engine is an apparatus
for burning fuel. If insufficient oxygen is supplied, the fuel cannot
burn properly. Each drop of fuel needs a certain quantity of air
for complete combustion; that quantity not being supplied,
combustion will not be complete. By quantity is meant mass or
weight, not volume.
In a carburetor, air picks up gasoline vapor to form a mixture
which is drawn into the engine cylinders. Under normal condi
tions, the mixture drawn into the engine is at sea-level density;
and provided the carburetor is adjusted properly, there will be an
adequate supply of air to support the combustion of the gasoline
vapor.
At altitudes, the air is of less density, so that although the same
volume of air is drawn into each cylinder, the mass of air will be
134
ENGINES
less. The mixture will be richer than at ground level, and a good
pilot leans his mixture (i.e., changes his carburetor adjustment
from the cockpit) and opens his throttle.
The brake horsepower decreases with altitude. Tests of engines
have been made in an altitude chamber, which is a room from
which air can be pumped so that the air densities in the chamber
can simulate various altitudes. As a result of these tests, it
appeared that at constant revolutions per minute, i.e., maintaining
the same r.p.m. as at the ground:
B.H.P.
p TJ r,
B.H.P.o
and
then
B.H.P.
B.H.P.o
B.H.P.
B.H.P.o
100
IÂ»
?, 80
.60
S so
=1 â 1 at constant temperature
at constant pressure
_ _5 .
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 18000 20000
Altitude in Feet
FIG. 43. Variation of brake horsepower with altitude.
In standard atmosphere
and
j>
Po
pO
EFFECT OF ALTITUDE ON HORSEPOWER 135
Substituting these values in the expression for ratio of brake
horsepower at altitude to brake horsepower at sea-level
B.H.P. = /.p\i.ivo.8i
p\1.42
O/ \PO>
)LÂ»
Some slight modifications have been made to this relation at
higher altitude, and the variation of horsepower and altitude that
is believed to be most nearly correct is given graphically in
Fig. 43.
CHAPTER IX
PROPELLERS
Function. The air screw propeller is the device which changes
the torque power of the engine into forward thrust, thus impelling
the airplane forward. In the United States it is termed simply
the propeller; in Europe, the air screw.
A wood screw forces its way into wood by the back face of the
screw thread pressing against the wood. A bolt enters a fixed
nut by the back face of the bolt thread sliding against the front
face of the nut thread. With a marine propeller, it is the rear
face of the blades which pushes against the water. The very
first aircraft propellers were built with this viewpoint; very shortly
thereafter, however, it was conceived that the blades might be
considered as wings, or rather as a number of wings of infinitely
short span set end to end. Treating the blades as airfoils makes
of primary importance the front face of the blades, i.e., the upper
surface of the airfoils.
A propeller should be efficient in transforming the rotary power
imparted to it into forward tractive power. Since the propeller
is attached to the engine, at whatever speed the engine is run, the
propeller must be able to absorb the power furnished by the
engine. The propeller cannot be most efficient at all engine speeds
and all airspeeds. It is therefore designed to give maximum
efficiency at the rated revolutions per minute of the engine and
some one airspeed, either maximum speed or whatever is decided
upon as cruising speed. At other rates of revolution and air
speeds, the propeller will be less efficient than for the design
conditions.
Momentum Theory. The first fundamental propeller theory
was the momentum theory developed by R. E. Froude. It deals
with the changes in energy of the mass of air affected by the pro
peller.
In this theory, the propeller is assumed to be a disk which
exerts a uniform pressure or thrust over the cross-section of the air
column passing through the disk. It is further assumed that the
136
MOMENTUM THEORY 137
disk imparts no twisting or rotation to the air column, and that
flow remains streamline while coming to the disk, passing through
it, and beyond it.
Y \ I f ""-Ax
el.. ViUbi- 0 .Â« prÂ«sÂ«.op
area = Ay
press.c p
press.* p2
FIG. 44. Momentum theory of propeller action.
Referring to Fig. 44, X is a point in the air stream far enough
in front of the propeller so that the pressure is atmospheric;
Y is a point in the air stream far enough to the rear of the pro
peller so that the pressure is atmospheric.
Let A = propeller disk area.
AX = cross-sectional area of air column at X.
Ay = cross-sectional area of air column at Y.
V = velocity at X.
V(l + a) = velocity at propeller disk.
V(1 + 6) = velocity at Y.
p = atmospheric pressure = static pressure at X
and Y.
PI = static pressure just ahead of propeller disk.
pt = static pressure just behind disk.
Since the volume of air flowing through each area in unit time
is the same,
AXV = AV(l + a) = Ay 7(1 + b)
No energy is added or subtracted to the air from X to a point
immediately in front of the propeller disk, so Bernoulli's equation
may be applied, and the sum of static and velocity heads at these
two points placed equal.

138 PROPELLERS
No energy is added or subtracted to the air from a point im
mediately in the rear of the disk to point Y, so the total heads
at these points may likewise be placed equal.
It will be noted that the velocity immediately in front is as
sumed to be the same as the velocity immediately in the rear of
the disk, otherwise there would be an instantaneous increase in
velocity and an infinite acceleration, which cannot be. The
propeller disk does exert thrust on the air column, and the thrust
(T) is equal to the difference in pressure created by the propeller
times the area of the propeller disk.
r - (PI - PI) A
Substituting values of pi and p? already found
T = A\p + Â£ F2([l + 6]2 - [1 + a]2) - p - Â£ V2[l - (1 +a)']l
Thrust is also equal to the rate of change of momentum which
is the mass of air affected per second times the change in velocity.
The mass of air handled per second is the density multiplied by
the volume, and the volume is the cross-sectional area at any point
times the velocity at the same point. At the propeller disk the
area is A and the velocity V(l + a), so the mass of air passing
through the propeller disk in 1 sec. is pAV(l + a). At point X,
the velocity is V; at point Y, the velocity is F(l + b) or V + bV;
therefore the change in velocity imparted to the air column by the
propeller is bV.
Then
T = PAV(1 + a)bV
= PA V'(l + a)6
MOMENTUM THEORY 139
Equating this value for T to the one previously found:
pA F2(l + 0)6 = Â£ A V(V + 26)
b + ab = K62 + 26)
26 + 2a6 = 62 + 26
2a = 6
a=2
This means, that, of the total increase in velocity imparted to
the air column, one-half is added before the air passes through
the propeller disk.
To find the ideal efficiency, the power exerted by the propeller
is divided by the power absorbed.
The power exerted by the propeller is the thrust times velocity
or
Power output = TV
= PAF2(1 + a)bV
= pAV3(1 + a)b
The power absorbed by the propeller is the work done in the
air column in unit time, which is the kinetic energy added in unit
time to the kinetic energy at X, to give the kinetic energy at Y.
Kinetic energy is one-half the mass times the square of the ve
locity, and the mass can be measured at any point.
The kinetic energy at Y is
K.E.K = l[pAV(l + a)] [7(1 + 6)]'
The kinetic energy at X is
K.E.X = \\pAV(l + a)] V'
The difference in kinetic energies at Y and X which represents
the work absorbed by the propeller in unit time is the power input.
Power input = ?A V3(l + a)(l + 6)2 - Â V3(l + a)

140 PROPELLERS
Substituting b = 2 a:
Power input = Â£ A V3(l + a)(2 ab + 2 b)
= pA V3b(l + a)2
Therefore
_,_. . Power output
Efficiency = .^ - : â *-â
Power input
PAV3b(l + a)
~ pAV3b(l + a)2
This is the ideal efficiency of a perfect propeller having no losses
due to rotation of the slip stream, profile drag of the blades, inter
ference of blades, or radial flow. The only loss considered in the
momentum theory is the kinetic energy loss in pure translation.
The momentum theory would apply equally well to any device
which applies thrust or additional pressure to an air column.
Blade-Element Theory. As the blade-element theory was first
put in practical form by Drzewiecki, this conception of the action
of the propeller is usually referred to as the Drzewiecki theory.
This treatment involves considering the blades as being composed
of an infinite number of small airfoils. The span of each airfoil
is an infinitely small distance along the length of the blade. All
these small airfoils are joined together, wing tip to wing tip, to
form one twisted or warped wing which is the propeller blade.
2ARN
FIG. 45. Blade element theory of propeller action.
Each small section of the blade may be studied separately and
the results summed up to get the total action of the blade. Figure
45 shows one of these elements of the blade, which is located a
distance of R feet from the axis of the propeller. In one rotation
of the propeller, this blade element travels a distance of 2 wR
feet around a circle in the plane of the propeller disk. If the

BLADE-ELEMENT THEORY 141
propeller is turning over N revolutions per second, the linear
velocity of the element in the plane of rotation is 2 irR N feet per
second. If the airplane has an airspeed of V feet per second, the
propeller is moving forward with that speed. Since the motion of
the airplane is practically in the direction of the thrust line of the
propeller, here it is sufficiently accurate to state that the motion of
the blade element is the resultant of a velocity of 2 irR N feet per
second in the plane of the propeller disk combined with a velocity
of V feet per second perpendicular to the plane of the propeller
disk. This resultant velocity will be in a direction making an
angle 4> with the propeller disk such that
tan <f> =
The magnitude of this resultant velocity (W) is
W=
V 2irRN
sin â¢/> cos <t>
The blade element has a cross-section which has the contour
of an airfoil section, usually modifications of the Clark Y or
R.A.F.6 sections. The angle which the reference chord of this
section makes with the plane of rotation of the propeller is the
blade angle ft. The angle of attack a. of the blade element is
chosen as the angle of maximum L/D of the airfoil section used.
It is to be noted that every blade element moves forward with the
same velocity V, but the linear speed of rotation is greater for blade
elements nearer the tip of the propeller, so the relative velocity W
will be greater at the tips. The angle <Â£ is less for blade elements
\, | near the tip than for those nearer the center. Since
a = /3 - <t>
if the same angle of attack is maintained along the blade, the blade
angle /3 becomes less as the tip is neared. This is why a propeller
blade has its warped or twisted appearance.
The air flows around each element and causes a resultant as
with any airfoil. The area of the element is the span, dR, times
the chord, which is b, the blade width at that point. The velocity
is W. The lift force on the element is
dL = CL?.bdRW2
A
142 PROPELLERS
The resultant force is acting in a different direction from the
lift component; let the small angle between these two directions
be called angle 6. Then
COt 6 = j;
If the propeller blade is so constructed that under design con
ditions (i.e., normal revolutions per minute and design airspeed)
every airfoil section is meeting the air at the same angle of attack
(a); then, if the same airfoil section is used throughout, 6 will be
the same all along the blade. In practice, for strength, sections
near the hub are thicker than those near the tip.
The resultant force on the blade element will be
dL
cos 9
CL?.b
cos 6
This resultant force, instead of being divided into lift and drag
components, is divided in components parallel to the propeller
axis and parallel to the plane of rotation. The component parallel
to the propeller axis is called the thrust component; that parallel
to the plane of rotation is called the tangential or torque component.
The lift component is perpendicular to the direction of the rela
tive wind (W), and the relative wind makes an angle of <Â£ with the
plane of rotation; therefore the lift component makes the same
angle <f> with the direction of the propeller axis. The resultant
force is at angle (<t> + 6) with the direction of the propeller axis.
The thrust component is then
dT = dFR cos (0 + 0)
2 cos
The torque or tangential component is
dF = dFR sin (<f> + 6)
The torque itself, which is the moment which must be applied, is

BLADE--ELEMENT THEORY 143
the tangential force times its moment arm R. Letting Q repre
sent torque
dQ = R dFR sin (<t> + 0)
The power absorbed will be the torque component force times
the distance traveled per second :
dPa = 2 wNR dFR sin (0 + 0)
The efficiency of each element is the power output divided by
the power input or
Efficiency =
Substituting ~ â ~ ~ *an
V dFR cos (0 + 0)
FS8\n(<f> + 0)
Efficiency =
, .,,. tan <t>
tan (0 + 0)
Tangent <f> is the ratio of the airspeed V to the tangential ve
locity of the blade element. Every element moves forward with
the same airspeed, but the tangential velocity is greater nearer the
blade tip. For elements near the tip tangent <f> is smaller than for
elements nearer the hub. Cotangent 6 is L/D for the blade ele
ment. If the same airfoil section is used at the same angle of
attack throughout the blade, 0 will be constant. By differen
tiating the efficiency with respect to <Â£ and placing result equal to
zero
*-Â«--!
For the Clark Y section, used frequently for propellers, the
maximum L/D is 22.5, making 0 have a value of 2^Â°. Then the
maximum efficiency will be when 0 = 45Â° â ljÂ°, and the efficiency
will be
tan 43f Â°
tan 46JÂ°
0.957
1.045
= 91.5 per cent

144
PROPELLERS
This will be for the most efficient element. Nearer to or farther
from the tip the blade elements will be less efficient, so the total
efficiency of the entire blade will be less than the maximum
efficiency of the optimum blade element.
Returning to the thrust of a single blade element,
0)
dT =
COS0
The blade width (6) instead of being expressed in feet might be
given as a fractional part (b/R) of the radial distance out to that
particular blade element. The ratio b/R is a, pure number, but
this ratio is different for each element. The blade width is then
R(b/R).
Also W, the relative velocity, is equal to 2 T NR/cos <Â£. The
angle 6 is always small so that little error is introduced if cos 6 is
assumed to be unity. The distance R to each blade element is
expressed as R/Ri X Ri or R/Ri X D/2, where Ri is the radius
of the tip and D is the diameter. Making these substitutions, the
expression for thrust becomes
J/P p I"T2 r b cos (0
dT = 2 \JCLRâ^
.2 4 _ J 6 A 1.0
Radius
FIG. 46. Typical thrust and torque force curves.
The quantity in the brackets contains terms which vary for
each blade element. Values of the bracketed quantity may be
plotted against (R/Ri) as in Fig. 46, and a curve of thrust varia-

BLADE-ELEMENT THEORY 145
tion along the radius may be drawn. All the terms in the bracket
depend on the airfoil section used and its angle of attack, on the
variation of blade width with respect to radius, and on the angle <j>.
For geometrically similar propellers, the bracketed quantity de
pends on the angle $, which is the angle whose tangent is the air
speed divided by the peripheral speed of the tip, since the angle <Â£
of any blade element on one propeller will be the same as the angle
<f> of the blade element of a similar propeller located the same frac
tional distance out from the center. The thrust curve depends
therefore on V/(irND). It is common to drop the constant I/'T
and state merely that the thrust curve depends on the V/(ND)
of the propeller. V being airspeed in feet per second, N being
the revolutions per second, and D being the diameter in feet, the
expression V/(ND) is dimensionless.
The area under the thrust curve of Fig. 46 is integrated and
multiplied by the number of blades to give the thrust coefficient
( Tc) for the entire propeller. The equation for the thrust of the
whole propeller is
T =Â£TeJV2Z>4
Â£i
The expression for the power absorbed by an individual blade
element may be modified in a similar manner.
dPa = 2*NR dFR sin (</> + 0)
2 cos 0
cos (* +
fl cos'0
.d
The bracketed quantity is plotted against R/Ri in Fig. 46.
Integrating the area under the curve and multiplying by the num
ber of blades gives a power coefficient (Pe). The equation for
power absorbed by a propeller becomes
It will be noted, in Fig. 46, that the blade elements inside of
20 per cent R contribute no thrust. To withstand centrifugal
force the blades are made extremely thick near the hub and are
146 PROPELLERS
consequently very poor airfoil sections. This, together with the
low relative wind speed and large angle <f>, makes for small
thrust.
The efficiency (T7) of a propeller may be found in terms of these
coefficients, as follows
TV
._
Pe ND
The simple blade-element theory neglects the inflow velocity.
It also neglects the fact that air passing around a wing is given a
downward velocity, or if circulating around a propeller blade is
given a similar flow. The blade of a propeller, instead of meeting
a relative wind from the direction W, as shown in Fig. 45, is
meeting air disturbed by the previous blade passage. The theory
also neglects tip losses.
A combination of the two basic theories, the momentum and
blade-element theories, with certain corrections has been found to
give excellent results in the design or selection of propellers.
Thrust and Torque Coefficients. The coefficients for thrust
(Tc) and power (Pc) described in the simple blade-element theory
are used with certain modifications in the complete propeller
theory. These coefficients depend not only on the shape and
proportions of the blades, but also on the airspeed and speed of
rotation; i.e., on the V/(ND) of the conditions under which the
propeller is run. They are useful in comparing the thrust de
veloped and power required by different propellers of the same
diameter. For use on an airplane, a propeller is selected for a cer
tain V and a certain N, and these coefficients, though suitable for
comparing propellers at the same V/(ND), are not applicable for
propellers for the same V and N but different D.
The coefficients Tc and Pc are non-dimensional. This can be
proved by putting the other terms of the equations for thrust and
BLADE-ELEMENT THEORY
147
power into the basic dimensions of mass (M), length (L), and
time (t).
T=
P = ?PeN3D6
~F x t ~ L3 X ' X i3 *
L_M P X1XL6
For a given propeller (or family of geometrically similar ones),
the thrust and power coefficients as well as the efficiency may be
plotted against V/(ND). The
efficiency is a maximum at one
particular value of V/(ND), de
creasing for either larger or small
er values. The value of V/ ( ND)
for a given propeller which
gives the maximum efficiency
is called the design V/(ND).
Curves showing how a propeller
efficiency changes with V/(ND)
are presented in Fig. 47.
0.2 0.4 06 0.8 1.0 12
1.4
.Â¥.
ND
The thrust and power coeffi
Fio. 47. Typical efficiency curves.
cients of a given propeller will vary with the airspeed and revolu
tions per minute, i.e., with V/(ND). For a typical propeller they
are plotted in Fig. 48. This plot will apply to all propellers which
are geometrically similar to the one for which the data are plotted.
It will be noted that the thrust coefficient decreases as the
V/(ND) increases. At the V/(ND) of 1.3 for this propeller the
thrust coefficient becomes zero. This would correspond to a
steep dive with power on. At this V/(ND) of zero thrust, the
torque coefficient still has a positive value. The thrust coefficient
being zero means that the relative wind is meeting the blades at
such an angle that the resultant force is parallel to the plane of
the propeller disk. Any further increase in airspeed will mean
that the relative wind will meet the blades at an angle which will
produce negative or backward thrust. The condition of zero
thrust corresponds with angle of zero lift for an airfoil and means
148
PROPELLERS
that the blades are moving forward the greatest possible distance
per revolution without developing negative thrust. Pitch being
the forward distance per revolution, the V/(ND) for zero thrust,
multiplied by I/7T, is called the experimental mean pitch, since it is
the ideal or maximum value of pitch for the particular propeller.
.18
!â¢14.12Â£lioâtM
J02^PC^^N\'AXL_\\\\\\ >\\A\\
02 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4
JL
FIG. 48. Typical thrust and power coefficient curves.
When the airplane is stationary, V is zero, making V/(ND)
zero. Under this condition, both thrust and power coefficients
have large positive values. The value of the thrust coefficient for
V/(ND) = 0 is a measure of the ability of an airplane to acceler
ate from a standstill position.
Power-Speed Coefficients. The expression V/(ND) is a non-
dimensional quantity. For a given propeller (or geometrically
similar ones) there are only one Tc, one Pc, and one efficiency for
each V/(ND) condition. The coefficient P( may therefore be
properly divided by the corresponding V/(ND) or a power thereof

PITCH AND PITCH RATIO
149
to obtain another coefficient of different magnitude. Using
V/( ND) as a divisor, the diameter is eliminated from the equation
for power absorbed.
N3!?
Substituting
JVC,6
The coefficient C, is called the power-speed coefficient, since, if
this coefficient is known together with the forward speed and
speed of rotation, the power may be found. Conversely, if the
available power (P), the rated revolutions per minute of the
engine (N), and the design airspeed of the airplane (F) are known,
the C, can be found. A propeller is then chosen of the proper
diameter and pitch to give the maximum efficiency with this
power-speed coefficient ((7j).
Pitch and Pitch Ratio. The pitch of a single-thread machine
screw is the distance the screw is advanced in one revolution or
the distance between threads. Using the convention that a
screw is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder, the pitch
would be the slope of this inclined plane. In applying the ter
minology of mechanics to an air screw, the difficulty is met that
air is not a solid medium and the blade angle differs along the blade.
" Geometric pitch " is the term applied to the calculated dis
tance an air propeller would move forward in one revolution if
there were no slip, i.e., if air were solid. This definition cannot
be applied without amplification. Each blade element is set at
a different blade angle. For uniform geometric pitch the blade
angle would decrease as the radius increased. On account of
engine interference near the hub the air flow is slower and the
pitch is usually made less there. Owing to the non-uniformity of
the pitch, the blade element two-thirds the radius was formerly
150 PROPELLERS
used to measure geometric pitch. For correct performance, it is
necessary to have the proper diameter as well as proper pitch,
and since it is physically impossible for a propeller manufacturer
to stock an infinite number of different diameters as well as an
infinite number of pitches, if the user cannot obtain the exact
diameter propeller he desires, he saws off and trims the tips of a
larger-diameter propeller. Reducing the diameter would change
the location of the two-thirds point on the radius, and the meas
ured geometric pitch would be different. It has now become the
custom generally to measure the geometric pitch at the blade
element at a point 42 in. from the axis and call this the standard
or nominal pitch. The geometric pitch is the tangent of the blade
angle multiplied by 2 IT times the radial distance of the blade
element from the axis.
" Effective pitch " is the actual distance the propeller travels
forward in one revolution and is equal to V/ N feet.
" Slip " is the difference, in feet, between the geometric pitch
and effective pitch.
" Pitch ratio " is the ratio of the geometric pitch to the propeller
diameter.
With a fixed-blade propeller the geometric pitch is permanently
fixed. Adjustable-pitch propellers have blades with circular
cross-sections near the hub which are gripped in sleeves. By
loosening clamping rings, the blades may be turned in their sockets,
so that they have a new blade angle and consequently new geo
metric pitch. An adjustable-pitch propeller can have its blade
angles changed only when the engine is at rest, i.e., when the
plane is on the ground. A controllable-pitch propeller is one whose
blade angles may be changed in flight. This is accomplished by
electrical or oil-pressure-operated devices. The term variable-
pitch propeller may be applied to either adjustable- or controllable-
pitch propellers.
With a fixed-blade propeller, the effective pitch varies: it is
zero when the airplane is stationary, and it has a finite value as
the airplane moves forward. In level flight, the effective pitch
has a value approximately 75 per cent of the geometric pitch;
in a dive, it increases still further and may even exceed the geo
metric pitch.
Propellers are selected for certain design requirements, i.e.,
for the V/(ND) of the desired flight conditions. While the pro-
DETERMINING PROPER POWER-SPEED COEFFICIENT 151
peller is operating under these design conditions, the effective
pitch is D times the design V/(ND), and the angle of attack (a)
of the blade elements is the angle of maximum L/D. The blade
angle of a fixed-blade propeller being constant, when the effective
pitch is decreased by flight conditions, with the decreased V/(ND)
there is an increase in the angle of attack and consequently a de
crease in L/D. When the airplane is stationary, the effective
pitch and V/(ND) being zero, the angle of attack of each element
is equal to the blade angle of the element. For the portion of the
blade near the center, the angle of attack is greater than the burble
point, and the efficiency is therefore low.
In climbing, the airspeed is low while the engine is running at
full r.p.m. so that the V/(ND') is much less than the design
V/(ND). The effective pitch during climb is such that the angle
of attack a of the blades is greater than the angle of maximum
L/D, so the efficiency is low.
Improvement in efficiency which would mean obtaining greater
thrust with the same horsepower expenditure can therefore be
gained in take-off and in climb by using a controllable-pitch
propeller. With a small blade angle in take-off or climb, the angle
of attack can be nearly if not exactly the angle of maximum L/D.
After the altitude is reached where level flight is to be maintained,
the blades can be reset to a new geometric pitch, which will give
the correct blade angle for level flight conditions.
Determining Proper Power-Speed Coefficient. The equation
for power using the speed-power coefficient C, is
p=
P in foot-pounds per second
p in slugs per cubic foot
N is revolutions per second
In order to employ the more usual units, this formula is modi
fied, as follows.
pX
550 X H.P. =
/88 M.P.HA"
I 60 )
/R.P.M.V
V 60 / '
RP ^
44.5 X P X M.P.H.6
152 PROPELLERS
For sea-level conditions, where p is 0.002378 slug per cubic foot
â _ 44.5 X 0.002378 X M.P.H.5
11.1 . = â
R.P.M/ X C,5
0.106 X M.P.H.
R.P.M/ X C,6
Solving for C, gives
1106
.P.M.2 X H.P.
0.638 X M.P.H.
" R.P.MJ X ITF.*
Therefore, the available horsepower, engine revolutions, and
airspeed being known, Cs may be found.
This formula does not lend itself readily to slide-rule operation.
It may be solved by logarithms or by use of the chart of Fig. 49.
In using the chart, a line is drawn from the origin 0 through the
intersection of lines representing velocity and revolutions per
minute. The intersection of this line with the horsepower line
gives the value of Cs.
Example. The engine gives 400 hp. at 1,900 r.p.m. What should
be the C, of the propeller for an airspeed of 150 miles per hour?
Solution. See dotted lines on Fig. 49. From 0 draw diagonal line
through intersection of lines representing 150 miles per hour and 1,900
r.p.m. Where diagonal line intersects line representing power of
400 hp., read on C, scale 1.40.
Problems
(Use logarithms and check by nomogram)
1. A Stearman plane uses a Kinner engine which is rated 210 hp.
at 1,900 r.p.m. What should be the C, of a propeller for an air
speed of 100 miles per hour?
2. A Monocoupe uses a Warner engine rated 125 hp. at 2,050
r.p.m. What should be the C, of the propeller for an airspeed of 112
miles per hour?
3. A Taylor Cub cruises at 65 miles per hour. It is powered with
a Continental engine, giving 37 hp. at 2,550 r.p.m. What should be
the C, of the propeller?
4. An Aeronca Collegian cruises at 65 miles per hour, with an engine
rated 36 hp. at 2,400 r.p.m. What should be the C, of the propeller?

DETERMINING PROPER POWER-SPEED COEFFICIENT 153
Brake Horsepower
5888 88 8
R P. M
30
28
26
24
22
201.6
1.4
1.210
0.8
0.6DIRECTIONS:Through point, whose
ordinate is velocity and
abscissa is r. p. m., draw
line from origin in lower
left - hand corner Where
this line crosses vertical
power line, read Cs on
left . hand scale.//7/_s//
/>, '9/f'///88 8Â« B â¢~Â» (N OJR. P M.290
280
270
260
250
240
230
220|
210 |
200|
1Â»|180 1S170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
.ooc
Brake Horsepower
FIG. 49. Chart for finding C,,

154 PROPELLERS
6. A Laird Speedwing is equipped with a Wasp Junior engine of
300 hp. at 2,000 r.p.m. What is the Cs of a propeller suitable for
cruising at 150 miles per hour?
6. For the airplane described in problem 5, what is the Cs of a pro
peller for racing at 190 miles per hour?
7. A Douglas Airliner cruises at 185 miles per hour, equipped with
two Wright engines each giving 700 hp. at 1,900 r.p.m. What should
be the Cs of suitable propellers?
8. A Lockheed Vega cruises at'150 miles per hour, equipped with
a Wasp engine of 420 hp. at 2,000 r.p.m. What is the C, of a suitable
propeller?
9. A Bellanca Pacemaker cruises at 125 miles per hour with a
Wasp Junior of 300 hp. at 2,000 r.p.m. What is the Cs of a suitable
propeller?
10. A Northrop Delta has a maximum speed of 221 miles per hour
with a Wright Cyclone engine of 710 hp. at 1,900 r.p.m. What is the
C, of a suitable propeller?
Determining Blade Angle and Diameter. The design power,
airspeed, and revolutions per minute being known, the power-speed
coefficient can be found as shown in the preceding section. V and
N being known, the effective pitch (V/N) can be found. It is
desired to have an efficient propeller for the design conditions, but
there are two variables, the diameter and the geometric pitch.
The diameter is limited in size, in that too large a diameter will
not allow sufficient ground clearance in landing and taking-off.
Also with given number of revolutions per minute, a larger diame
ter will mean greater tip speeds. With tip speed above 900 ft.
per sec. the tip losses are very great and cut down on the efficiency.
If design V and N are fixed, increasing the diameter decreases the
design V/(NU).
Increasing the V/(ND), by decreasing the diameter, means that
a large geometric pitch (large blade angle) will be necessary to
secure efficiency under design conditions. A large blade angle will
give a low static thrust resulting in poor take-off and poor climb.
Examining Fig. 47, it will be seen that propellers with larger
pitch ratios (blade angles) have greater maximum efficiencies than
propellers with smaller pitch ratios; also that these greater maxi
mum efficiencies for the large pitch ratio propeller are for greater
V/(ND) values. This would seem to indicate that a very small
diameter would be desirable accompanied by large pitch ratio.
This might be true if the propeller always operated at design

DETERMINING BLADE ANGLE AND DIAMETER 155
V/(ND). In level flight, throttling the engine to give slightly
fewer revolutions per minute will decrease the airspeed approxi
mately the same ratio, and since D is constant, V/(ND) will be
approximately the same as design V/(ND). In climb, however,
with full throttle, the airspeed will decrease greatly so that
V/(ND) will be much less than design V/(ND). Referring to
Fig. 47, if a propeller has been picked which has a higher efficiency
.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 18 1.9 2.0
Fio. 50. Efficiency versus Cs for various blade angles.
than any of the other propellers plotted for some given V/(ND),
at a smaller V/(ND) a propeller with less pitch will show a higher
efficiency.
The efficiency versus V/(ND) curves are practically horizontal
near the maximum point, then drop rather sharply. If a propeller
is selected which has peak efficiency for the V/(ND) of level
flight maximum speed, at the V/(ND) of cruising conditions the
propeller will have almost the same efficiency.

156
PROPELLERS
In Fig. 50 is shown efficiency 77 plotted against Cs for a metal
propeller with a type J-5 engine mounted in a high-wing cabin
monoplane. With a different engine or mounted in the nose of
a different type of airplane, owing to the different interference
0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0
FIG. 51. C, versus blade angle for various values of V/(ND).
immediately behind the central part of the propeller, the efficiency
curves will be altered slightly. The curves of Fig. 50 are quite
typically representative, however.
Selecting the peak efficiency of any one blade setting, it will be
noted that, at the same value of C,, a higher efficiency is obtain-

DETERMINING BLADE ANGLE AND DIAMETER 157
able with a larger blade angle. If the utmost efficiency is desired
for a given C, then a propeller with the blade angle giving the
highest efficiency for that C, should be chosen. At slightly lower
values of Cs, the efficiency of the bigger-blade-angled propeller
will have dropped sharply whereas the efficiency of the smaller-
blade-angled propeller will have decreased only slightly.
If high speed is the only objective, the C, being known, the blade
angle is chosen which gives the greatest efficiency for that Cs.
This will result in an extremely poor take-off.
The blade angle which has peak efficiency for this C, will permit
of a reasonably good take-off but owing to the smaller efficiency
will reduce the topspeed.
A propeller with a blade angle which is the mean between those
described in the last two paragraphs will result in a take-off
approximating that for the peak efficiency while the maximum
speed obtainable will be practically that of the propeller selected
for high speed. This is the propeller usually selected.
With the blade angle decided on, resort is made to a chart similar
to Fig. 51, where C, is plotted against V/(ND) for various blade
angles. Two reference lines are on this diagram, one designating
the maximum efficiency for racing planes, the other suitable for
general purposes. The use of Figs. 50 and 51 can best be explained
by an illustrative example.
Example. A cabin monoplane has a top speed of 150 miles per hour.
Its engine gives 400 hp. at 1,900 r.p.m. Find diameter, blade angle,
and efficiency of the propeller for general utility. What is its effi
ciency if airplane flies 100 miles per hour at 1,600 r.p.m.?
Solution. From previous work:
C, = 1.40
From Fig. 50, for C, = 1.40; blade angle of 19Â° is at peak efficiency,
TJ = 0.79; blade angle of 20Â° gives efficiency of 0.80, blade angle of
22Â° gives v = 0.81.
From Fig. 51, for C, 1.40 and blade angle 19Â°
but
.WD = Â°.725
V = 150 miles per hour
= 220 ft. per sec.
N = 31.7 r.p.s.
158 PROPELLERS
220
then " ~ 31.7 X 0.725
= 9 ft. 7 in.
for V = 100 miles per hour
= 146.7 ft. per sec.
and N = 26.7 r.p.s.
V 146.7
ND ~ 26.7 X 9.57
= 0.574
From Fig. 51 for 19Â° blade angle and V/( ND) of 0.574
C, = 1.08
From Fig. 50 for 19Â° angle and C, = 1,08
r, = 0.75
Problems
1. Find diameter, blade angle, and efficiency for a general-utility
propeller for V = 120 miles per hour, 200 hp., and 1,800 r.p.m.
2. Find diameter, blade angle, and efficiency for a general utility-
propeller for V = 180 miles per hour,' 200 hp., and 1,800 r.p.m.
propeller for 70 miles per hour, 90 hp., and 1,400 r.p.m.
Finding Blade Angle with Diameter Fixed. It is quite often
that the size of the propeller is influenced by the need of having
proper ground clearance. Also it is becoming more common to
use a variable-pitch propeller, in which case the problem resolves
itself into selecting the proper blade setting for a given diameter.
Example. What should be blade setting and efficiency for a vari
able-pitch propeller 8 ft. 6 in. in diameter for V = 150 miles per hour
and 400 hp. at 1,900 r.p.m.?
Solution. From previous work C, = 1.40 and
V 220
ND ~ 31.7 X 8.5
= 0.816
From Fig. 51 for C, = 1.40 and V/(ND) = 0.816:
Blade angle = 25Â°
From Fig. 50 for C, = 1.40 and blade angle 25Â°:
r, = 0.81
I
PROPELLER PERFORMANCE AT ALTITUDES 159
Problems
1. Find blade angle for a 7-ft. propeller for 110 miles per hour, 210
hp., at 2,000 r.p.m.
2. Find blade angle for an 8-ft. propeller for 150 miles per hour,
200 hp., at 1,800 r.p.m.
300 hp., at 2,000 r.p.m.
4. Find blade angle for a 9-ft. propeller for 150 miles per hour, 300
hp., at 2,000 r.p.m.
90 hp., at 1,400 r.p.m.
Propeller Performance at Altitudes. The expressions for thrust,
torque, and power all contain the term p, the air density. They
therefore vary directly with density just as do the lift and drag of
a simple wing. Efficiency of a propeller does not depend on den
sity, merely on the V/(ND) condition. As long as the propeller
advances the same distance per revolution, the efficiency will
remain the same, regardless of altitude. As pointed out in the
chapter on engines, the brake horsepower decreases with altitude
but at a greater rate than the density decreases.
At the ground, the engine turns over at a certain speed. That
speed is the speed at which the torque power or resistance of the
propeller just balances the engine power. At that particular
speed of rotation, the propeller exerts a definite thrust which pullsy
the airplane forward at an airspeed which is the velocity at which
the total drag, or resistance of the airplane to forward motion, just
balances the thrust.
At an altitude, if the throttle is left at the same opening, the
engine would tend to turn over faster, because the thinner air
would offer less resistance to the propeller; i.e., the power absorbed
by the propeller would be less. Speeding up an engine gives
greater power, but, since at an altitude the actual power per revo
lution drops off as the result of lessened volumetric efficiency and
this decrease is at a greater rate than the increase in power due to
putative increased revolutions per minute, the engine actually
runs slower at altitude.
If, at the ground, the airplane is cruising at less than full power,
at an altitude the throttle may be opened wider so that the engine
speed is the same as it previously was at the ground. In doing
this the horsepower delivered by the engine is made equal to the

160 PROPELLERS
torque horsepower of the propeller at that engine speed at that
altitude.
The drag of an airplane in level flight at any one airspeed varies
directly with the air density. Drag equals thrust in level flight.
At any altitude the thrust required to maintain a given airspeed
compared with the thrust required at the ground for that same air
speed will be directly as the ratio of the air densities. The power
required to turn the propeller at this airspeed at the altitude would
be related to the power required at the ground as the relative densi
ties only if the revolutions per minute were the same. The engine
cannot at altitude furnish power proportionate to the relative
density compared with the power at the ground at the same
revolutions per minute. Therefore, for a given airspeed, the
revolutions per minute will be less at altitude than at the ground.
The advance per revolution, or V/(ND), not being the same for
a given airspeed at altitude as at the ground, the efficiency of the
propeller will be different. The thrust horsepower at altitude
compared with the thrust horsepower at the ground for the same
airspeed is affected in two ways: first, the brake horsepower of the
engine is less; and second, since the engine speed is less the effi
ciency of the propeller is different.
Propeller Selection for Altitude Flying. Previously in this
chapter the method of selecting the proper diameter and blade
angle was shown on the basis of flying at or near sea-level. If the
engine delivers approximately the same horsepower at altitudes,
it is conceivable that the propeller might not offer enough resist
ance to prevent the engine running overspeed.
The formula used for determining the power-speed coefficient
0.638 X M.P.H.
" KY.l/6 X R.P.M.2/6
was derived from the more basic formula
= 44.5 X p X M.P.H.5
KR X R.P.M.2
= 2.136 X p'/5 X M.P.H.
HIT1'6 X R.P.M.2/6
The power-speed coefficient varies with the fifth root of the air
density, provided horsepower, airspeed, and revolutions per min-

PROPELLER SELECTION FOR ALTITUDE FLYING 161
ute are unchanged,
sea-level density or
C,=
The nomogram in Fig. 49 being based on
0.638 X M.P.H.
H.P.l/5 X R.P.M.2/6
_ 2.136 X (0.002378)1/li X M.P.H.
ILP?/6 X R.P.M.i/6
the power-speed coefficient at altitude (Csa) may be obtained by
multiplying the power-speed coefficient for sea-level (CÂ») by the
fifth root of the relative densities (pa/po).
~ t.'so I
y.Y I "O
TABLE VII
Altitude in
feet010002000300040005000600070008000900010000*r~v"V po1.00.994.988.982.977.971.965.959.953.947.941Altitude infeet1000011000120001300014000150001600017000180001900020000S/â
yfeÂ» PO0.941 t..935.929.923.917.911.906.900.894.888.882
Example. What should be the blade setting and diameter of the
propeller which makes an airspeed of 150 miles an hour at an altitude
of 10,000 ft.? The engine is supercharged to give 400 hp. at 1,900
r.p.m. at the altitude of 10,000 ft.
Solution.
CÂ»MÂ» = 0.941 X C*,
= 0.941 X 1.40
= 1.33
From Fig. 51 for C, = 1.33, blade angle = 19|Â°, V/ND = 0.70,
D=
220
31.7 X 0.7
= 9.9 ft.
162 PROPELLERS
The propeller, 9.9 ft. in diameter, with a blade angle of 19J0, will
absorb the 400 hp. at 10,000-ft. altitude.
If the propeller that was selected previously for 150 miles per hour,
400 hp. at 1,900 r.p.m. at sea-level, with 9.57-ft. diameter and blade
angle of 19Â°, is a fixed-blade propeller, then at 10,000-ft. altitude,
since V and N are the same, the V/( ND) will be the same as at the
ground. The Cs which is a function of the V/(ND) and blade angle
will be the same. The power absorbed by this propeller at 10,000-ft.
altitude is
WT) 44.5 X pto.000 X M.P.H."
H.r. = â 2 =5
44.5 X 0.001756 X 150B
19002 X 1.406
= 295
This horsepower is not sufficient to hold back the 400-hp. engine so
that the engine would tend to race if not throttled.
A propeller suitable for flying at altitude is not efficient near the
ground. A good propeller for ground conditions is not suitable for
altitude work. For this reason a variable-pitch propeller is highly
desirable.
Problems
1. Find the blade angle for a 9-ft. propeller for flying at 15,000-ft.
altitude, with an airspeed of 110 miles per hour, 210 hp. at 2,000
r.p.m. at that altitude.
altitude with an airspeed of 150 miles per hour, 300 hp. at 2,000 r.p.m.
at that altitude.
altitude with an airspeed of 150 miles per hour, 300 hp. at 2,000
altitude with an airspeed of 150 miles per hour, 250 hp. at 1,800 r.p.m.
at that altitude.
altitude, with an airspeed of 150 miles per hour, 250 hp. at 1,800
Geared Propellers. Propellers with high geometric pitch, i.e.,
large blade angle, have high efficiencies. A high geometric pitch
postulates a large V/(ND). The horsepower of airplane engines
is proportional to the speed of revolution, so that, to keep down the

GEARED PROPELLERS 163
size and weight per horsepower, the revolutions per second should
be high. With a fixed-diameter propeller, for a given airspeed,
increasing N has the effect of decreasing V/(ND). The increase
in horsepower with increased revolutions per minute increases
. 0.638 X M.P.H. , ., ,
the denominator of TT p 1/5 y p p A,T 2/6 and therefore decreases
the value of Cs. In addition, high revolution speed with large-
diameter propeller means high tip speeds with consequent loss of
efficiency. High engine speed is desirable, but high propeller
speed is undesirable.
Geared propellers have the following disadvantages. There is
added weight and loss of power in gear friction. Owing to high
engine speed and low propeller speed, cooling of the engine becomes
a problem. The necessary greater diameter involves greater
landing-gear height. There is an added cost.
The advantages of gearing-down propellers are as follows.
There is increase in performance of the airplane due to greater
efficiency of the propeller consequent on larger pitch ratio, on the
absence of tip losses, and on the larger diameter involving a pro
portionately less interference effect from the fuselage and engine.
A geared propeller is practically noiseless owing to the low tip
speed.
With gearing, the propeller must be mounted outboard of the
bearings, and since the propeller shaft is very short, it must be
lined up perfectly or the wear on the gears will be excessive. The
gear teeth must be cut accurately, and the gears must be well
lubricated at all times.
The effect of gearing is best shown by an illustrative problem.
In a previous illustration, it was worked out for a plane making
150 miles per hour, with an engine of 400 hp. at 1,900 r.p.m., that
the efficiency was 80.5 per cent. Considering that gearing will
give greater efficiency and therefore greater horsepower let it be
assumed that the airspeed will be increased to 160 miles per hour.
Example. A cabin monoplane has a speed of 150 miles with a 400-
hp. engine at 1,900 r.p.m. If the propeller is geared 2 to 1, what will
be C,, D, and efficiency?
Solution.
0.638 X 150
' ~ 9502/6 X 4001/8
= 1.86
164 PROPELLERS
From Figs. 50 and 51, for C, = 1.86, V/( ND) = 1.08, blade angle =
27Â°, i) = 0.86:
D = 15.8 X 1.08
= 12.9 ft.
Summarizing for the geared and direct-driven propellers gives this
comparison:
Gear ratio Direct 2 : 1
R.p.m. of propeller 1,900 950
C, 1.41 1.86
V/(ND) 0.76 1.08
Diameter, feet 9.1 12.9
Blade angle 21Â° 27Â°
Efficiency 0.805 0.86
Tip speed, feet per second 920 650
Body Interference. The presence of the engine and fuselage
immediately in the rear of the propeller modifies the flow of air
through the propeller disk. The air coming through the central
part of the disk is diverted outward, causing a change in the di
rection of stream flow back of the propeller.
The net effect of this interference is to increase the Cs slightly
for all values of V/(ND). It also causes the peak value of
efficiency to occur at a slightly higher V/(ND) than it would with
out the interference.
Propeller Performance. The brake horsepower of an airplane
engine varies almost directly with the speed of rotation. The
amount of power which a propeller is capable of absorbing depends
on its speed-power coefficient and its V/(ND). The full-throttle
engine speed is dependent on the torque resistance offered by the
propeller.
The thrust horsepower of an engine-propeller unit is the brake
horsepower of the engine multiplied by the efficiency of the pro
peller. It is the thrust horsepower that produces and maintains
the velocity of the airplane.
The speed of the engine may be reduced either directly by throt
tling or by reducing the airspeed by pulling back on the control
stick. At a reduced airspeed, the numerator of the expression
V/(ND) becomes less. With smaller V/(ND), the power coeffi
cient of the propeller becomes greater (see Fig. 48). For a two-
bladed propeller Cs = V/(ND\/PC), if the power coefficient

PROPELLER PERFORMANCE 165
Pe is increased, the fifth root of the reciprocal of the power coeffi
cient will be less. With a decreased airspeed, the power coefficient
will decrease at a faster rate than the airspeed. The power re
quired to rotate the propeller being
H.P. =
0.106 /M.P.H.y
RMM C, )
and C, decreasing faster than the miles per hour, the horsepower
absorbed would increase if the revolutions per minute remained
the same. Actually putting more load on the engine will slow
it down.
Propeller performance is the effectiveness with which the pro
peller changes engine power into thrust power at all airspeeds.
Propeller performance is either stated in the form of a table or as
a curve of thrust horsepower at various airspeeds.
It usually is assumed that brake horsepower varies directly as
revolutions per minute, or, letting B.H.P.0 be rated horsepower
and R.P.M.Q be rated speed, for unsupercharged engines,
B.H.P. R.P.M.
B.H.P.o R.P.M.o
Airspeeds are chosen for 10-mile-per-hour intervals throughout
the range of airspeed it is expected that the airplane will fly.
Since at airspeeds less than design airspeed, the engine will run
slower than design revolutions per minute, to find the engine speed
at each airspeed it is necessary to interpolate.
At each airspeed at least three engine speeds are assumed in the
neighborhood of which the engine speed might be expected to be.
For each of these engine speeds a value of Cs is found. These
calculations are for a fixed-pitch propeller so that the blade angle
does not change. If the C, corresponding to each engine speed is
known, the V/(ND) may be found from Fig. 51 for each engine
speed. With V and D known, N may be found giving a second
value of engine speed for each engine speed originally assumed.
By plotting the originally assumed engine speeds against C, and
the calculated engine speeds against Cs and locating the inter
section of these two plots, the actual revolutions per minute and
C, are found for this airspeed. An illustrative example follows.
Example. A cabin monoplane has an engine rated 400 hp. at 1,900
r.p.m. The propeller has a blade angle of 21Â° and the diameter is 9.1
166 PROPELLERS
ft. The design airspeed is 150 miles per hour. What are the revo
lutions per minute and thrust horsepower at 120 miles per hour?
Solution. For 1,850 r.p.m.:
H.P. = 400 X |-|Â§
= 389.5
0.638 X 120
X 389.5i"i
= 1.146
From Fig. 51, V/(ND) = 0.63 for 21Â° angle and C, = 1.146.
For 1,800 r.p.m.:
120 X 88
"v ~ 9.1 X 0.63
= 1,842 r.p.m.
H.P.
= 379
C, =
0.638 X 120
1,800V6 X 379i/5
= 1.165
N 120 X 88
For 1,700 r.p.m.:
9.1 X 0.64
= 1813
400 X 1,700
' ' " 1,900
= 358
0.638 X 120
Cj " 1,7002/5 x 35Si/*
= 1.205
120 X 88
9.1 X 0.66
= 1,758 r.p.m.
In Fig. 52 are plotted the assumed revolutions per minute against the
corresponding C, values and a line is drawn through these points.
The calculated revolutions per minute are also plotted against C, and
a line is drawn. The intersection gives 1,830 r.p.m. for an airspeed of
120 miles per hour, and corresponding to these conditions C, is 1.153.

PROPELLER PERFORMANCE
167
From Fig. 50, the efficiency for this Cj and a blade angle of 21Â° is
76 per cent.
B.H.P. = 400 X
= 385
Thrust H.P.
= B.H.P. X r}
= 385 X 0.76
= 293 hp.
The foregoing method when worked out for each 10-mile-per-
hour interval is a series of calculations of some magnitude. A less
exact method, often employed,
makes use of the assumption
that for most propellers the
percentage of maximum effi
ciency is the same at the same
percentage of design V/(ND).
The curve in Fig. 54 shows this 1700
relation for metal propellers.
If wooden propellers are used
the curve has a somewhat dif
ferent slope. The ordinates of this curve are not efficiencies but
percentages of the maximum efficiency; likewise the abscissas are
1850
1800
1750
.3 4
1.14 1.15 1 16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20
FIG. 52. Interpolation for illustrative
example.
.7 .8
Des.gn
1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
FIG. 53. Maximum efficiency versus design V/(ND).
not values of V/(ND) but percentages of design V/(ND). The
use of this graph will be illustrated in performance calculations
later in this book.

168
PROPELLERS
In preliminary calculations of performance where meticulous
accuracy is not required, an approximate idea of the maximum
efficiency of a propeller may be obtained by use of the graph in
Fig. 53. This gives the maximum efficiency for various values of
design V/(ND).
100
i80
I 70
I 60
40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130
Percent Design fa
FIG. 54. Variation of efficiency with V/(ND).
1.00
'0 4000 8000 12000 16000 20000 24000
Altitude m Feet
FIG. 55. Variation of R.P.M. with altitude.
Construction. The first airplane propellers were made of wood.
This material offers the simplest form of construction. Many
different kinds of wood have been tried. Walnut, oak, and birch
are considered the best, birch usually being thought superior to
the others. The propeller is not made from a single block of wood,
but for greater strength is made of several layers firmly glued
together under pressure. These laminations extend across from
one blade to the other, being continuous through the hub. The
tips are covered with thin sheet brass, this protective material
extending inward along the leading edge for some distance.
Wood and the glue uniting the laminations are both affected
by heat and dampness. Also the blades have to be thicker if made
of wood than if made of stronger material; being thick they can-

CONSTRUCTION 169
not be made an efficient shape in cross-section. Wooden propellers
find their chief use in small, inexpensive airplanes.
The first advance in propeller material was the use of Micarta.
Micarta is stronger than wood; it is made of layers of canvas
strongly impregnated with a Bakelite composition, united in one
piece and formed under heavy pressure in a mold. Each blade is
made separately, the inner end being cylindrical with a shoulder
or projecting rim on the extreme butt. The inner blade ends are
firmly held in metal sockets attached to the metal hub. Micarta
is not affected by moderate heat or by dampness and is some
what lighter in weight than a wooden propeller.
One of the first forms of metal propellers was made by shaping
a flat piece of aluminum sheet and twisting it near the hub to the
desired pitches while cold, then heat-treating to relieve the
stresses. The hub section was reinforced by clamping a round
block of wood on each side. This type of propeller was a vast
improvement over the wooden one. If a plane equipped with a
wooden propeller nosed over in landing, the propeller invariably
shattered. With a thin metal propeller, the tip might be bent
at right angles in nosing-over without breaking. An airplane has
even been flown with a blade in this shape, but the blade can be
roughly hammered flat to be later sent to the manufacturer for
straightening.
Later one-piece duralumin propellers were made by forging.
Magnesium alloy propellers are now being employed to some ex
tent. Hollow steel propellers that are seamless and have no welds
have been made. They are fabricated by drawing a seamless
steel tube through rollers to taper it. The small end is then spun
closed, and the other end is peined out to form a shoulder which
can be gripped in the hub. After machining to obtain proper
wall thickness, the tapered tube is squeezed into final shape in iron
dies. Since the forming is done while cold, the blades are heat-
treated to relieve stresses.
When a propeller blade whirling at high speed strikes a drop of
rain, the rain drop acts as if it were a solid bullet. A wooden
propeller flown through a rainstorm will be badly pitted. Metal
propellers withstand the action of rain much better. Aluminum
parts are adversely affected by salt air or salt spray unless they
are protected by a special treatment.
The Department of Commerce requires that any new type of

170
PROPELLERS
propeller must pass a whirl test. This consists of 10 hours of
whirling at an overload speed as specified below:
NT = revolutions per minute during test
NT = CA NA NA = r.p.m. in level flight at which propeller
or
will absorb rated horsepower
NG = r.p.m. on ground at which propeller will
absorb rated horsepower
CA and CG = constants from following table
Non-metallic (fixed pitch)Metal (fixed pitch)Variable pitch (any material) .TESTED ON
ELECTRIC METERCA1.05
1.15
1.15CG1.20
1.30
1.30TESTED ON IN
TERNAL, COMBUSTION
ENGINECA1.00
1.10
1.10CG1.20
1.25
1.25
A further requirement of the Department of Commerce is that
propellers should be so designed that they will limit the speed of
the engine at full throttle to 105 per cent of the official rated
engine speed.
N.A.C.A. Reports.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
WEICK, Aircraft Propeller Design.

CHAPTER X
AIRPLANE PERFORMANCE
The performance of an airplane is its ability to do certain things.
Its functioning in respect to some characteristics is difficult to
measure quantitatively, and the stability, maneuverability, and
ease of control can be described in only a general or qualitative
manner. Other features of its behavior in the air which can be
specified quite exactly are termed the performance. The items
usually listed as performance characteristics are maximum and
minimum speed at sea-level and at various altitudes, absolute
ceiling, service ceiling, time to climb to various altitudes, best
climbing speeds, angle of glide, radius of glide, range, and en
durance.
The present state of our knowledge permits the prediction, with
a high degree of accuracy, of the performance of an airplane while
in its design stage. This is especially true if wind-tunnel measure
ments have been made of the drag of the fuselage and landing-
gear assembly.
The stalling speed of an airplane can be found if only the wing
loading and the maximum lift coefficient of the wing section are
known. All other performance characteristics of an airplane
require that data on the engine and further aerodynamic data on
the airplane be known. In studying performance, there are two
primary conditions: first, the power required to move the air
plane through the air; secondly, the power that the engine can
furnish while the airplane is executing that movement.
Horsepower Required at Sea-Level. The total horsepower
required to move the airplane forward through the air is the sum
of the horsepowers required to move the various parts of the air
plane through the air. The parts may be grouped in various
ways.
If a graph is available giving the characteristics of the airfoil
section data for the aspect ratio of the actual wing, it is probably
simpler to find the horsepower needed for the wing and that for
171
172 AIRPLANE PERFORMANCE
the parasite. The sum of these two is the total horsepower re
quired.
It is not common, however, to have at hand characteristic
curves for the proper aspect ratio. Curves for airfoils of infinite
aspect ratio, which usually are obtainable, serve in calculating the
profile drag of the wing. This may be joined with the parasite
drag of the struts, landing gear, and wheels, etc., which like the
profile wing drag does not vary with the angle of attack. The
horsepower required to overcome this combined drag varies only
as the cube of the airspeed. As the parasite drag of the fuselage
and tail surfaces is presumed to change with angle of attack as
well as with the cube of the velocity, the horsepower needed for
this is computed separately. The horsepower to overcome the
induced wing drag is calculated by itself.
Since the increased drag of the fuselage and landing gear with
angle of attack is manifest only at high angles, i.e., low airspeeds,
where ample engine horsepower is available, little error is pro
duced in the final result if these drags are assumed to change not
with angle of attack but only with velocity. Making this assump
tion permits all the parasite resistance to be grouped and simplifies
the computation. This approximation causes very small error
at high speeds but introduces inaccuracy at low speed. Each
method is exemplified in an example.
Example 1. (First method.) Find the horsepower required for a
monoplane weighing 2,000 Ib. and having a Clark Y rectangular wing
36 ft. by 6 ft. The parasite drag has an equivalent flat plate area
of 3.8 sq. ft. Result to be given as plot of horsepower versus velocity.
Solution. From Fig. 17, read off and, as shown in table below,
tabulate CL and CD for various angles of attack from near the zero
lift angle to beyond the burble point.
The velocity is found by using the formula
T 0.00256 g
Vcl
For any particular airplane, V/n~00256 *s consânt throughout the
series of calculations.
HORSEPOWER REQUIRED AT SEA-LEVEL 173
For this airplane:
Wing loading = .^-
. , 2,000
= 9.26 Ib. per sq. ft.
Horsepower required for the wing is determined for each angle of
attack by the formula
HP . D>< V
H.P.â¢* - 375
Cp X 0.00256 X S X V3
375
For any given problem, the term in parenthesis is constant; for this
problem
0.00256 S 0.00256 X 216
375 375
= 0.00147
and H.P.wing = 0.00147 CDV*
For flat plates
For this airplane
0.00327 X a X V3
0.00327 X 3.8 X V8
H.l'.pat. - 375
= 0.0000331 V
A variation of the above method is to make use of the L/ D curve of
Fig. 17. Since in level flight lift is equal to weight:
Weight
Dra* = -
174
TABLE VIII
Columns 2 and 3 obtained from Fig. 17.
Columns 5, 6, and 7 plotted against column 4 in Fig. 56.
Velocity is found as above. Horsepower for the wing is
For this airplane
H.P.wing
2,000
375 >
5.33 X
-LfD
1a-4
-3-210
48
1216
1819
202CL0.07
0.140.215
0.2850.36
0.6450.93
1.191.435
1.5451.560
1.5403CD0.010
.010.012
.014.017
.033.060
.095.139
.164.180
.2064V228
161130
112100
74.962.3
55.250.2
48.148.148.55H.P.rcq.wing174
6138
2926.5
20.321.4
23.625.6
29.529.5
34.56H.P.req.par.392
1387346.733.6
13.98.0
5.54.2
3.73.7
3.77H.P.req.total566
199111
7660
3429
2930
313338
Horsepower required for the parasite is found as above.

HORSEPOWER REQUIRED AT SEA-LEVEL
TABLE IX
1a-4-3-2
-10
48 '12161819
202CL0.07
0.140.215
0.2850.36
0.6450.93
1.191.435
1.5451.560
1.5403L/D7.0
14.017.9
20.421.2
19.5' 15.5
12.510.38.78.6
7.54F228
161130112100
74.962.3
55.250.2
48.148.148.55".P.rcq.wing174
6138
2926.5
20.321.4
23.625.6
29.529.5
34.5
175
Example 2. (Second method.) Find the horsepower required for
a monoplane weighing 2,000 Ib. and having a rectangular wing 43.2
ft. by 5 ft. The parasite assumed to vary with angle of attack, con
sisting of fuselage and tail surface, has an equivalent flat plate area
of 1.6 sq. ft. The parasite not varying with angle of attack, namely,
struts, landing gear, and wheels, etc., has an equivalent flat plate area
of 2.2 sq. ft.
Solution.
43.2
Aspect ratio = -=â
= 8.64
~ i r X 8.64
= 0.0368 CL
From Fig. 17 or Fig. 23, Cimal. = 1.56
K min. â
2,000
0.00256 X 1.56 X 216

176
Equivalent flat plate area of parasite drag varying with angle of
attack, A, = 1.6 sq. ft.
At high speed, CDPI = 216â
..... . ~ 1.6 X 1.28
= 0.00948
tâ .â+////.///ft*///i/^^3/7
Â»4/ '1If/I1:iylf/////i//*&if.//ii
40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240
Miles per Hour
FIG. 56. Horsepower required for various airspeeds. (Example 1.)
Equivalent flat plate area of parasite drag constant with angle of
attack, As = 2.2 sq. ft.
2.2 X 1.28
216
= 0.0130
The velocity being assumed, the corresponding value of CL can be
found by
CL= * .
L 0.00256 X.SK2
2,000
For this problem, CL = 0.00256 X 216 X F
3,640
177
Since the coefficient of parasite drag is expressed as a function of wing
area S, it may be added to the coefficients of induced and profile drag
to give an all-inclusive drag coefficient, CD.
For this problem
H.P.total =
CD X 0.00256 X SV3
375
0.00256 X S X
375
= 0.00147 CDV3
TABLE X
Explanation of Table
1V48
5060
7080
90100
110120
1301402KVUi.1.00
1.041.25
1.461.67
1.872.08
2.292.50
2.712.923CL1.581.451.01
0.740.57
0.450.36
0.300.250.2150.1864CD;0.0920
.0773.0376
.0202.0118
.0074.0048
.0033.0023
.0017.00135CD,0.0446
.0310.0140
.0120.0105
.0100.0100
.0099.0098
.0099.00996F4.0
2.51.3
1.11.0
1.01.0
1.01.0
1.01.07CDPI0.0380
.0237.0123
.0104.0095
.0095.0095
.0095.0095
.0095.00958Cot0.0410
.0367.0253
.0234.0225
.0225.0225
.0225.0225
.0225.02259CD0.1876
.1450.0769
.0556.0448
.0399.0373
.0357.0346
.0341.033710H.P.n*,.30.5
26.724.4
28.033.8
42.854.8
69.987.4
110.5135.8
Column 2 obtained by dividing items in column 1 by Vmia. (â 48).
Column 3 obtained by dividing 3,640 by items in column 1 squared.
Column 4 obtained by multiplying items in column 3 squared by 0.0368.
Column 5 obtained from Fig. 38.
Column 6 obtained from Fig. 41.
Column 7 obtained by multiplying CDpiH.S. (= 0.0095) by items in column 6.
Column 8 obtained by adding Cop, (= 0.0130) to items in column 7.

178
In Fig. 57 velocity (column 1) is plotted against horsepower re
quired (column 10).
14U120
100
80
60
40
9n>.,.'Xy^//////
40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140
Velocity (Miles per hour)
FIG. 57. Horsepower required for various airspeeds. (Example 2.)
Example 3. Find the horsepower required by a biplane weighing
4,225 Ib. The upper span is 38 ft., the lower span is 35 ft., the gap is
5.35 ft. The area of upper wing is 214 sq. ft., the area of lower wing is
150 sq. ft. Both wings are Clark Y airfoils. At high speed, the
parasite has an equivalent flat plate area of 9.4 sq. ft. of which 3.2
sq. ft. varies with angle of attack.
Solution.
From Fig. 40, a = 0.56
150
r=
214
= 0.737
E.M.A.R. =
MGapMean spanb,"6135~38= 0.925.3536.5= 0.146
(0.02)2 (1 + 0.737)2
(0.92)2 + 2 X 0.56 X 0.737 X 0.92 + (0.737)1
1.185
XV
1.185 X 382
" 150 + 214
= 4.7
179
Cm-
it X4.7
0.0677 C
V . â
* mm. â
).00256 Cimai.S
4225
0.00256 X 1.56 X 364
= 54 miles per hour
Equivalent flat plate area of parasite drag varying with angle of at
tack, A, = 3.2 sq. ft.
380
360
340
320
300
2M
,a
.240
220
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150
Velocity I Miles per hour)
Fio. 58. Horsepower required for various airspeeds. (Example 3.)
At high speed,
3.2 X 1.28
364
0.0113
180
Equivalent flat plate area of parasite drag constant with angle of at .
tack, Ae = 6.2 sq. ft.
6.2 X 1.28
CD* - - 364
= 0.0218
If velocity is assumed, corresponding value of CL can be found by
For this problem
For this problem
^L ~ 0.00256 X S X V72
4,225
0.00256 X 364 X
4,550
H.P.req total =
X 0.00256 X S X V9
_ Cp X 0.00256 X 364 X V3
375
= 0.00248 CDF3
TABLE XI
1V54607080901001101201301401502' /' min.1.001.101.301.471.671.852.042.222.402.592.783CL1.561.260.930.710.560.450.370.320.270.2320.2024CD,0.1640.1070.0588.0342.0212.0140.0095.0070.0049.0036.00285CD,0.0446.0200.0135.0120.0105.0100.0100.0099.0098.0099.00996F4.001.721.20.08.00.00.00.00.001.001.007CD*0.0452.0194.0136.0122.0113.0113.0113.0113.0113.0113.01138Cot0.0670.0412.0354.0340.0331.0331.0331.0331.0331.0331.03319CD0.2756.1682.1077.0802.0648.0571.0526.0500.0478.0466.04.5810H.P.req:1049091102117142174214260317384
In Fig. 58, velocity (column 1) is plotted against horsepower required
(column 10).
HORSEPOWER AVAILABLE 181
Horsepower Available. The horsepower available for moving
the airplane is the brake horsepower of the engine multiplied by the
efficiency of the propeller. The propeller is selected for one air
speed, either maximum, cruising, or sometimes best climbing
speed. At any other speed, the propeller will be less efficient;
and because proportionately more torque load is put on the
engine, so that the engine runs slower, less brake horsepower is
developed. This means that, in an airplane flying at less than
design airspeed, the engine will develop less than its rated horse
power even though the throttle is full open.
The first requirement is to select the most suitable propeller.
Propeller choice depends on rated horsepower, speed of the engine,
and design airspeed. Engine speed and power will have to be
furnished in order to make the performance curves, but the maxi
mum airspeed is not known exactly until the horsepower-available
curve is drawn.
Two procedures may be followed. An arbitrary top speed may
be assumed based solely on similarity to existing airplanes of the
airplane for which performance curves are being drawn. On the
basis of this tentative maximum speed, a propeller is chosen,
enabling the horsepower available to be drawn. The completion
of this curve will give a maximum airspeed, which is the top speed
which can be obtained using the chosen propeller. If the top
speed obtained agrees closely with the assumed airspeed, the pro
peller is the correct one to use. If the assumed airspeed is different
from that indicated by the curves, the propeller selected on the
basis of the assumed airspeed is not suited for the engine-airplane
combination, and higher airspeeds will be obtained by substituting
another propeller. The second method of procedure differs only
in that arbitrarily a design efficiency is assumed for the propeller.
Usually 82 per cent efficiency is selected as this is about the highest
efficiency obtainable from propellers. Applying this factor to the
rated brake horsepower gives a tentative thrust horsepower.
The total horsepower required curve is then consulted to find the
velocity at which the horsepower required corresponds to this
thrust horsepower.
The velocity obtained from the horsepower required curve is
assumed to be the design airspeed. With this trial airspeed the
propeller is selected as described above.
With design airspeed and propeller tentatively chosen, the effect

182
of changes in airspeed on engine speed is next found. An exact
method was described in the chapter on propellers, but it is
usually considered sufficiently accurate to make use of the curve
of Fig. 42.
If the engine manufacturer furnishes curves or other information
as to the drop in horsepower with decrease in engine speed, they
should be utilized. Otherwise use should be made of
B.H.P.1
.XX..lr .2
R.P.M.!
R.P.M.2
' ' ' , which is representative of most engines. This gives the
brake horsepower.
At each airspeed there will be a corresponding engine speed, and
these determine the V/(ND) of the propeller. At each value of
V/(ND), the propeller efficiency is found, either from Fig. 47 or
more quickly but less exactly by Fig. 54.
The thrust horsepower or horsepower available is the product of
the propeller efficiency and the brake horsepower. The method is
illustrated by the following example.
Example. For the airplane described in example 1 in this chapter,
an engine rated at 150 hp. at 1,800 r.p.m. is installed. Find the data
for horsepower available versus velocity curve.
100
80
60204(*S";.â. â 'HorseAvaiXB^â *powerableU>^^^X^â"X^^^HUIM
-Req
(T(^*.Xpower)tÂ«li/0 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 14
Fio. 59. Horsepower required and available curves. (Example 1.)
Solution. Assume i\ for propeller as 82 per cent.
First approximation of H.P.avaii. = 150 X 0.82 = 123.
From Fig. 56, 123 hp. is required at 135 miles per hour.
0.638 X M.P.H.
Ci " (H.P.)i/6 X (R.P.M.)2/6
0.038 X 135
150"
1.57
X l.8002/5
HORSEPOWER AVAILABLE
183
From Fig. 51, a propeller is chosen with a blade angle of 23Â° with
V/(ND) of 0.87 (T7 = 82.5 per cent).
D=
N X 0.87
135 X 88
~ 1,800 X 0.87
= 7.59 ft.
TABLE XII
Explanation of Table
1V
m.p.h.50607080901001101201301352%
design
V37.144.551.959.366.774.081.588.996.2100.03%
designN87.087.087.288.089.090.893.097.599.0100.04N
r.p.m.15651565157015831600163316731751178118005Brake
H.P.1311311311321341361391461491506V/ND0.371.445.517.587.653.710.759.795.848.8707%
designV/ND42.651.159.567.575.081.687.291.597.5100.08%
max.152.061.570.579.086.091.895.898.099.5100.09170.430.507.580.651.710.757.790.808.820.82510H.P.
avail.56.366.576.086.095.2103.0109.9118.0122.1123.8
Column 2 is the items of column 1 divided by design speed (135 miles
per hour).
Column 3 is obtained from Fig. 42. (NOTE: A more accurate method is
described in the chapter on propellers.)
Column 4 is the items in column 3 multiplied by design r.p.m. (1,800).
Column 5 is the items in column 3 multiplied by design horsepower
(150) (assuming power varies as engine speed).
Column 6 is the items in column 1 multiplied by 88 and divided by the
corresponding items in column 4 and the diameter (7.59).
Column 7 is the items in column 6 divided by the design V/(ND)
(0.870).
Column 8 is obtained from Fig. 54.
Column 9 is the items in column 8 multiplied by design efficiency (0.825).
Column 10 is the items in column 5 multiplied by corresponding items
in column 9.
Items in column 10 are plotted against corresponding items in column 1
on the same graph as the horsepower-required curve; see Fig. 59. It will
be noted that the horsepower-required curve and horsepower-available
curve intersect at 135 miles per hour. This is, then, the correct maximum
airspeed. If the assumed maximum airspeed, on which the propeller was
picked, differs materially from the maximum airspeed found by the inter
section of the two curves a second set of calculations must be gone through.
It must be borne in mind that if an incorrect assumption was made of maxi
mum airspeed, whether too high or too low, the propeller selected was un-
suited to this airplane engine combination. The maximum airspeed ob
tained by the intersection of the curves is low, since the horsepower-avail
able curve is based on using an improper, poor-performing propeller. With
a more nearly suitable propeller the horsepower-available curve will have
larger ordinates and the intersection with the horsepower available will
show a higher top speed. Allowance should be made for this in a second
assumption of maximum airspeed to select the more suitable propeller.
Maximum Speed at Sea-Level. The maximum speed is found
by the intersection of the curves of horsepower available and
horsepower required. At velocities less than the maximum, the
ordinate of the horsepower-required curve is less than the ordinate
of the horsepower-available curve, which means that more horse
power is available than is needed for level flight so that the engine
may be partially throttled. At velocities greater than the maxi
mum, the ordinate of the horsepower-required curve is larger than
the ordinate of the horsepower-available curve, meaning that more
horsepower is needed at this speed than is available. The air
plane cannot fly at this speed, and if it is placed at the angle of
attack corresponding to this velocity, the thrust horsepower will
not be sufficient to equal the drag at this speed. Since this
velocity cannot be attained in level flight the lift will not equal the
weight, and the airplane will lose altitude.
Velocities for Minimum Fuel Consumption at Sea-Level. It
can be proven quite easily that the minimum horsepower is
required for a wing when flying at the angle of attack where
2 is the minimum. For the entire airplane, minimum
horsepower is required for level flight when 7!~^ is
minimum.
Examining the horsepower-required curve, it will be seen that,
as speed decreases from the maximum, the horsepower decreases
to a minimum value, but if the speed decreases further the horse-

VELOCITIES FOR MINIMUM FUEL CONSUMPTION 185
power increases. The minimum horsepower is found by drawing
a horizontal line tangent to the horsepower-required curve (see
line AB, Fig. 59). The velocity at the point of tangency, which
is the velocity of minimum power, corresponds to the angle of
â ,1.28 a
attack where TTZX is the minimum.
â-s~
LL>
For the Clark Y wing with aspect ratio of 6, it was shown that
the maximum value of C^/Co (or minimum value of CD/Ci3/2)
will occur at 3Â° angle of attack, corresponding to 79.8 miles per
hour. If a curve is plotted having as ordinates, ;
Q S/2
abscissas, angle of attack; the curve will resemble the curve for
the wing alone, but the maximum ordinate will be at a higher
angh of attack. For the airplane whose performance is shown in
Fig. 59, the maximum value of is at 11Â° angle of
CY3//2
â¢ . 1.4O d
attack, corresponding to an airspeed of 56.6 miles per hour.
This velocity is the airspeed for minimum horsepower required,
which means the least fuel consumption in gallons per hour. If a
plane is to make an endurance record for time in the air, the fuel
supply should be used as economically as possible. The airplane
should then be flown so that the wing is at the angle of attack
CY3/2
for maximum 7-^â. In the example of the monoplane
f-i I l.Â«O (I
weighing 2,000 Ib. with Clark Y wing, the pilot should regulate his
throttle and stick so that the airplane maintains level flight at
56.6 miles per hour airspeed as long as the airplane's total weight
is 2,000 Ib. As time elapses, fuel consumed will make the airplane
lighter. Always, during the endurance flight, the pilot will want
to keep his wing at angle of attack of maximum L â
j-t . l.Ô CL
CDH âg-
(11Â° for this Clark Y wing and ratio of parasite to wing area);
but as the airplane's weight decreases, the velocity necessary for
level flight at this angle of attack will decrease. With less weight,
the horsepower required will be less, so that the pilot can throttle
his engine more. With less throttie-opening, the fuel consump
tion (in gallons per hour) will be diminished, so the hourly decrease
in weight will be less. The pilot should have a precalculated
schedule of best airspeeds to fly at various hours during his flight.
Flying at the angle of maximum - 0 of the wing will
(7,S/2
mean that the least gasoline is consumed per hour, so that an
airplane can stay the longest time in the air on a given supply of
fuel. Flying either faster or slower will involve a greater fuel
consumption per hour. The foregoing is true whether in still
air or in wind. Airspeed, not ground speed, is important.
If the object of the flight is not greatest duration, but to cover
the greatest distance on a given gasoline supply or, what is more
usual, to fly to a destination burning the least possible amount of
fuel, the airplane should be flown faster. To cover a given dis
tance, the gasoline consumption depends not only on the con
sumption per hour but on the total hours required for the flight.
It is therefore advantageous to fly at greater speed, more spe
cifically to fly so the wing is at the angle of attack of maximum
L/Aoui.
Drawing a line tangent to the horsepower-required curve from
the origin (0 miles per hour, 0 hp. ; see line CD, Fig. 59) determines
the speed and horsepower for minimum fuel consumption for a
given distance. The point of tangency will be the point where the
ratio of horsepower to velocity is least. Neglecting any variation
in fuselage drag, the horsepower required is
H.Rreq. = Cfl X a00256 sV- + X 0.00256 SV3
To cover a given distance at a velocity V requires ^â hours.
The gasoline consumption depends on horsepower-hours; therefore
Total consumption = Constant X Distance X ' 'req'
HP
But V2 =
^ (cD X 0.00256 8V- + l.~^ X 0.00256 SV*\
CL X 0.00256 S
VELOCITIES FOR MINIMUM FUEL CONSUMPTION 187
Then
\CD
This has a minimum value when I ^â-â- \ is minimum.
L ^L J
With -L-5â constant, for any airfoil section, there is only one
angle of attack where - -^ - has a minimum value. This
^L
angle of attack will be slightly greater than the angle of attack for
minimum CD/CL, i.e., maximum L/D, but as the parasite area is
made smaller with respect to wing area, the difference between
angle of minimum - ^ - - and angle of minimum .^
becomes less.
*->L Ci
With the Clark Y wing alone; the angle of maximum L/D is 1Â°;
with a Clark Y monoplane and the parasite of the illustrative
example, the angle of maximum L/Aoui is 5Â°, the corresponding
velocity being 71.2 miles per hour. This checks with the point
of tangency of line CD in Fig. 59.
The pilot maintains this speed as long as the weight remains the
2,000 Ib. The angle for best Z//.Dtotai is constant for the airplane,
since the wing area and parasite area are fixed. The speed for
any given angle of attack varies as the square root of the wing
loading. As fuel is consumed, and the airplane is lightened, the
airspeed for least fuel consumption per distance decreases as the
square root of the weights.
The foregoing discussion of most economical airspeed applies to
still air. If a head wind holds back a plane, it will take a longer
time to reach its destination; a tail wind means a quicker trip.
The formula for total fuel consumption must therefore be modified
so that the horsepower-hours contains the expression VG, the
ground speed, for divisor instead of V, the airspeed.

TT
Horsepower-hours = Distance X '
Distance \375i- . i_ l.^Â° a\\ nnosA cT/3VG
Distance \ " r S ) CL V CL X 0.00256 S
375 VG
The horsepower-hours or total fuel consumption will be a minimum
when .-, ^Â°*^ is minimum or when L Â£ is a maximum.
CD+-^
A chart or table may be made out for a given airplane for vari
ous strength winds and for various angles of the wind to the air
plane's heading. The ground speed, VG, is found by trigonometry.
W is windspeed in miles
(Fc)t = F2 + W2 + 2 VW cos 0 , P61" ho.ur , . , ,
6 is angle of wind from
dead ahead
The desirable changes in airspeed on account of wind are sur
prisingly small. For the illustrative problem with a 10-mile head
wind the optimum angle of attack is 5Â°, for a 10-mile tail wind the
best angle is still 5Â°, so that the airspeed should be maintained as
in still air at 71.2 miles per hour. For a 20-mile head wind the
best angle becomes 4Â°, meaning an airspeed of 75 miles per hour;
for a 20-mile tail wind it is best to fly at 6Â° with an airspeed of 68.1
miles per hour. With a 30-mile head wind an airspeed of 85.4
miles per hour is best; with a 30-mile tail wind an airspeed of 68
miles per hour is best.
Problems
1. For the monoplane of Clark Y wing, 36 ft. by 6 ft., with 3.8 sq.
ft. equivalent flat plate area, what should be the airspeed for mini
mum horsepower when fuel has been burned so that total weight is
l,8001b.?
2. For the monoplane of problem 1, weight 1,800 lb., what should
be airspeed in still air to cover a given distance with least possible
expenditure of fuel?
RATE OF CLIMB AT SEA-LEVEL 189
3. For the monoplane of problem 1, weight 1,800 lb., what should
be the airspeed for minimum gas consumption, if there is a 35-mile-
per-hour head wind?
4. What should be airspeed for problem 3 if it is a 35-mile-per-hour
tail wind?
5. What should be airspeed for problem 3 if the weight were only
1,600 lb.?
Rate of Climb at Sea-Level. Examining the curves of horse
power available and required versus velocity as shown in Fig. 59,
it will be seen that for any velocity less than maximum there is
greater horsepower available than is required for level flight. If
level flight is desired, the engine may be throttled so that it is
furnishing only the horsepower required for level flight. If it is
desired to increase the altitude, the engine may be opened to full
throttle when it will give the thrust horsepower shown on the
horsepower-available curve. The extra power, which is the differ
ence in ordinates for horsepower available and horsepower re
quired at any velocity, represents the power available to do the
work of raising the airplane.
Power is ability to do work in unit time. By definition, a horse
power is the power to do 33,000 ft.-lb. of work in 1 min. Then the
rate of climb, in feet per minute, can be found by the formula
R.C. (ft. per min.) = <ILP-*. " H^ X *****>
Excess H.P. X 33,000
Another conception of the conditions in climb is shown in Fig.
60. The airplane in the sketch
is ascending along a path
which makes an angle 8 with
the horizontal. The direction
opposite to the flight path is
the direction of the relative
wind. The wing is at angle
of attack a to the relative
wind. Lift is perpendicular FIG. 60. Forces in climb,
and total drag is parallel to
the relative wind. For convenience, there is assumed to be zero
angle of incidence so that the wing chord is parallel to the pro-

peller axis. For equilibrium, the forces parallel to the flight path
must balance as must the forces perpendicular to the flight path.
Neglecting the small force on the tail which is ordinarily considered
negligible,
T = thrust
T cos a = D + W sin B D = total drag
T sin a + L = W cos 6 W = weight
L = lift
Since a is small, cos a may be considered unity and T sin a may
be neglected; the two equations become
and since 6 is small,
T = D + W sin 6
L = WcosO
T-D
L = W approximately
But Vc = V sin 6
Ve = vertical velocity (miles per hour)
V = velocity along flight path (miles per hour)
Then R.C. (ft. per min.) = ^>â X V X -^
T _ f) r; oofi
Since propeller efficiency .n = ^ . , - = â Â£.r-
.. ... Useful power output
Total power input
Thrust X Velocity
Brake horsepower X 375
TV = ', X B.H.P. X 375
I} - f X B.P.H.
TV
= M.". avail â¢
Referring back to the equation for rate of climb
T â D
R.C. (ft. per min.) = â ^â X V X 88
= (TV - DV) X 88 X 375
375 X W
= (H.P.avaiI. - H.P.req.) X
33,000
W
RATE OF CLIMB AT SEA-LEVEL
191
At every velocity less than maximum there will be a different
rate of climb. For the illustrative problem, this rate of climb is
shown in Fig. 61. It will be seen that, for this particular com
bination of propeller, engine,
and airplane, the maximum
rate of climb is achieved, at
sea-level, of 790 ft. per min.
when the airspeed is 83 miles
per hour.
Climb may be made at any
speed below maximum, but if
the pilot desires the greatest
rate of climb at sea-level, he
should open the throttle wide
and pull back on his stick till
the airspeed indicator reads 83 miles per hour, the best] climbing
speed.
I 800E "^&1| 400
c3l~----z////s/Â»s\\\\> 20 40 60 80 100 120 14Velocity. Miles per hour
FIG. 61. Rate of climb at sea-level.
This rate of climb is for the propeller which was chosen for
maximum efficiency at airspeed of 135 miles per hour. At other
airspeeds the efficiency is much less so that the horsepower avail
able is low.
The propeller instead of being chosen for 135-mile-per-hour
airspeed might have been chosen for best performance at a lesser
Propeller with jj max. at 135 m. p. h .
120r-Propeller with;? max. at 110 m. p h
40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140
FIG. 62. Horsepower available with propellers of differing pitch.
airspeed. In Fig. 62 are shown the available-horsepower curves
for the 150-hp. engine equipped with propeller chosen for design
airspeed of 110 miles per hour and 83 miles per hour. It will be
noted that while the rate of climb is improved, as shown by the
greater excess horsepower, the maximum airspeed is much de
creased.
Angle of Climb at Sea-Level. The rate of climb is another name
for vertical velocity. In Fig. 61 it is shown for the illustrative
example that the greatest rate of climb, 790 ft. per min. or 8.95
miles per hour, is obtained when the airspeed is 83 miles per hour.
The sine of the angle of climb is then 8.95 -=- 83, and the angle of
climb is 6.2Â°. By flying slower, the actual rate of climb will be
less, but the ratio of climb to forward speed may be greater. By
drawing a line from the origin tangent to the rate of climb curve,
line OA in Fig. 61, the point of tangency will give the maximum
angle of climb.
For the airplane in the illustrative example, the point of tan
gency is 66-miles-per-hour airspeed, and 700-ft.-per-min. rate
of climb. This gives an angle of climb of 6.9Â°.
In military maneuvers, rate of climb is very important. While
" dog-fighting," the airplane that can gain altitude on its opponent
will have an advantage even if a wide circle is necessary to attain
this altitude.
In taking-off, an airplane goes straight, and it is the angle of
climb, not the rate of climb, that is the decisive factor in clearing
obstacles. In taking-off from a small field, it is better to fly at the
best angle of climb rather than at the best rate of climb. For the
illustrative example, with wide-open throttle, the stick should be
pulled back until the airspeed indicator reads not 83 but 66 miles
per hour.
On a calm day the angle of climb is as deduced from the graph.
A pilot always takes-off into the wind, so if there is any wind the
actual angle of climb will be greater than that given.
By diving the airplane, greater speed can be attained than in
level flight. If, from a dive, the stick is suddenly pulled back, the
airplane, owing to momentum, retains momentarily some of this
excess speed, so that a climb can be made for a few seconds at a
greater rate and a greater angle than from level flight. This
maneuver is called a zoom.
Gliding Angle at Sea-Level. There is no marked difference in
the meaning of glide and dive. A very steep glide is called a dive.
Ordinarily a glide is considered to be with power partly or com
pletely off. A dive may be either with power on or off, although

GLIDING ANGLE AT SEA-LEVEL
193
usually the word dive by itself means the maneuver with the power
off, and with power on the term power-dive is used.
Gliding angle is the angle below the horizontal of the flight path
when the airplane descends with the engine either completely
throttled or " turning-over " so
slowly that there is no appre
ciable thrust. The forces acting
on the airplane, neglecting a
small force on the tail, are
weight, lift, and total drag.
These forces are shown in Fig.
63. The component of weight
parallel to the flight path is the
force that pulls the airplane
along the flight path. When
FIG. 63. Forces in glide.
the airplane attains a steady speed along the flight path, the
weight multiplied by the sine of the glide angle just equals the
total drag.
The lift is equal and opposite to the component of the weight per
pendicular to the flight path. If the lift is less than W cos 6,
the airplane will " squash " or settle, and the flight path will be
steeper. If the lift is greater than W cos 0, the airplane will not
descend on that angle of glide but will tend to level out, so that the
glide angle will be flatter. For any airplane there will be an angle
of glide associated with each angle of attack determined by the
following equations.
W cos 6 = L
= CL X 0.00256 SF2
V2 = WcosO
' ~ CL X 0.00256 S
and W sin 6 = Aotai
= CD X 0.00256 SF2 + 1.28 a X 0.00256 F2
. 1.28.
Then tan 6 =
X 0.00256 SF2
CD
1.28 a
S
194
A table may be calculated as follows, which is for the illustrative
example of a monoplane with Clark Y wing, 36 ft. by 6 ft., and
parasite of 3.8 sq. ft. E.F.P.A.
TABLE XIII
n-4-3-2-10123456781216CL0.070.140.2150.2850.360.430.500.570.6450.7150.7850.8570.931.191.435CD0.010.010.012.014.017.020.024.028.033.038.045.052.060.095.139CD+1.28aS0.032.032.034.036.039.042.046.050.055.060.067.074.082.117.151tan 80.456.229.158.126.108.098.092.088.085.084.085.086.087.099.105e24.512.99.07.26.25.65.35.04.94.84.94.95.05.66.0cos 90.910.975.988.992.994.995.996.996.996.996.996.996.996.995.994w cos e0.00256 S330035403580360036103615362036203620362036203620362036153610V'47100253001665012620100008400724063505610506046104230389030402520V21715912911210092858075716865625550
In Fig. 64 are plotted angle of glide versus angle of attack and
velocity versus angle of attack, for this example. It is to be
noted that the angle of glide is big for negative angles of attack,
that as angle of attack is increased the angle of glide decreases
until at one angle of attack, in this case 5Â°, the angle of glide is a
minimum of 4.8Â°. Further increase of angle of attack increases
the angle of glide.
In the illustrative example, with a dead engine, the pilot pushes
forward on the stick. The airspeed will increase. When it
reaches 71 miles an hour, the pilot will manipulate the stick to
maintain that speed. The angle of attack will then be 5Â° and the
angle of glide will be the flattest possible, namely, 4.8Â°.
By maintaining the flattest possible glide, the greatest hori
zontal distance can be traveled in descending. The pilot can thus
reach an emergency field and land, even though the field is at a
considerable distance from the spot where his engine quit. The
actual horizontal distance that may be achieved is a function of

GLIDING ANGLE AT SEA-LEVEL
195
the altitude of the airplane when the engine quits. If h is the
original altitude,
Horizontal gliding distance =
tan 6
The minimum gliding angle, as found from a graph similar to
that of Fig. 64, will give the flattest possible glide. It will be
noted that this angle of glide is a function of the lift and drag
-4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Anglt of Attack
FIG. 64. Angles ancfvelocities in glide.
coefficients of the airfoil section and of the ratio of parasite area to
wing area. It is independent of weight. That is, an airplane
will have the same optimum gliding angle whether empty, partly
loaded, or fully loaded.
The velocity plotted in Fig. 64 is velocity along the flight path.
This velocity varies as the square root of the weight. A fully
loaded airplane will therefore glide faster than a partly loaded
plane even though it glides at the same angle. The slowest descent
along the flight path would be at a large angle of attack. The
danger of getting out of control would mean that some angle less
than that of maximum lift should be used.

196
Vertical speed of descent is the sine of the angle of glide multi
plied by the velocity along the flight path.
V, = V sin e
For the illustrative example at the flattest angle of glide, 4.8Â°,
the airspeed is 71 miles per hour. The rate of vertical descent is,
then,
71 X sin 4.8Â° = 71 X 0.084
FIG. 65. Polar diagram of
velocities in dives.
faster.
At a greater angle of attack, the
vertical descent may be slightly
slower; for example, at a 16Â° angle
of attack, while the angle of glide
is 6Â°, the airspeed is only 50 mibs
per hour and the rate of vertical
descent is
50 X sin 6Â° = 50X0.104
Decreasing the angle of attack
below that for minimum gliding
angle will make the angle of glide
increase and the airspeed increase.
At the angle of zero lift, tangent 6
will be infinite, that is, 6 will be
90Â° and the airplane will be in a
vertical dive. For this case, the
weight pulls the airplane down
ward faster and faster, until the
total drag equals the weight, when
the airplane will not go down any
This speed is called the terminal velocity.
terminal â
For the illustrative example
2,000
X 0.00256 S
'terminal =
(0.032) X 0.00256 X 216
338 miles per hour

GLIDE TESTS 197
The data on glides and dives are frequently presented in the form
of a polar diagram, as shown in Fig. 65. The radius is the velocity
to scale of the airplane when gliding or diving in the direction from
the horizontal of the radius.
Problems
1. Plot angle of attack versus angle of glide for an airplane with a
Clark Y wing 36 ft. by 6 ft., having 2 sq. ft. equivalent flat plate
area of parasite.
2. If the airplane in problem 1 above weighs 2,500 lb., what is the
airspeed for flattest gliding angle?
3. What horizontal distance can be traveled if the airplane in
problem 1 glides from 5,000 ft.?
4. If the airplane in problem 1 weighs 3,000 lb., what is the airspeed
for flattest gliding angle?
6. What is the airspeed of the airplane in problem 4 when gliding
down on a 45Â° path?
6. What is the terminal velocity of the airplane in problem 4?
7. Plot a polar diagram of angle of glide and airspeed for an air
plane weighing 2,500 lb. and having a Clark Y wing 36 ft. by 6 ft.
and 5 sq. ft. equivalent flat plate area of parasite.
Glide Tests. After an airplane has actually been constructed,
quite often tests are made to determine the full-scale lift and total
drag coefficients. These determinations are useful for reference
in designing future airplanes. They are also of primary impor
tance if minor changes are being made in streamlining, engine-
cowling, etc.
The airplane is tested in flight and the airspeed in various glides
noted. The angle of glide cannot be measured directly; the rate
of descent is found from a calibrated barograph, or by timing the
readings on an altimeter. The airspeed is held constant in any
one glide. The difficulty encountered in obtaining useful results
from this sort of test is that of eliminating or making proper
allowance for thrust. With the engine throttled, thrust may be
positive, zero, or negative. With the engine stopped, the propel
ler produces additional drag ordinarily absent in flight.
Example. An airplane weighs 4,650 lb. Its wing area is 460 sq.
ft. The wing section is Clark Y, aspect ratio 6. With airspeed in
dicator constant at 118 miles per hour, the airplane glides from
1,000-ft. to 500-ft. altitude in 26 sec. Neglect propeller thrust and
drag. Find equivalent flat plate area of parasite.

Solution.
Vv= 500ft. in 26 sec.
= 19.2 ft. per sec.
13 1
Angle of glide, "
sin-1 0.1 115
6.4Â°
W cos 6
L ~ 0.00256
1 OR ft
4,650 X cos 6.4Â°
~ 0.00256 X 460 X (118)2
= 0.282
CD + ' s = CL tan 6
= 0.282 X 0.112
= 0.0316
From Fig. 17, for Clark Y airfoil, aspect ratio 6, when CL is 0.282,
Cowing is 0.014
CD + ^^ = 0.0316
0.014 + ^=0.0316
a = 6.25 sq. ft.
Problems
1. A monoplane weighs 5,000 Ib. ; its wing area is 400 sq. ft., aspect
ratio of 6, airfoil section U.S.A. 35A. The parasite has an equivalent
flat plate area of 7 sq. ft. Plot a polar diagram of velocity at various
gliding angles.
2. An observation airplane weighs 4,225 Ib., airfoil section Clark Y,
total wing area 365 sq. ft. Equivalent flat plate area of parasite 8.4
sq. ft. Find terminal velocity in a vertical dive. (Since dive is at
zero lift, there is no induced drag correction.)
3. A pursuit airplane weighs 2,932 Ib.; airfoil section Clark Y;
total wing area 264 sq. ft.; equivalent flat plate area of parasite 7.1
sq. ft. Find terminal velocity in a vertical dive.
4. A pursuit airplane weighs 2,548 Ib.; airfoil section Clark Y,
total wing area 247 sq. ft.; equivalent flat plate area of parasite 7.7
sq. ft. Find terminal velocity in a vertical dive.
6. A monoplane with Clark Y airfoil has an aspect ratio of 5.23;
it weighs 3,500 Ib. ; its total wing area is 300 sq. ft. At an airspeed of
125 miles per hour, it glides at an angle of 8Â°. What is equivalent
flat plate area of parasite?

EFFECT OF CHANGING WEIGHT 199
Effect of Changing Weight. By changing weight, wing loading
and power loading are changed.
F="W
CL X 0.00256 S
375H.P.Â«q. = (CD X 0.00256 S + 1.28 X 0.00256 a) V3
(W V/2
C.X0.00256S)
At any one angle of attack, V varies as the square root of the
weight and required horsepower as the cube of the square root of
the weight.
V varies as Wl/2
H.P.req. varies as
If the horsepower-required curve has been found for an airplane
as in Figs. 56, 57, and 58, any point on that curve gives the velocity
for level flight at some one angle of attack (the abscissa) and the
horsepower needed for that same angle of attack (the ordinate).
If weight is added to the airplane, all other dimensions remaining
the same, for each point on the original curve there will be a point
on a new curve with the relations that the abscissas are to each
other as the square root of the relative weights, and the ordinates
are to each other as the three-halves power of the relative weights.
Putting the matter in another way, at the same velocity, for
the same airplane, the lift coefficients must vary directly as the
weights. Therefore, if load is added to an airplane, at any given
speed the airplane must fly at a higher angle of attack. A higher
angle of attack always means a greater drag coefficient throughout
the flying range. An airplane will require more horsepower when
more heavily loaded, since horsepower required at constant speed
depends on drag coefficient, wing and parasite area. This means
that if horsepower curves are drawn for a lightly loaded plane and
the same plane heavily loaded, at any value of velocity, the horse
power needed for the heavier plane will always be greater than for
the lighter airplane, therefore the two curves will never cross.
In detail, if an airplane is loaded more heavily, the landing speed
will be increased. As the maximum lift coefficient and wing area
are the same in both instances, the landing speeds will vary as the
square root of the weights. With same engine and propeller, the
maximum speed will be decreased slightly. The maximum speed

200
is the intersection of the horsepower-required curve and thrust-
horsepower curve, and no exact relation can be expressed for
change in top speed for change in weight.
The excess horsepower at any speed will be decreased with in
creased weight. The rate of climb, being the excess power divided
by the weight, will be decreased with increased weight. The
speed of best climb will be increased as will the speed of maximum
angle of climb.
The flattest gliding angle will be always the same for any ari-
plane regardless of weight. The velocity at any angle of glide,
including terminal velocity, will vary as the square root of the
weight.
Figure 66 shows the effect of adding weight in changing the
horsepower required. With a total weight of 4,500 lb., the horse
power-required curve is tangent to the horsepower-available
MO160
140
120
100
BO
6040
1^â. -S^"_â .H. P. *^..ailabU^^^-^H. P. Required:
W 4500 lb -_-â..r"*^S/W 40
W 30
W 20^/S ,00 lb.
00 Ib..00 lb./?>'.sâ â ^?5ft%//y&//////'0 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 17
Miles per Hour
FIG. 66. Effect of weight on horsepower required.
curve; this is the limiting weight; for this weight, the ceiling is
at sea-level. It is to be noted that, as weight is increased, mini
mum speed is no longer determined by CLâ¢**. but by lower inter
section of horsepower curves.
Example. An airplane weighs 3,000 lb. and has a landing speed
of 50 miles per hour. What is landing speed witli 500 lb. additional
lo&d?
EFFECT OF CHANGE IN WING AREA 201
Solution.
Fmin.
3,000
= 53 miles per hour
Example. An airplane, weighing 3,000 lb., requires the least horse
power to fly level, 40 hp. when flying at 80 miles per hour. If 500 lb.
load are added, what are velocity and power for minimum horsepower
in level flight?
Solution. At same angle of attack
v, - w,
3,000
H.P.
H.P., ~\W,
= 50.4 hp.
Problems
1. An airplane weighs 2,485 lb. Its landing speed is 45 miles per
hour. What is landing speed when 300 lb. extra load are added?
2. An airplane weighs 4,500 lb. Its landing speed is 48 miles per
hour. What is landing speed when 250 lb. of fuel have been burned?
3. An airplane weighing 3,900 lb. uses minimum horsepower for
level flight at an airspeed of 90 miles per hour. What is velocity for
minimum horsepower with 600 lb. of load removed?
4. The Barling Bomber, fully loaded, had a gross weight of 42,500
lb. and a landing speed of 52 miles per hour. What is landing speed
with 3,000 lb. less load?
6. A basic training plane weighing 4,060 lb. has a landing speed of
55 miles per hour. What is landing speed after 250 lb. of fuel have
been burned?
Effect of Change in Wing Area. With constant weight, de
creasing the wing area has the effect of increasing the wing loading.
Airspeed at any angle of attack varies inversely as the square root

202
of the wing area. Horsepower required at any angle of attack
varies inversely as the square root of the area.
V varies as -7=
V8
H.P.r
.teq. vanes asâ7=
For a given velocity, an airplane with a smaller wing area will
have to fly at a larger angle of attack. A larger angle of attack
means a greater drag coefficient, but drag coefficient does not
vary lineally with angle of attack. At high speeds (small angles
of attack) the drag coefficient varies very little with angle of
attack. At slow speeds, the slope of the drag coefficient curve
versus angle of attack is very steep. At constant airspeed, wing
drag varies as drag coefficient multiplied by wing area. At
high speed, since lift coefficient varies lineally with angle of attack,
angle of attack must vary inversely with wing area. At angles
200
180
Horsepower Required.
160
140
;120
j 100
80
60
300 sq. ft. Wing Area .
216 sq. ft Wing Area.
ISO sq. t Wing Area-
40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160
Velocity
FiG. 67. Effect of wing'area on horsepower required.
near the angle of minimum drag, an airplane having the same
weight as another airplane but less wing area will at the same air
speed have to fly at a larger angle of attack. This increased angle
will not mean a proportionate increase in drag coefficient. The
airplane with smaller wing area will have less drag and less horse
power.
EFFECT OF CHANGE IN WING AREA 203
At lower speeds, the increase in drag coefficient with increased
angle of attack is much greater. Near stalling speeds, drag
coefficient varies approximately as the square of the angle of at
tack. An airplane having the same weight as another plane but
a smaller wing will have a greater drag and greater horsepower
required at high angles of attack.
The horsepower curves will therefore cross as shown in Fig.
67. This means that an airplane's top speed can be increased by
clipping the wings, provided that there is ample engine power.
Decreasing wing area increases landing speed.
Decreasing wing area decreases rate of climb and angle of climb.
Decreasing wing area increases the minimum horsepower and
the velocity for minimum horsepower.
Decreasing wing area increases the minimum gliding angle,
decreases the horizontal gliding distance, and increases the ter
minal dive velocity.
All the above effects are assuming that the parasite resistance
remains the same.
Example. An airplane with 300 sq. ft. wing area has a landing
speed of 40 miles per hour. If wing area is reduced to 250 sq. ft.,
what is the landing speed?
Solution.
I?
V,
Fmin. >fS'
'W" Vs
Problems
1. An airplane with 340 sq. ft. of wing area lands at 40 miles per
hour. It is desired to reduce landing speed to 35 miles per hour;
how much area should be added to the wing?
2. A certain airplane with wing area of 400 sq. ft. is flying at angle
of best L/ D, when airspeed is 70 miles per hour. What airspeed
corresponds to angle of best L/D when wings have been clipped to
350 sq. ft.?
3. A certain airplane with 450 sq. ft. of wing area flies with least
horsepower of 40 hp. at an airspeed of 90 miles per hour. After wings
have been clipped to 410 sq. ft., what is least horsepower and what
is corresponding velocity?
hour; what will be landing speed if wings are clipped to 400 sq. ft.?
hour; what will be landing speed if 50 sq. ft. are added to the wing
area?
Effect of Change in Engine. A more powerful engine means a
larger and heavier engine. To consider the effect of increased
power alone, it must be assumed that weight and parasite are
unchanged, that is, any increase in engine weight is offset by a
decrease in payload.
A change in power-available curve makes no change in the
power-required curve. Provided there is no added weight or
added drag, a more powerful engine will not affect the landing
speed, nor will it affect the speed of minimum horsepower required,
minimum gliding angle, or terminal velocity. It will increase
maximum speed, rate of climb at any speed, and angle of climb
at any speed.
When an airplane is at its top speed, it is flying at a low angle
of attack. At small angles of attack the change in CD with change
of angle is quite small, and the change in parasite drag coefficient
is negligible. When an airplane is flying level, the rate of climb
is zero and thrust is equal to total drag.
r, X B.H.P. X 550 = TV
= DV
T; X B.H.F. X 550
, 1.28 i
K, X T? X B.H.P. _u â _550
1.28 a\s
Since most propellers have approximately the same design
efficiency, and assuming the drag coefficients as constant, the
above expression may be reduced to
v_
The maximum airspeed may therefore be said to vary approxi-

POWER LOADING AND WING LOADING 205
mately as the cube root of the engine horsepower, provided that
the change in horsepower is not excessive.
Example. An airplane with a 200-hp. engine has a maximum speed
of 120 miles per hour. If total weight is unchanged, what is maximum
speed with a 250-hp. engine?
Solution.
V J/B.H.P.
I" ' V B.H.P.'
= 129 miles per hour
Problems
1. An airplane with a 200-hp. engine has a maximum speed of 130
miles per hour. If a 165-hp. engine is substituted without change in
total weight, what is maximum speed?
2. An airplane with a 400-hp. engine has a top speed of 150 miles
per hour. Substituting a 500-hp. engine, what is the maximum
speed?
per hour. With total weight unchanged, what horsepower engine is
needed to attain 150 miles per hour top speed?
per hour. With total weight unchanged, what will be maximum speed
with a 350-hp. engine?
per hour. With total weight unchanged, a 250-hp. engine is sub
stituted. What is maximum speed?
Power Loading and Wing Loading. Power loading is total
weight per brake horsepower. Wing loading is the total weight
per square foot of wing area. In the preceding section, the maxi
mum speed was found to be
This may be rewritten as
y _ v . / W/S
TF/B.H.P.
A high wing loading accompanied by a low power loading will
give a high maximum speed. A high wing loading, however,

means a high landing speed. If landing speed is fixed, high speed
depends on w/p, the reciprocal of power loading.
The rate of climb is given by
wr. â. , 33,000 (H.P.a - H.P.rcq.)
R.C. (ft. per min.) = â ~
33,000 r, (B.H.P.) 60 DV
WW
33,000 r, 60 V
~ W/E.R.P. L/D
33,0001, '
HYB.H.P. CL
1.28a
33,000 r, 60 ' S
Cn I
W/B.R.P.
V/1
Vs
The first term contains the reciprocal of the power loading;
the second term, the square root of the wing loading. The rate of
climb depends on the difference between the first and second terms.
For good rate of climb, an airplane should have a small power
loading in order that the first term should be large and a small
wing loading in order that the second term be small.
Therefore a high wing loading helps top speed; a low wing load
ing helps climb. A low power loading helps both top speed and
climb.
Span Loading and Aspect Ratio. The total drag is the force
which is overcome by the propeller thrust. Assuming that fuse
lage, landing gear have been " cleaned up " so that parasite drag
is reduced to a minimum, since the profile drag of most wings is
about the same, the only other way in which drag may be de
creased is by reducing induced drag.
It will be recalled that both parasite and profile drag vary as
the square of the velocity, and the horsepower required to over
come these drags varies as the cube of the velocity. The induced
drag varies inversely as the square of the velocity, and the horse
power inversely as the velocity. The induced drag therefore

SPAN LOADING AND ASPECT RATIO 207
becomes less and less important as airspeed gets higher. The
aspect ratio or span loading is related to the induced drag only.
The profile drag depends on the thickness and camber of the
wing. The wing should be as thin as possible consistent with
structural considerations.
At high speeds parasite drag is responsible for as much as 70
per cent of the total drag. Good streamlining is essential for high
speeds, and it is of paramount importance for racing planes.
At speed less than the maximum, the induced drag becomes more
important, and a small span loading or high aspect ratio becomes
essential. This is true at climbing speeds and, as will be shown in
the next chapter, is partly true for high speeds at high altitude.
CHAPTER XI
PERFORMANCE AT ALTITUDE
Effect of Altitude on Horsepower Required. The performance
of an airplane is affected by the density of the air. Lift, drag, and
horsepower required are all functions of air density. The thrust
and power absorbed by the propeller are functions of air density.
The brake horsepower of an internal-combustion engine depends
on density.
The fundamental equation for lift is
L = CL?SV2
For level flight lift equals weight. The wing area, S, is fixed.
Then if air density (p) decreases, either CL or V or both must
increase. A given airplane flying at a higher altitude must either
fly at a bigger angle of attack or it must fly faster or both.
Flying at the same angle of attack, CL constant:
Po = sea-level mass density
At sea-level: W = CL$8Vf * = air density at altitude C
2 F o = velocity, feet per second,
At altitude a: W = CL-^SVa- ,T . . ,
4, ,. .ar n ?* at7 2 at sea-level
2 Va. = velocity, feet per second,
at altitude a
Then
IV = - Vf
Pa
Pa
Since the density is always greatest at sea-level, V/PO/PO is
always greater than unity, so that, at the same angle of attack, the
velocity at altitude must always be greater than at sea-level.
n(
"\
r L . PO
~B '
S 2 Do = drag in pounds at sea-level
n - 1.28 a\ pa â,. , Da = drag in pounds at altitude a
" ~~)-2 a
208
EFFECT OF ALTITUDE ON HORSEPOWER REQUIRED 209
But
Therefore
y 2 _ EÂ° Vt?
Pa
That is, whatever the altitude, at the same angle of attack, the
drag or thrust required for level flight is the same. While the
density is less, the airspeed must be greater and the product
remains constant.
D0V0
" H.P.req.0 = horsepower required at
sea-level
â H.P.req^ = horsepower required at
altitude a
o/o
Po
Pa
That is, at the same angle of attack, the horsepower varies in
versely as the square root of the density.
The minimum speed, V,, increases with altitude, since
V.- /- "
t/Lmax. n &
W VM = stalling speed at sea-level
r c* v VM = stalling speed at altitude a
' /.max. -n "
The square root of the reciprocal of the densities is tabulated
in Table I. If the power requirements are known for sea-level
conditions, the requirements for any altitude are found by making
use of the factor from Table I. For any point on the total
210
horsepower versus velocity curve for sea-level, a point may be
found, for the same angle of attack, for any altitude by multi-
plying the abscissa by Vpo/p* and the ordinate by Vp0/pa to
give coordinates of the horsepower required versus velocity curve
at the altitude a.
Example. For the airplane described in the first example in the
preceding chapter, find the horsepower-required curves for 10,000-ft.
altitude and 15,000-ft. altitude.
Solution. From Table I:
for a = 10,000 ft.; X/p0/pÂ» = 1.16
for a = 15,000 ft.;
1.26
TABLE XIV
From preceding chapter:
For sea-levela-4-3-2-104812161819V22816113011210074.962.355.250.248.148.1H.P.req.5661991117660342929303133For 10,000-ft.
altitudeV26418715113011687.072.364.058.255.855.8H.P.req.6562311298870393434353638For 15,000-ft.
altitudeV28820316414112694.478.569.563.460.6CO. 6H.P.,*,.7152511409676433737383942
These curves are plotted in Fig. 68. It is to be noted that, since
V and H.P. are always in the same proportion for one angle of attack,
a line drawn from the point 0 velocity, 0 hp., through a point on the
horsepower-required curve for sea-level, if prolonged, will pass through
the point corresponding to that same angle of attack on the horse
power-required curve for all altitudes.
Horsepower Available at Altitude. At altitudes, the brake
horsepower of the engine drops off. The variation in brake
horsepower is approximately as the 1.3 power of the density.

HORSEPOWER AVAILABLE AT ALTITUDE
211
Owing to the decrease in density, the propeller tends to turn
over faster; but since the engine power drops faster than the
density, the propeller will actually run slower.
200
H P. Required at S. L
H. P. Required at 10,000 fl
H. P. Required at 15,000 ft..^
80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160
Velocity, Miles per Hour
FIG. 68. Performance at altitude.
A quick way to find the horsepower available at altitude is as
follows. In Fig. 55 is shown the decrease in revolutions per min
ute with altitude at the same airspeed as at sea-level. Since for
most engines the brake horsepower varies directly with revolutions
per minute, the same factor which is used in reducing the revolu
tions per minute can be used in reducing the brake horsepower.
That is, on account of the fewer revolutions per minute less power
will be developed. In addition, owing to the reduced density of
air entering the carburetor, etc., the engine will develop less power
even if running at the same revolutions per minute. This cor
rection factor is found in Fig. 43.
Because the propeller is turning over at a different speed, its
V/(ND) for various airspeeds will be different from the V/(ND)
for those airspeeds at sea-level. The propeller efficiencies will
consequently differ at altitude from the efficiencies at sea-level
for the same airspeeds.
Example. Find the horsepower available at 10,000-ft. and 15,000-ft.
altitude for the 150-hp. engine used on the monoplane of the first
illustrative example in the preceding chapter.

212
TABLE XV
CALCULATIONS FOR 10,000-FT. ALTITUDE
CALCULATIONS FOR 15,000-rr. ALTITUDE
Sea-level(1)F5060708090'100110120130135(2)N156515651570'15831 6001633167317511781180010,000 ft.(3)N1522152215301 540155015901630170517351755(4) .B.H.P128128128129130132135142145146Sea-level(5)B.H.P87878787888991969899(6)V/ND0.381.456.530.602.670.728.778.815.870.89010,000 ft.(7)design
V/ND43.852.561.069.277.083.889.593.7100.0102.2(8)design
eff.53.362.872.080.588.094.097.099.0100.0100.0(9)eff.44.051.859.566.572.577.580.081.682.582.5(10)â~38.245.151.858.063.869.072.878.581.081.7
Sea-level(1)V5060708090100110120130135(2)N15651565157015831600163316731 7511781180015,000 ft.(3)N4904904955105255551 590167017001715(4)B.H.P124124125126127130133139142143Sea-level(5)B.H.P67676768687071757677(6)V/ND0.390.468.542.616.685.745.797.835.890.91415,000 ft.(7)%
design
V/ND45.053.862.371.078.785.591.596.0102.2105.0(8)%
design
eff.55.064.073.582.389.394.598.099.5100 099.0(Â»)%
eff.45.452.860.668.073.778.080.982.182.581.7(10)HP.avÂ»a.30.435.440.646.250.154.657.561.662.862.8
MINIMUM HORSEPOWER AT ALTITUDE 213
Explanation
Columns 1 and 2, V and N from sea-level calculations, last chapter.
Column 3, items in column 2 multiplied by altitude factor from Fig. 55:
0.975 for 10,000-ft. altitude; 0.952 for 15,000-ft. altitude.
Column 4, 150 multiplied by ratio of items in column 3 to 1,800 r.p.m.
Column 5, items in column 4 multiplied by altitude factor from Fig. 43:
0.676 for 10,000-ft. altitude, 0.537 for 15,000-ft. altitude.
Column 7, design V/(ND) (= 0.870), divided by items in column 6.
Column 8, from Fig. 54, using items in column 7 as entrants.
Column 9, items in column 8 multiplied by design efficiency (82.5 per
cent).
Column 10, items in column 5 multiplied by items in column 9.
Maximum Speed at Altitude. The maximum speed at any
altitude is found by the intersection of the total horsepower re
quired at that altitude with the total horsepower available at that
altitude. It is quite possible with propeller designed for altitude
work, or other special conditions, that the maximum speed may
be slightly higher at moderate altitudes than at sea-level. Ordi
narily the maximum speed is less at altitude than at the
ground.
Minimum Speed at Altitude. The stalling speed increases with
altitude, that is, an airplane must fly faster to keep from stalling.
The stalling speed or minimum speed at any altitude is to the
minimum speed at sea-level as the reciprocal of the square root
of the relative density.
The ordinary pitot static airspeed indicator measures impact
pressure. The scale of the airspeed indicator gives the airspeed
corresponding to the impact pressure at the ground of that air
speed. At altitude, the impact pressure will be less for any aiF-
speed than the pressure for that airspeed at sea-level so that the
airspeed indicator will read low. The indicated airspeed at
altitude will be the true airspeed multiplied by the square root of
the relative density.
This " error " of the airspeed indicator is rather fortunate from
a pilot's viewpoint. The minimum speed at sea-level being known,
whenever the airspeed indicator reads that airspeed, the airplane
is flying at minimum velocity. At altitude, the airplane is flying
faster than the airspeed indicator shows but it is necessary for the
airplane to fly faster to keep from stalling.
Minimum Horsepower at Altitude. For any given airplane,
there is one angle of attack at which Ci3/2/CDtotai is maximum, and it

214
is at this angle of attack that the least horsepower will be required
to maintain level flight. At any altitude, this angle of attack for
minimum horsepower will be the same, but the velocity correspond
ing to this angle of attack will be greater at higher altitudes.
The velocity will be to the velocity at sea-level for minimum horse
power as the reciprocal of the relative density.
It is also true that the angle of attack for maximum L/D will be
the same at all altitudes, but at higher altitudes greater velocity
must be maintained for this same angle of attack.
As described for stalling speeds, the readings of the airspeed
indicator will be the same at all altitudes when the airplane is
flying at the angle of attack of minimum horsepower required.
The airspeed indicator has the same reading at all altitudes when
the airplane is flying at the angle of attack of maximum L/D.
Rate of Climb at Altitude. The ability to climb is determined
by the excess of the horsepower available at any speed to the
horsepower required at that speed. At altitudes above sea-level,
the ordinates of the total horsepower-required curve become
greater and the ordinates of the horsepower-available curve
become less. The difference between these ordinates at the same
speed represents the power for climbing.
aoo.
, 700
600
500
". 400
& 300
200
100-
5000
10000
Absolute Ceiling.
Service Ceiling. , I Xi
Altitude
15000
Fio. 69. Variation of rate of climb with altitude.
The greatest difference in ordinates gives the maximum climb
ing power at that altitude. As the altitude is increased, the
power decreases. The airspeed for maximum climb is in all cases
very close to the airspeed for minimum horsepower required, that
is, the angle of attack for best climb is almost the same as the
ABSOLUTE. AND SERVICE CEILINGS 215.
angle of maximum CL^/Cfltoui. Therefore with increasing alti
tude the speed for maximum climb increases.
If the maximum rate of climb is plotted against altitude as in
Fig. 69, it will be seen that the resulting curve is practically a
straight line. Actually the slope of the rate of climb curve varies
lineally with altitude.
It is customary to assume that the rate of climb varies lineally
with altitude.
Absolute and Service Ceilings. If the rate-of-climb versus
altitude curve is continued to intersect the base line, this inter
section marks the absolute ceiling or altitude where the rate of
climb is zero. This is the highest altitude that it is possible for
the airplane to reach.
At this altitude, the horsepower-available curve is tangent to the
horsepower-required curve. The airplane can be flown at only
one speed. At either greater or less velocity, there will not be
sufficient available horsepower to maintain level flight. This one
velocity of flight will be very close to the best climbing speeds at
altitude near the ceiling.
At the absolute ceiling control is very sluggish. The rate of
climb has been steadily decreasing with altitude, so that as one
climbs very near to the absolute ceiling the rate of climb becomes
infinitesimally small. It will therefore require an infinite time to
reach the absolute ceiling, and no airplane ever reaches there unless
one conceives of an infinite fuel supply.
More practical is the service ceiling which is the altitude where
the rate of climb is 100 ft. per min.
If the rate of climb is assumed to change lineally with altitude
H = absolute ceiling, feet
â _ H[(R.C.)Â« â 100] H, = service ceiling, feet
(R.C.)0 (R.C.)o = rate of climb at sea-level,
feet per minute
Example. For an airplane weighing 4,000 lb., the excess horse
power at sea-level is 60 hp.; at 10,000-ft. altitude there is 17 excess
horsepower. What is service ceiling?
Solution.
60 X 33,000
K'U)o ~ 4,000
= 495 ft. per'min.

216 PERFORMANCE AT ALTITUDE
17 X 33,000
(R.C.),0>ooo = 4j000
= 140 ft. per min.
H - 10,000 _ 140
H "495
495ff - 4,950,000 = 140 H
355 H = 4,950,000
Absolute ceiling = H = 13,970 ft.
*,-13,970 (H)
= 11,150ft.
Problems
(Assume that rate of climb varies lineally with altitude)
1. An airplane weighs 3,500 Ib.; its rate of climb at sea-level is
1,000 ft. per min.; its absolute ceiling is 16,000 ft. What is its
service ceiling?
3. The service ceiling of an airplane is 14,000 ft. Its rate of climb
at sea-level is 950 ft. per min. What is the absolute ceiling?
3. An airplane weighs 2,500 Ib. What is the excess horsepower at
its service ceiling?
4. The absolute ceiling of an airplane is 17,000 ft. The rate of
climb at sea-level is 1,150 ft. per min. What is the rate of climb at
10,000-ft. altitude?
6. The service ceiling of an airplane is 18,000 ft. The rate of climb
at sea-level is 1,000 ft. per min. What is the rate of climb at 10,000-
ft. altitude?
Time to Climb to Altitude. Assuming rate of climb to vary
lineal with altitude, the slope of the rate-of-climb versus altitude
curve is constant, and is equal to â (R.C.)0///. The rate of
climb at any altitude, h, is
R.C.* = (R.C.)Â» -
If rate of climb is expressed in differential form as dh/dt
ft- Hdh
(R.C.)0(# - A)
STRATOSPHERE FLYING 217
t=
Integration gives
Hdh
-h)
= H fÂ° dh t = time to climb to
(R.C.)0 Jh H - h altitude, h, in
(R.C.)o H = absolute ceiling
H . , â , JÂ° minutes
.\og..(H - h)\
H infeet
(R.C.V ^ """ (R.C.)o = rate of climb at
(R.C.)o ^H-h per minute
H . H sea-level, in feet
Example. At sea-level an airplane's rate of climb is 1,000 ft. per
min. Its absolute ceiling is 15,000 ft. How long will it take to climb
to 7,000-ft. altitude?
Solution.
t = 2.303 X ^S X log
15,000 - 7,000
= 9.5 rain.
Problems
1. At sea-level, an airplane weighing 4,000 Ib. has 120 excess horse
power. Its absolute ceiling is 9,000 ft. (a) How long will it take to
climb from sea-level to 5,000 ft.? (6) How long will it take to climb
from sea-level to 6,000-ft. altitude?
2. A Heath monoplane has an absolute ceiling of 12,000ft. Its rate
of climb at sea-level is 450 ft. per min. How long'will it take to climb
from sea-level to 10,000-ft. altitude?
3. A Waco airplane, whose ceiling is 16,000 ft., climbs 1,050 ft. per
min. at sea-level. How long will it require to climb from sea-level
to 10,000 ft.?
4. A Bellanca airplane, whose ceiling is 17,000 ft., climbs 900 ft.
per min. at sea-level. How long will it require to climb from sea-level
to 12,000 ft.?
6. A Douglas airliner has a ceiling of 22,000 ft. It climbs 1,100 ft.
per min. at sea-level. How much time will it take to climb from
10,000- to 15,000-ft. altitude?
Stratosphere Flying. An airplane which flies at a certain speed
at the ground must, at altitude, either fly faster or fly at greater

218 PERFORMANCE AT ALTITUDE
angle of attack; since weight and wing area are constant, either
CL or V must increase to compensate for decrease in density.
If the airplane is flown at the same angle of attack at altitude as
at sea-level, the velocity at altitude must be to the velocity at the
ground inversely as the square root of the relative densities. The
horsepower required at altitude will be to the horsepower required
at the ground in that same ratio, inversely as the square root of
the relative densities.
When flying at ground level (except at angles greater than that of
maximum CL^/CDIOÎ), an increase in velocity means an increase
in horsepower required. At low angles of attack, there is very
little change in CD with angle of attack; therefore the change in
horsepower is very closely as the cube of the velocity.
Therefore if it is desired to increase the speed of flying, one may
either stay at the same altitude and decrease the angle of attack
or climb to a higher altitude. In each case more horsepower will
be required, but in the former the horsepower must be increased
approximately as the cube of the airspeed and in the latter it must
be increased directly as the airspeed.
In Fig. 70 are shown the horsepower-required curves for the
airplane used as example 1 in the preceding chapter, for sea-level;
for 10,000-ft., 15,000-ft., 30,000-ft., 40,000-ft., and 50,000-ft.
altitude. It will be noted that to fly this airplane at 160 miles
per hour at sea-level requires 196 hp.; at 10,000-ft. altitude,
148 hp.; 15,000-ft. altitude, 133 hp.; 30,000-ft. altitude, 94 hp.;
40,000-ft. altitude, 73 hp.; and 50,000-ft. altitude, 74 hp.
Viewed in another aspect, with, say, 100 hp. available, at sea-
level, 124 miles per hour can be flown; at 30,000-ft. altitude, 164
miles per hour; at 50,000-ft. altitude, 210 miles per hour. At
any altitude the least horsepower required is that corresponding
to the angle of attack of maximum Cz.3/2/Cznota]. For the speci
men example this means a speed of 59 miles an hour at sea-level,
but 154 miles per hour at 50,000-ft. altitude. The increase in
speed, 154 -5- 59 or 2.6 times, means an increase of 2.6 times
(74 -5. 29) the horsepower. If 154 miles an hour were flown at
sea-level, it would require 176 hp. or 6 times the horsepower.
Flying at high altitude is conditional on having the sufficient
horsepower available. Unsupercharged engines drop off in
horsepower with altitude. Propellers which are proper for sea-
level density are unsuitable for high altitude. Superchargers can

STRATOSPHERE FLYING
219
provide air at sea-level density at high altitudes; one proposed
German airplane is to be provided with three superchargers, one
40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280
FIG. 70. Horsepower required at high altitude.
which is to be put into service at 25,000 ft.-altitude, a second which
is to be added at 35,000 ft., and the third to be added at 45,000
ft. Variable-pitch propellers will of necessity be used on planes
designed for stratospheric flying.

CHAPTER XII
TURNS
Centrifugal Force. Heretofore the flight of an airplane has
been considered in one direction. If direction is being changed,
centrifugal force while the turn is being accomplished must be
considered. Before the turn starts and immediately after the
turn ceases, centrifugal force is not acting.
Acceleration is the change of velocity. Velocity has not only
magnitude but also direction. Even if magnitude is unchanged
but there is a change in direction of a velocity, that change is
acceleration. That acceleration is always radially inward towards
the center about which the object is circling at that instant.
The force which causes the body to accelerate inward in a turn
is measured by the mass times the acceleration.
In constant circular motion, the acceleration is tfR where Â«
is the angular velocity, or the acceleration is V/R where V is the
linear velocity. The centrifugal force of an airplane in a turn is
equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the accelerating
inward (centripetal) force
C.F. = 5. V = airspeed in feet per second
w V2 ^ = acceleration of gravity in feet per second2
R = radius of turn in feet
Banking. In straight flight, the force of gravity, called weight,
is the only exterior force acting on the plane. It acts vertically
downward, i.e., towards the center of the earth.
In a turn centrifugal force acts also on the airplane, and the
exterior force acting on the airplane is the resultant of centrifugal
force and weight. In turning in a horizontal plane, centrifugal
force is outward, so the resultant will be outward and downward.
Lift must balance this resultant force, so lift must act inward and
upward and must be equal in magnitude to this resultant force.
In turns it is customary to bank or depress the inner wing.
If a flat turn is made, that is, without banking, centrifugal force
will cause the airplane to skid outwards. Except in flying in
220
BANKING
221
formation, this is not especially objectionable but is considered
poor flying technique.
The proper angle of bank depends on the
airspeed and the sharpness of the turn. If
the angle of bank is insufficient the airplane
will skid, that is, move outward. If the
angle of bank is too much, the airplane will
slip, that is, move inward and downward.
Lift must equal in magnitude the resultant
of weight and centrifugal force. If lift is not
as great as this resultant, the airplane will
squash or settle down in the direction of the
resultant force. If lift is greater than the
resultant, the airplane will execute a climbing
turn or spiral.
FIG. 71. Forces in a
banked turn.
From examination of Fig. 71, if 0 is the angle of bank,
C.F.
~w
KYI
gR
.YL
gR
R in feet
It will be noted that the angle of bank /3 is independent of weight.
A big, heavy bomber and a light sport-plane, if they have the
same airspeed, require the same angle of bank for the same radius
of turn. Angle of bank is also independent of wing area, airfoil
section, etc.
If the angle of bank is correct, lift will act in the opposite di
rection to the resultant. The magnitude of the lift force must
equal the magnitude of the resultant force, or
L- W
cos 0
KYI
=gR
R1T1 j3
For any angle greater than zero, the cosine is less than unity;
therefore, if the weight is divided by a number less than 1, the

TURNS
quotient is greater than the weight. For straight, level flight,
lift equals weight. For a turn, lift must be greater than the weight.
The lift may be increased either by increasing the airspeed or by
increasing the angle of attack or both.
In low-powered airplanes or in gliders, it is quite often necessary
to push forward on the stick in order by diving to get the added
velocity for the turn.
Whether the added lift is gained by increasing the airspeed or by
increasing the angle of attack, more power is required in a turn
than, in level flight.
Example. An airplane is flying straight at 150 miles per hour.
Its weight is 6,000 Ib. Its wing area is 200 sq. ft. (A.R.6), and Clark
Y airfoil is used. The parasite has an equivalent flat plate area of
2 sq. ft. (a) What angle of attack is needed? (6) What horsepower
is required? The airplane turns at 150 miles per hour airspeed with a
30Â° angle of bank. (c) What is the centrifugal force? (d) What lift
is needed? (e) What is the proper radius of turn? (/) What angle
of attack is needed? (g) What horsepower is required?
Solution.
f\
6,000
0.00256 X 200 X 1502
= 0.522
From Fig. 17, a = 2.1Â°
(6) From Fig. 17,
CD = 0.025
-.â¢Â»Â»Â«
âV.
= 175 hp.
(c) C.F. = TFtan/S
S ) 375
1.28 X 2\ 0.00256 X 200 X ISO8
= 6,000 X 0.577
= 3,460 Ib.
(d) Lift = -a
cos p
_ 6,000
"0.866
/ 375
= 6,930 Ib.
LIMITING RADIUS 223
(e) tan $ = ^
Â»-'
tan /S
_ (150 X 1.47)2
~ 32.2 X 0.577
= 2,600 ft.
L ~ 0.00256 X 200 X I502
= 0.603
= Lift
From Fig. 17,
a = 3.4Â°
(0) From Fig. 17,
CD = 0.03
HP =(c i 1.28 a \ 0.00256 SF3
,.,..,., . 1.28 X 2\ 0.00256 X 200 X T503
0.030 , 200 ) 375
= 203 hp.
Problems
1. A plane of 2,000 Ib. gross weight is turning at 100 miles per hour
with an angle of bank of 45Â°. (a) What is the centrifugal force?
(6) What is the lift? (c) What should be the radius of turn?
2. An airplane is making a 40Â° banked turn of 800-ft. radius.
What should be the airspeed?
in area (A.R.6) and parasite with equivalent flat plate area of 1.5
sq. ft. What horsepower is required in straight flight at 120 miles
an hour and in a banked turn of a quarter-mile radius at 120 miles
per hour?
4. A racing plane weighing 1,800 Ib. is rounding a pylon at 340
miles per hour. The radius of the turn is 100 ft. What should be
angle of bank, and what is centrifugal force?
6. An airplane weighing 5,000 Ib. has a Clark Y wing of 300 sq. ft.
area (A.R.6) and parasite with equivalent flat plate area of 3.0 sq. ft.
(a) What horsepower is required to fly straight at 100 miles per hour?
(6) What horsepower to make a 35Â° banked turn if the same angle of
attack is maintained in the turn as in the straight flight?
Limiting Radius. In turns more horsepower is required than in
straight flight because more lift is needed, and this greater lift is
224 TURNS
attained by increasing either velocity or angle of attack, both of
which increases drag. Since maximum speed in straight flight
entails using all the available horsepower, it is impossible at
top speed to make a perfect turn, i.e., without slipping or
squashing.
At speeds less than maximum, the excess horsepower can be
used to accomplish turns. This extra horsepower is a fixed
quantity for each airspeed, so that for each airspeed there is a
limit to the horsepower that can be used on turns. The smaller
the radius of turn, the greater horsepower is required; therefore,
if the horsepower available is fixed, there is a definite limit on the
sharpness of the turn.
The horsepower available at any velocity being known, the drag
coefficient may be computed. The angle of attack and lift coeffi
cient are then known. With lift coefficient and velocity known,
the lift may be found. The greatest angle of bank may be then
computed, and from that, the corresponding minimum radius of
turn for a series of different velocities; it will be discovered that
at one airspeed, which is the same airspeed as that for best climb,
the radius of turn is smallest. With the assigned power plant
this will be the sharpest possible turn, though with increased
power a turn of even smaller radius can be made.
Example. Find the minimum radius of turn for an airplane weigh
ing 2,000 lb., having a Clark Y wing 36 ft. by 6 ft. and 3.8 sq. ft.
equivalent flat plate area of parasite and a 150-hp. engine rated at
l,800r.p.m.
Solution. This is the same airplane as in the first illustrative ex
ample in the chapter on airplane performance for which the horse
power-available curve is plotted in Fig. 59.
Calculations are made for various airspeeds of which the following
is a sample.
H,V>P .avail.H.P.
110CD= 110
= 162
= 110,-(o.= 0.03mil
ft.frc++
35!es per hour
per sec.
>m Fig. 59
1.28 a\ 0.00256s )1.28 X2163.8\XS375
0.00256XXV3216 Xn03/ 375

LIMITING RADIUS
225
From Fig. 17,
a = 4.1Â° and CL = 0.65
Lift = CL X 0.00256 SV2
cos /3
= 0.65 X 0.00256 X 216 X UO1
= 4,330 Ib.
Lift
2,000
4,330
= 0.461
j9 = 62Â° 33'
tan/3 = 1.925
F2
tan/3 =-7;
A'
32.2 X 1.925
= 424 ft.
The results of these computations are shown in Fig. 72. The mini
mum permissible radius of turn has its smallest value when the air
speed is 65 miles per hour. ^
At any airspeed, a wider turn
can be made than shown in
Fig. 72, which, since it will re
quire less horsepower, will per
mit throttling the engine.
Loading in Turns. In
straight level flight, the lift
400
300100s^..,^/0 60 70 80 90 100 110 12
Miles per Hour
on an airplane is equal to the Flo 72
total weight of the airplane
plus or minus a small tail
Minimum radius of properly
banked turn.
load. Practically the lift is considered equal to the weight.
This is called unit load, or since the force is equal to the mass of
the airplane multiplied by the normal acceleration due to gravity,
it is called a force of one g (where g is 32.2 ft. per sec.2).
During a turn, the lift must equal the weight divided by the
cosine of the angle of bank, so that the greater the angle of bank,
the greater must be the lift force. The ratio of lift or load during
any maneuver to the unit load is called the load factor. Since
the mass of the airplane does not change, it may be stated that in
a maneuver an airplane is stressed to 3g, 4#, etc., meaning that

226 TURNS
the force or loading is the mass of the plane multiplied by 3g,
etc.
In turns, the load factor is â¢ = 3.
W cos |8
Example. In a 45Â° banked turn, what is the load factor?
Solution.
cos 45Â° ~ 0.7071
= 1.41
Load factor is 1.4 or plane is stressed to lAg.
Problems
1. Airplane is making a turn of j-mile radius at a speed of 150
miles per hour. What is the load factor?
2. Airplane is making a turn of 150-yd. radius at a speed of 180
3. Airplane is making a turn of 100-yd. radius at a speed of 175
4. Airplane is making a turn of 200-ft. radius at a speed of 190
6. Airplane is making a turn of 150-ft. radius at a speed of-200 miles
an hour. What is the load factor?
Loading in Vertical Banks. In a turn wherein the wings are
banked up vertically, lift acts horizontally. At high speeds un
doubtedly some small amount of lift is derived from the sides of
the fuselage, but this cannot be sufficient to sustain the weight
of the airplane, so that sideslip will take place. In a turn of this
character, centrifugal force becomes very great.
In flying into such a turn, no matter if the immediately previous
flying was at high speed and low angle of attack, the airplane
would probably " squash " or settle outward. This movement
would change the angle of attack to a very high angle and the
increasing drag would cut down on the airspeed; an accurate
computation of the loading in a vertical bank becomes exceedingly
complicated. Some idea of the loading may be obtained by the
following considerations.
In a vertical bank, lift acts inward; centrifugal force acts out
ward. Neglecting " squashing," lift should equal centrifugal
force.
L - CSV*
o
LOADING IN VERTICAL BANKS 227
In straight level flight, slowest speed, i.e., stalling speed, is
flown when the angle of attack is that of maximum lift coefficient
and
W = CL^^SV?
Substituting this value in the above equation gives
C. ^K
Then
Ir-ov--
*"L2Â°V
<.. Lmax. o " '
.'i
gR
and ft = â- X
g <^L
The radius of turn will be minimum when CL is equal to
that is, when the angle of attack is that of maximum lift. If,
owing to excessive centrifugal force, the airplane squashes out
ward, the horizontal curve described will be of greater radius
than if the stick is pushed forward somewhat, so that the angle
between the flight path and the wing is the angle of maximum
lift.
This kind of turn is not to be confused with that described in the
previous section; as in a vertical bank, the drag will be excessive
and the speed will decrease during the turn.
Since the minimum radius of turn will be when CL = C^â¢*., the
turning radius will be
The load factor in a vertical bank will be
r txLmax. 5
. 5" '
c, ?
v.'Z.max. o *
It is to be noted that minimum speed varies with altitude, so
at altitude the minimum radius will be greater.

228 TURNS
Example. An airplane, whose stalling speed is 40 miles per hour,
makes a vertically banked turn of minimum radius. The initial
speed entering the turn is 125 miles per hour. What is the radius,
and what is the load factor?
Solution.
Rnaa. â ~~~
V2
(40 X 1.47)2
32.2
Load factor = TTJ
= 107 ft.
y2
= 9.8
Problems
1. A Curtiss pursuit plane whose stalling speed is 58 miles per hour
goes into a vertically banked turn of minimum radius at a speed of 170
miles per hour. What is the radius, and what is the load factor?
2. A Gee-Bee Supersportster whose stalling speed is 91 miles per
hour goes into a vertically banked turn of minimum radius at a speed
of 270 miles per hour. What are the radius and the load factor?
3. A Supermarine racing plane whose landing speed is 107 miles
per hour goes into a vertically banked turn of minimum radius at 409
miles per hour. What are the radius and load factor?
4. An airplane whose stalling speed is 38 miles per hour goes into a
vertically banked turn of minimum radius at 80 miles per hour.
What are the radius and load factor?
6. A Curtiss Condor whose landing speed is 55 miles per hour goes
into a vertically banked turn of minimum radius at 140 miles per hour.
What are the radius and load factor?
Dives. When a plane is flying horizontally and the pilot pushes
the stick forward moving the elevator down, the first action is for
the tail to move up. If the stick movement is fairly quick so that
the tail is thrown up suddenly, momentum carries the airplane
onward in a horizontal path. The relative wind strikes the upper
side of the wing, that is, momentarily there is a negative angle of
attack, with a consequent negative lift. During that instant, mo
mentum takes the place of weight and acting horizontally forward,
with respect to the axis of the plane it acts in a direction which in

DIVES 229
normal flight would be forward and upward. This loading situa
tion is called inverted flight condition since it essentially duplicates
flying upside down. When actually flying upside down, with the
conventional unsymmetrical airfoil, flight must be at a high nega
tive angle of attack with consequent big drag, so that the airspeed
will be comparatively low. The load factors obtained in the in
verted flight condition at the beginning of a dive are much greater
than those obtained in actual inverted flight, so the former load
factors are those used in stress analysis of the airplane structure.
As the airplane goes into the dive the pilot keeps the nose of the
airplane depressed, or else with increased velocity the increased lift
will pull the airplane out of the dive.
In coming out of the dive, the pilot pulls back on the stick which
moves the elevator up tending to throw the tail downward with
respect to the flight path. Momentum tends to make the plane
settle or squash so that momentarily, at least, the airplane is at
high angle of attack while still retaining the high speed attained
in the dive. If V is the velocity when the airplane is pulled out of
the dive into the high angle of attack position, then
but
and
W = CLma.?SV,2
Load factor = ~ =
.Lmai.n
72
The expression for load factor is the same as in a vertical bank,
but an airplane usually goes into a bank from level flight whereas
in a dive the velocity may be much greater than maximum level
flight velocity. Coming out of a dive causes one of the most
severe stresses put on airplanes, and unless care is taken the wings
may be pulled off. By coming out of a dive gradually, the stresses
are much less.

230 TURNS
Problems
1. A Waco plane whose landing speed is 49 miles per hour is pulled
out of a dive at 175 miles per hour. What is the load factor?
2. A Lockheed plane whose landing speed is 64 miles per hour is
pulled out of a dive at 250 miles per hour. What is the load factor?
3. An Aeronca whose landing speed is 36 miles per hour is pulled
out of a 120-mile-per-hour dive. What is the load factor?
4. A Supermarine racer whose stalling speed is 107 miles per
hour is pulled out of a dive at 450 miles per hour. What is the load
factor?
5. A Northrop airplane whose stalling speed is 58 miles per hour is
pulled out of a dive at 220 miles per hour. What is the load factor?
Loops. In looping, a turn is executed in a vertical plane.
Since, at the start of this maneuver, the pilot pulls back on the
stick putting the airplane at a high angle of attack, with big drag
which decreases the airspeed, it is important that the velocity be
high in beginning the loop. Unless there is ample power, the pilot
starts his loop by diving to gain speed.
The loop is rarely a perfect circle, for the airspeed will decrease
as the plane climbs up preparatory to going over on its back, and
after the top of the loop has been passed, the airspeed will increase
again.
The exact load factors in a loop cannot be calculated unless the
exact pattern of the loop is known, but an approximate idea may be
gained if it is assumed that the path of the loop is a vertical circle.
If R is the radius of this circle, Fi the velocity and L\ the lift at
the bottom of the loop, and Vt the velocity and In the lift at the
top of the loop, then
l-_
l-gR"
The work done in bringing the airplane from the bottom of the
loop to the top of the loop is the weight times the vertical distance
or 2RW. In climbing, the energy lost is the difference in kinetic
energy.
LOOPS 231
Therefore
iRg = VS - F2S
Assuming that at the top of the loop the lift is zero, which is
approximately true in most cases,
W F.2
gR
Vf = Rg
Then since Fi2 - F22 =
But
or the load factor is 60.
F,2 - Rg = 4Rg
VS = 5Rg
-gR
= 6W
CHAPTER XIII
THE CONTROL SURFACES
Axes. An airplane may rotate about three axes. The longi
tudinal or fore-and-aft axis is an imaginary line through the center
of gravity of the airplane parallel to the thrust line of the propeller.
It is called the X axis. The lateral axis is an imaginary line
through the center of gravity of the airplane, perpendicular to the
X axis, and horizontal when the airplane is on an even keel. The
lateral axis is called the Y axis. The vertical or Z axis passes
through the center of gravity
perpendicular to the X and Y
axes and is vertical when the
airplane is on even keel; see
Fig. 73.
Rotational Motions of the
Airplane. Rotation about the
X axis is called roll. By tacit
agreement among designers, it
is termed positive roll if, when
Fio. 73. Axek of airplane. â¢wed from th.e rear> the ^
plane rotates in a clockwise
direction. A rising left wing is the beginning of a positive roll.
Rotation about the Y axis is called pitch. If, when viewed from
the left wing tip, the airplane rotates clockwise, it is positive pitch.
Rotations are caused by moments. The moment which causes the
airplane to rotate in a positive pitch is called a stalling moment;
that which causes it to rotate in a negative pitch is called a diving
moment.
Rotation about the Z axis is called turn or yaw. If when viewed
from above the airplane rotates clockwise, it is positive yaw. A
moment tending to cause a right turn is a positive yawing moment;
that tending to cause a left turn is a negative yawing moment.
Angle of Attack of Airplane. Earlier in this book, the angle of
attack of the wing was stated to be the angle between the direction
of the relative wind and the wing chord. The wing chord is not
232
AILERONS 233
usually parallel to the longitudinal axis of the airplane. The
angle of attack of the airplane is the angle between the direction
of the relative wind and the longitudinal axis of the airplane.
The angle between the chord of the wing and the longitudinal
axis of the airplane is the angle of incidence. The angle of inci
dence is therefore the numerical difference between the angle of
attack of the wing and the angle of attack of the airplane. Usu
ally airplanes are so rigged that the angle of incidence is equal to
the angle of maximum L/D of the airfoil section used.
Control Surfaces. It is necessary that means be provided to
cause or stop rotation about any of the three axes, in order either
to maintain the airplane in straight level flight or to execute vari
ous maneuvers. It is universal practice nowadays to make
each control surface movable with respect to a fixed surface.
In the Canard type the horizontal and vertical rudders are in
front of the main wing; in the conventional type, they are at the
rear of the airplane.
The control surfaces for producing or regulating turns are the
vertical tail surfaces. The fixed part is the vertical fin; the movable
part is the rudder. Movement of the rudder is by the feet of
the pilot. Pushing forward with the right foot on the rudder
bar moves the rudder to the right and causes a right turn.
The control surfaces for producing or regulating pitch are the
horizontal tail surfaces. The movable part is the elevator or
" flipper "; the " fixed " part is the stabilizer. Though termed
" fixed," the stabilizer except on small light planes can be ad
justed during flight from the cockpit. Movement of the elevator
is made by means of a control stick or post. Pushing forward on
the stick causes the nose to go down; pulling back on it causes
the nose to rise.
The control surfaces for producing or regulating roll are the aile
rons. They are located at the rear of each wing tip. They are
controlled by the control stick on a small plane and by a wheel
(Deperdessin or " Dep " control) on large planes; moving the
stick to the left makes the left aileron go up and the right aileron
go down, causing negative roll. Moving the stick to the right
causes the left aileron to go down and the right aileron to go up,
producing positive roll.
Ailerons. Earlier attempts at flying were thwarted because
the experimenters did not realize the need for lateral control.
234 THE CONTROL SURFACES
The Wright brothers attained complete control by providing lat
eral control. Their first wings had simply upper surfaces, the
ribs being strips of hard wood which had been steamed and bent
to the proper curvature. Lateral control was effected by warping;
that is, wires connected to the rear corners of the rectangular wings
could be pulled, forcing the wing to be bent to a greater curvature.
Upon release of the wire, the natural springiness of the wooden rib
would cause it to return to its former shape.
Putting a lower surface on the wing precluded warping. The
Wrights then used flat surfaces fastened onto the outer forward
struts of their biplane. To produce a positive roll, the surface at the
left side was tilted so as to slope backward and downward, on the
right side the surface sloped backward and upward. It was direct
impact pressure on these surfaces that caused the wing to move
up or down.
The conventional type of lateral control is the aileron. The
outer rear portion of each wing is movable, the hinged edge being
more or less parallel to the leading edge. In normal flight these
ailerons form part of the wing surface. Rarely they are rigged to
droop slightly to give greater lateral stability.
With both ailerons in normal position, the lift on the left wing
is the same as the lift on the right wing. When an aileron is
moved down, it changes the airfoil section of the outer portion of
the wing to an airfoil section of greater curvature and conse
quently greater lift. Moving an aileron upward changes the air
foil section to one of less curvature or of reverse curvature causing
less lift.
Ailerons are designed so that moving an aileron down on one
side causes the wing on that side to increase in lift by the same
amount that the lift of the other wing is decreased by its aileron
being moved up. Moving the control stick should change, not
the total lift, but merely the proportion carried by each side.
Unfortunately with the simplest ailerons this movement produces
more drag on the side of the " down " aileron than on the side with
the " up " one.
Moving an aileron down not only changes the airfoil to one of
greater camber but also changes the chord so that the angle of
attack is greater.
All control surfaces, whether they be ailerons, elevators, or
rudders, are more effective at high speeds, since the forces acting
AILERONS 235
on the surfaces vary as the square of the air velocity. The
controls are said to be sluggish at low airspeeds. At high speeds
considerable force is required to move a control surface away
from its neutral position. At low airspeeds there is little re
sistance to the movement of a control surface. Even with slight
experience a pilot knows when he is getting up near a stalled
position by the looseness (or ease of movement) of his controls
and by lack of response of the airplane to movements of the control
surfaces.
Ailerons are very ineffective at high angles of attack. Exami
nation of most of the common airfoil sections shows that the
angle of maximum lift is about the same for them all. Then
changing the shape of the airfoil by dropping an aileron will not
increase lift; the change in chord puts the angle of attack beyond
the burble point. The yawing effect of ailerons at high angles of
attack is very pronounced, and it has been facetiously stated that,
" at high angles, ailerons arc good rudders."
To remedy the lack of effectiveness of ailerons for lateral con
trol, slots, spoilers, or floating ailerons may be used.
Slots are primarily devices for giving higher lift, but since at
high angles of attack they direct the airflow so that it follows di
rectly the contour of the wing instead of burbling, slots add to the
effectiveness of the ailerons.
Closed
OpÂ«n
Flo. 74. Spoilers.
Spoilers. Though used very little, spoilers are quite effective
for lateral control at high angles of attack. A spoiler consists
of a long metal strip located on the top of the wing above the front
spar. The strip can be quite narrow (see Fig. 74).
It is hinged at the front edge. In normal flight, this strip lies

flat against the upper surface of the wing. By moving the stick
to one side, the spoiler on the wing on that side stands erect.
The action of the spoiler is to destroy the smooth flow of air over
the wing so that burbling takes place. The lift is consequently
greatly reduced.
The outstanding objection to spoilers is that, unlike ailerons,
their use reduces the total lift. When the spoiler is raised on one
wing, the lift on the other wing remains as before. The reduction
of lift on the wing with the raised spoiler means the same reduction
in the total lift, and the airplane loses altitude. Though im
material at moderate altitudes, this is exceedingly dangerous
close to the ground as a crash might result.
Floating Ailerons. The floating aileron was installed on the
Curtiss Tanager which won the Guggenheim Safety Contest in
1929. The floating aileron is placed outside the tip of each wing.
The aileron is a symmetrical airfoil. Its axis is slightly behind
the leading edge. Weight is added to the leading edge so that
the aileron is balanced statically.
Fio. 75. Floating ailerons.
The ailerons are so rigged that they turn freely up and down
provided that the ailerons on opposite wing tips rotate together.
They will set themselves in the plane of the relative wind, much
as a weather vane points into the wind. The pilot has no control
over this action.
The pilot can displace one aileron with respect to the other.
No matter at what angle the floating ailerons may have adjusted
themselves with respect to the wing chord, the pilot by his con
trol can move one aileron up and the other down by the same angle.
BALANCED CONTROL SURFACES
237
Since the airfoils are symmetrical, and the positive angle on one
side the same as the negative angle on the other, the plus lift equals
the minus lift and the total lift remains the same. In addition, the
drag caused by the up aileron is the same as the drag of the down
one, so that there is no yawing or turning tendency.
Balanced Control Surfaces. Since moving a surface against the
pressure of a high wind requires considerable force, control sur-
Paddle Type
Handley-Page Type
Overhang Type
FIG. 76. Balanced ailerons.
faces are quite often of the balanced type. The axis about which
the control surface rotates is not immediately at the front edge
but back a distance so that a portion of the surface is ahead of the
hinge. As soon as the surface is displaced from its neutral posi
tion, the air strikes the front portion and reduces the effort the
pilot must exert.
Although balanced controls enable the pilot to move large
control surfaces easily, care must always be observed that they are
not too well balanced. A pilot might then with little effort move
238
THE CONTROL SURFACES
the surface quickly to an extreme position, thus changing the
motion of the plane suddenly, which causes high dynamic
loads.
Differential Ailerons. Because the angular movement of an
aileron downward causes more drag than the same angular move
ment upward, ailerons are sometimes rigged so that, when the
stick is moved to one side, the aileron that moves upward has
approximately twice the angular movement of the aileron that
moves downward. This is done so that the drag on each wing tip
shall be the same in order to eliminate yawing moment.
Frise Aileron. Another method of reducing the yawing moment
is by use of the Frise type of aileron. Bearing a resemblance to
the balanced type, the aileron is hinged about 20 per cent of the
chord back from the leading edge and so designed that, when in its
1UT
Down Position ^ UP Position
FIG. 77. Frise aileron.
" down " position, the upper surface of the aileron is a smooth
prolongation of the curved upper surface of the wing. In its
" up " position, the leading edge of the aileron projects below the
continuation of the curved lower surface of the wing, so that addi
tional drag is arbitrarily introduced at this point. When properly
designed, the drag of both ailerons is the same, and there is no
yawing moment.
Sizes of Ailerons. Ailerons are for the production of a rolling
moment. This rolling moment, in foot-pounds, is the difference
in lift between the two wings multiplied by the distance in feet
between the centers of pressure on the two wings. This moment-
arm is a function of the span. The rolling moment is usually
expressed as
HORIZONTAL TAIL SURFACES 239
L, = coefficient of rolling mo
ment, dimensionless (N.B.:
not to be confused with
Rolling moment = LÂ«|<SÂ»726 lift coefficient)
S*, = wing area, square feet
V = airspeed, feet per second
6 = span, feet
In practice, it has been found that the coefficient L, in the
above equation should be at least 0.03 for all angles of attack.
To achieve this rolling moment it has been found that the total
area of the ailerons should be about 10 per cent of the total wing
area; 3 per cent below or above this value is permissible. The
chord of the aileron is usually decided by the position of the rear
spar of the wing, since the aileron hinges cannot be forward of the
rear spar. This means that the aileron chord may be from 20
to 33 per cent of the wing chord. The spans of ailerons are
between 40 and 65 per cent of the semi-spans of the wing.
Horizontal Tail Surfaces. The horizontal tail surface is very
important as with it the airplane is " trimmed " so that with vary
ing loads the plane may be flown at any angle of attack up to the
maximum. It is common to use thin symmetrical or nearly sym
metrical airfoil contours for tail surfaces. The size of the total
horizontal surface and the distance behind the wing will be dis
cussed in the following chapter on stability. The elevator is
usually about 45 per cent of the total area although variations of
plus or minus 10 per cent from this value have worked satisfactorily
in practice. The aspect ratio of the entire tail surface is usually
in the neighborhood of 3.
A large sudden movement of the elevator will cause a violent
maneuver, putting severe strains on the airplane structure. For
this reason, the elevators on commercial airplanes are not usually
permitted to move more than 20Â° above or below their neutral
position. On military planes greater movement is permitted, but
it rarely exceeds 45Â°.
Occasionally an airplane is advertised as incapable of spinning.
Spins usually start from stalls, and it is sometimes true that these
airplanes have insufficient tail area to force them into a stalled
position. This improper amount of tail surface is usually in
dicative of lack of controllability.

The stabilizer or " fixed " part of the horizontal tail surface has
its rear edge fastened to a cross-member; the front edge may be
moved up or down to change the stabilizer setting. Usually a
vertical screw is used to adjust the height of the front of the stabi
lizer; turning the screw feeds the leading edge up or down, an
arrangement being provided so that the screw may be rotated
by a crank or handwheel in the pilot's cockpit. The screw by its
leverage action permits easy adjustment by the pilot while it
resists any changes of setting which might be caused by air forces
acting on the tail.
The rear end of a stabilizer can be braced and thus made quite
rigid, but the front end of an adjustable stabilizer cannot be braced
and is held only at its central part. Even with a very sturdy
structure the outer forward ends are apt to flutter in the slip
stream. There appears to be a tendency at the present time to
make the stabilizer fixed and non-adjustable. Necessary trim of
the airplane longitudinally is attained by the use of tabs or bungees.
A tab is an auxiliary control surface, hinged to the rear edge of
the elevator. When set at a definite angle to the plane of the
elevator by means of a control wheel in the pilot's cockpit, the
tab will remain at that angle with respect to the elevator regard
less of any movement of the elevator. Stability can be attained
by use of tabs in much the same way as with an adjustable stabi
lizer. They have the further advantage that their drag is much
smaller than that of an adjustable stabilizer when the latter is
meeting air at a large angle of attack.
Vertical Tail Surface. The vertical tail surfaces are to aid in
maintaining directional stability and to cause turns. The area
of the fin and rudder combined is usually between 5 and 6 per
cent of the total wing area and between 40 and 45 per cent of the
horizontal tail area. The movable rudder is usually 60 or 70
per cent of the total vertical area. The average maximum per
missible movement of the rudder to either side of the center line
of the airplane is 30Â°.
Effect of Propeller Action. If an ideal propeller could be de
vised, the air, after being acted on by this propeller, would pass
directly to the rear. In practice, however, air is dragged around
slightly with the propeller so that the slipstream has a helical
motion; the rotation is clockwise viewed from the rear. The
vertical tail surfaces receive therefore slightly more pressure on

EFFECT OF PROPELLER ACTION 241
their left than on their right side, this tending to turn the airplane
to the left.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Since
a rotation is imparted to the propeller, the reaction of the propeller
on the engine tends to turn the engine in the opposite direction.
This causes greater pressure on the engine mount on the left side
than the right side. As the flat surface of the wings would offer
great resistance to a rapid rotation of the airplane in the opposite
direction of rotation to that of the propeller, it is quite common to
give more lift to the left wing than to the right wing to oppose
this action. The left wing may be set at a very slightly greater
angle of incidence, or in a biplane by tightening the rigging the
left wing may be warped or twisted to have slightly greater cam
ber. The latter is called " wash in." As a result of giving the
left wing greater lift, the left wing has greater drag tending to
turn the airplane to the left.
This left-turning tendency can be corrected by the pilot's
using a small amount of right rudder, or the vertical fin can be set
at a slight angle to the plane of symmetry.
The slipstream action and torque reaction are of course evident
only when the engine is turning over at normal speed. If the en
gine stops and the airplane is in gliding flight, the slipstream and
torque effects disappear, and if the fin has been offset the pilot
will have to apply left rudder to prevent turning to the right.
It is to be noted that with twin engines, one mounted on each
wing, the torque reaction is doubled, not neutralized.

CHAPTER XIV
STABILITY
Definition of Stability. Stability is the property of a body
which, when the body is disturbed from a condition of equi
librium, causes forces or moments which act to restore it to its
original condition. The greater the disturbance or change from
its equilibrium position, the greater will be the magnitude of the
forces or moments tending to return the body to its original
attitude.
Stability of an airplane means that the airplane tends to re
main at the same attitude with respect to the relative wind. It
does not imply that the airplane is steady or that the airplane does
not wobble with respect to the ground or to a fixed reference point
in space. If the air is rough, the airplane may be constantly
changing its attitude with respect to the ground.
The factors which make for a stable airplane are factors which
preclude maneuverability. For stability, whenever attempt is
made to change the attitude of the plane, forces resist this change.
In maneuvering, these forces oppose any alteration in the flight
path. Racing or pursuit planes should have little or no stability.
A plane is statically in equilibrium, if, when in flight, the sum
of all forces acting in all directions equals zero and the sum of all
moments about any point equals zero. The first part of the fore
going statement may be expressed as: the body is in equilibrium
when the sum of the vertical forces is zero and the sum of the
horizontal forces is zero.
ZF = 0
Zff = 0
2M = 0
If the body is disturbed from its equilibrium position, for
stability there must be a restoring moment, and this moment must
be larger for larger displacements from equilibrium position.
To be statically stable, the airplane must have the character
istic that a restoring moment or force acts in a direction to move
the airplane back to the attitude from which it was disturbed.
In discussing static stability, no thought is given to the magnitude
242
MEAN AERODYNAMIC CHORD
243
of the restoring moment. This moment which acts to return the
airplane to its equilibrium position may cause the airplane to
acquire angular momentum so that it will swing past that position.
Owing to the stability characteristic, another restoring moment
will then act in the opposite direction, so that even with static
stability there may be oscillation.
For dynamic stability, in addition to the requirement for static
stability that there shall be a restoring moment, there is the
further requirement that the moments created shall be of such
character that the amplitudes of any displacement shall be of de
creasing size so that the airplane will cease to oscillate and come
to rest in its equilibrium position. Dynamic instability would
mean that the restoring moment is so strong that each successive
oscillation would have a bigger amplitude; such an action would
mean impossibility of control, and disaster. The calculation of
dynamic stability is an involved process and will not be treated
in this book.
As there are three axes of rotation, so there are three classes of
stabilityâlongitudinal or fore-
and-aft stability, lateral sta
bility, and directional stability.
They are interrelated, as roll
ing may produce turning, and
vice versa.
Mean Aerodynamic Chord.
Any discussion of longitudinal
stability involves a consider
ation of the mean aerodynamic
chord of the wing or wings,
usually abbreviated to M.A.C.
The mean aerodynamic chord
of a wing cellule is the chord
of an imaginary airfoil which
throughout the flight range
will have the same force vectors as those of the wing cellule.
This imaginary airfoil does not need to resemble any known air
foil. When the mean aerodynamic chord is obtained from wind-
tunnel data of tests on a model of the airplane itself its location
and length are definitely known. When such tests have not been
made the following rules apply.
FIG. 78. Mean aerodynamic chord
of tapered wing panel.

244
STABILITY
For a rectangular monoplane wing, the mean aerodynamic chord
is identical with the chord of the wing section.
For a tapered monoplane, the mean aerodynamic chord of each
wing panel passes through the centroid of the plan view of the
wing panel. The leading edge of the M.A.C. is on a line connect
ing the leading edges of the root and tip sections, and the trailing
edge of the M.A.C. is on a line connecting the trailing edges of the
root and tip sections (see Fig. 78), which shows a swept-back,
tapered wing. If d is the perpendicular distance from the root
section to the M.A.C.
h = perpendicular distance root
, _ h(a + 26) section to tip section
3 (a + b) a = length of root chord
ft = length of tip chord
The length of the mean aerodynamic chord is
The distance, m, in a swept-back wing, of,the leading edge of the
M.A.C. to the rear of the leading edge of the root chord, is
s(a + 2b)
3(a + 6)
FIG. 79.
wing with straight center section and
swept-back outer panel.
s = total sweepback
In Fig. 78 is shown a
graphical method of find
ing the M.A.C. of a wing
panel.
For a monoplane with a
straight center section and
swept-back wing panels, .the
M.A.C. of the center section
and the M.A.C. of the outer
Mean aerodynamic chord of paQel &re found separately.
The distance (e) of the M.A.C.
of the entire semi-wing from
the center line of the airplane (see Fig. 79) will be
e=
h' = distance from center line of airplane
to M.A.C. of semi-center-section
h'Se + h"Sp h" = distance from center line of airplane
+ Sf to M.A.C. of wing panel
Sc = total area of center section
Sp = total area of both wing panels

MEAN AERODYNAMIC CHORD 245
The length of the mean aerodynamic chord is
Cp = length of M.A.C. wing
M A P =C | (Ct-Cp)(h"-e) panel
>^ h"-h' Ce = length of M.A.C. center
section
The rearward distance (n) of the leading edge of the M.A.C.
behind the leading edge of the center section is
_ m(e â h') m = distance of L.E. of M.A.C. of wing
h" â h' panel behind L.E. of center section
For a monoplane with dihedral,
the M.A.C. of the center section and
the M.A.C. of the outer panel are
found separately. The distance
(n') (see Fig. 80) by which the
M.A.C. is elevated is
- h" - h'
m' is distance that M.A.C. of wing with dihedral.
of outer panel is raised
For biplanes, the M.A.C. 's for the upper and lower wings are
found separately. The length of the M.A.C. of the biplane is
. â _
Su = area upper wing
Si = area lower wing
eCySu + CI.SL Cu = M.A.C. upper wing
eSu + SL CL = M.A.C. lower wing
e = relative efficiency of upper
wing (see Fig. 82)
The relative loading e of the upper wing as given in Fig. 82 is
only approximate but may be used for all angles of attack. For
accurate work N.A.C.A. report 458 should be used.
The vertical distance of the leading edge of the M.A.C. of the
biplane above the leading edge of the M.A.C. of the lower wing is
g, where
246
STABILITY
The horizontal distance of the leading edge of the M.A.C. of the
biplane ahead of the leading edge of the lower M.A.C. is s', where
s = horizontal distance between upper
(? and lower leading edges
of biplane.
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30
Stagger in Degrees
FIG. 82. Relative wing-loading
in a biplane.
Problems
1. A certain monoplane had a rectangular wing with 5-ft. chord and
32-ft. span, the maximum forward position of the center of pressure
being at 30 per cent of the chord from the leading edge. It was found
that the center of gravity of the airplane was to the rear of the maxi
mum forward position of the center of pressure. To remedy this
situation, it was proposed to leave unchanged the center section of
the wing, the width of which was 4 ft., while the outer portions of the
wing were to remain parallelograms of the same area but were to be
given a sweepback of 2 ft. at each tip. (a) Find distance from
longitudinal center line of airplane to M.A.C. of the altered wing.
(b) Find distance that leading edge of M.A.C. has been moved back.
(c) Find distance that maximum forward position of the C.P. of the
M.A.C. of the wing has been moved back.
2. Solve problem 1 when sweepback at each tip is 1 ft., wing area
being the same.
3. Solve problem 1 when trailing edge is left perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis of the airplane while leading edge is given a sweep-
back beginning at the center so that the sweepback at each tip is 2 ft.,
the span being lengthened so that the wing area remains unchanged.
4. Solve problem 3 when sweepback at each tip is 1 ft., the span
being of such a length that the wing area remains unchanged.

LONGITUDINAL BALANCE 247
6, Solve problem 1 when the center section of 4-ft. width remains
unchanged, the trailing edge remains perpendicular to the longitudinal
axis of the airplane, the leading edge outside of the center section is
given a sweepback so that the sweepback at each tip is 2 ft., the length
of the span being such that the wing area remains unchanged.
6. Solve problem 5 when the sweepback at each tip is 1 ft., the span
being of such a length that the wing area remains unchanged.
7. The center of gravity of a monoplane with rectangular wing of
4-ft. chord and 30-ft. span was not far enough below the wing. The
proposed remedy was to leave unchanged the center section, the width
of which was 4 ft., while the outer portions of the wing were given a
dihedral of 2 ft. at each tip. (a) Find the horizontal distance from
longitudinal center line of airplane to M.A.C. of altered wing. (6)
Find the distance that M.A.C. of the wing has been moved up.
8. Solve problem 7 when the dihedral at each tip is 1 ft.
9. Solve problem 7 when the center section of the wing is left un
changed, the outer portions being given a dihedral of 2 ft. at each tip,
the leading edge outside of the center section being given a sweepback
of 2 ft., while the trailing edge remains perpendicular to the longi
tudinal axis of the airplane, the span being of such a length that the
wing area remains unchanged.
10. Solve problem 9 when the dihedral at each tip is 1 ft. and the
sweepback at each tip is also 1 ft., the span being of such a length that
the wing area remains unchanged.
Longitudinal Balance. By using the convention of a mean aero
dynamic chord, the forces resulting from biplane wings or from a
monoplane wing having taper, dihedral, or sweepback can be con
sidered as the forces acting on a rectangular monoplane wing.
In the following discussion, though a simple wing will be alluded
to, it may be considered as the (imaginary) rectangular monoplane
wing whose chord is the M.A.C. of the actual wing or wings.
In level flight, the forces which must be considered are the
weight, acting downward; the propeller thrust, acting forward;
the lift, acting upward; the total drag, acting backward; and the
tail load, which may be either upward or downward.
In the conventional high-wing monoplane shown in Fig. 83,
the thrust and drag both act to produce stalling or positive pitch
ing moment. The lift must then produce a negative or diving
moment. The moment of the tail load must be such as to be equal
in magnitude to the difference of the plus and minus moments
and of the same sign as the smaller. In order to ensure that the
248
STABILITY
lift always produces a diving moment, the center of gravity must
be ahead of the most forward position of the center of pressure of
the airplane. At high angles of attack, for some airfoils the center
of pressure moves forward to a position 25 per cent of the chord
back of the leading edge, so that the center of gravity must be in
front of that. The tail is a symmetrical airfoil with constant
center of pressure position.
Fio. 83. Forces on an airplane in flight.
In Fig. 83, the distance of the center of gravity above ths
thrust line is a, its distance below the line of action of the total
drag is b, its distance ahead of the line of action of lift is e, and the
distance from the center of gravity to the center of pressure of the
tail is d. Then,
T X a + Dxb - LXeÂ± Tail load X d = 0
Example. A monoplane, weighing 3,000 lb., having rectangular
Clark Y wing of 48-ft. span and 8-ft. chord and 5$ sq. ft. of equivalent
flat plate area, is flying at 100 miles per hour. The center of gravity
of the airplane is 20 in. back of the leading edge of the wing, 12 in.
above the thrust line, and 8 in. below line of action.of total drag.
It is 25 ft. from the center of gravity of the airplane to the center
of pressure of the tail. What should be the tail load?
Solution.
0.00256 S V2 3,000
0.00256 X 384 X 100'
= 0.306
TAIL ANGLE 249
From Fig. 17 when CL = 0.306, CD = 0.015
CD + ^ 0.00256 X ,SF2
0.015 + '3' 0.00256 X 384 X 100
= 322 Ib.
Since 2 H = 0, Drag = Thrust
From Fig. 17, when CL = 0.306, C.P. is at 46 per cent of chord,
that is, 0.46 X 96 in. = 44 in. back of leading edge.
Moment arm of lift force = e = 44 in. â 20 in. = 24 in.
T Xa+ D Xb - L X e Â± Tail load X 25 X 12 = 0
_ .. . . 72,000 - 6,440
Tail load = - 30^
= 218 Ib.
Tail load must act to give positive moment, i.e., must be down.
Assumptions for Balance Computations. It is desirable to
make measurements of pitching moments in the wind tunnel using
a model of the airplane built exactly to scale. It is impracticable
to have the propeller turning over in the miniature airplane, so
that the airspeed is the same over the tail as over the wings. This
K the condition of gliding flight. When engine failure occurs it
should be possible to keep the airplane in balance, and if there is
sufficient tail surface to balance under this condition, there will
be ample surface for balancing under ordinary flight conditions.
In computing stability, because of the difficulty of predicting
where the resultant of all the drag forces will be acting it is custom
ary to neglect this moment also. Making the tail moment of such
size as to be able to balance the lift moment is in the nature of a
safety factor, for using this as criterion the designer will know
that there will be sufficient horizontal tail area.
Tail Angle. Even if the adjustable stabilizer is set parallel to
the wing, the angle of attack of the tail will not be the same as the
angle of attack of the main wing because of down wash. The
air flowing around the wing is given a downward velocity. As the
air moves backward towards the tail this downward deflection
becomes less. The direction of the air is different at different
points above and below the plane of the wing.
The tail is usually located about three chord lengths back of
the wing, but there is considerable variation in different airplanes.

250 STABILITY
In seaplanes, the horizontal tail surfaces are high above the plane
of the wing. Several elaborate formulas have been devised giving
the angle of downwash as a function of the distance back of the
wing and of the distance above or below the wing. For very
accurate work, these should be investigated and the most desirable
one applied.
The Army assumes that the angle of downwash at the tail is
one-half the angle of attack of the wing measured from the angle
of zero lift. This appears to be a good representative value of
downwash.
It should be borne in mind that the angle of downwash is the
angle between the relative direction of the undisturbed air in front
of the wing and the direction of the air after it has passed the wing.
The angle of attack at the tail surface is called the tail angle. The
tail angle will depend on the stabilizer setting as well as the angle
of downwash, which in turn depends on the angle of attack of the
wing.
Example. What is the tail angle when stabilizer is set at +10Â°
to chord of main wing, if angle of attack of airplane is +5Â°, angle of
incidence is +1^Â°, and downwash is â4Â°?
Solution. (Assume relative wind as horizontal.)
Angle of attack of wing = 5Â° + lÂ£Â° = 6^Â°
Angle of tail with horizontal = 6^ + 10 = 16^Â°
Angle of tail with downwashed air = 16$ â 4 = +12$Â°
Example. Airplane has a Clark Y wing, aspect ratio 6, set at +ljÂ°
incidence. Airplane is at +2Â° angle of attack. Stabilizer set at
â 5Â° to chord of wing. What is tail angle?
Solution.
Angle of attack of wing = 2Â° + l^Â° = 3$Â°
Same measured from angle of zero lift = 8jÂ°
Angle of downwash 8^Â° X 5 = 4jÂ°
Angle of tail with horizontal = 3j0 â 5Â° = â 13Â°
Angle of tail with downwashed air â l.JÂ° â 4j = â5|Â°
Problems
1. Airplane has a GSttingen 398 wing, aspect ratio 6, set at +JÂ°
incidence. Angle of attack of airplane is +5Â°. What is tail angle
(a) if stabilizer is set at â10Â° to wing chord? (b) if stabilizer is set
at +10Â° to wing chord?

TAIL ANGLE 251
2. Airplane has a C-80 wing, aspect ratio 6, set at +3Â° incidence.
Angle of attack of airplane is â 1Â°. What is tail angle (a) if stabilizer
is parallel to main wing chord? (6) if set at â10Â° to wing?
3. Airplane has a Clark Y wing, aspect ratio of 6, with Ij0 in
cidence. Airplane is at â4Â° angle of attack. What is tail angle if
stabilizer is set at 5Â° to wing?
4. Airplane has an M-6 wing, aspect ratio of 6, with 0Â° incidence.
Airplane is at 8Â° angle of attack. What is tail angle if stabilizer is
set at -10Â° to wing?
5. Airplane has a Gottingen 398 wing, aspect ratio of 6 with 1Â°
incidence. Airplane is at â4Â° angle of attack. What is tail angle if
stabilizer is set at â 5Â° to wing?
When the angle of attack is not given but the lift coefficient is
known, for the part of the lift coefficient against angle of attack
curve which is straight, the slope is constant. Assuming that this
slope is 0.0718, which is approximately true for all airfoils having
an aspect ratio of 6, then
CL
azj- 0.0718
If the wing, fictitious or actual, does not have an aspect ratio of
6, the angle of attack used in calculating downwash needs to be
corrected. From Chapter V
aZ.L. = angle of attack measured from zero lift
chord for aspect ratio of 6
Â«'Z.L. = pr^. a'/..L. = angle of attack measured from zero lift
A R' chord for aspect ratio of problem
FAX. â aspect ratio factor from Fig. 39
Then angle of downwash,
e = XZ.L.
2 X 0.0718 X FA.R.
Example. Airplane, weighing 2,000 Ib. has 250 sq. ft. of wing area,
aspect ratio of 8, and is flying at 100 miles per hour. Angle of attack
of wing is +7Â°. Stabilizer set at â10Â° to wing chord. What is tail
angle?
CL = 0.00256 SV2
~ 0.00256 X 250 X 1002
= 0.314
= 2,000
252 STABILITY
From Fig. 39, for aspect ratio of 8, FA.R. = 1.06
CL
* ~ 2 X 0.0718 X FA.R.
0.314
~ 2 X 0.0718 X 1.06
= 2.08Â°
Angle of tail with horizontal = +7 - 10Â° = -3Â°
Angle of tail with downwashed air = â3 â 2.1 = â5.1Â°
Problems
1. Airplane, weighing 4,000 lb., has 300 sq. ft. of wing area, aspect
ratio of 9, and is flying at 125 miles per hour. Angle of attack of air
plane is +2Â°. Angle of incidence is 1Â°. Stabilizer is set at +5Â°.
What is tail angle?
2. A Lockheed airplane, weighing 4,900 lb., has 293 sq. ft. of wing
area, aspect ratio is 6.24, and it is flying at 150 miles per hour. If
stabilizer is set at â10Â° to wing chord and angle of attack of wing is
+2Â°, what is tail angle?
3. A Fokker monoplane weighing 11,000 lb. has 748 sq. ft. of wing
area with aspect ratio of 9.1, and is flying at 90 miles per hour. If
angle of attack of wing is +4Â° and stabilizer is set at â5Â° to wing
chord, what is tail angle?
4. A Douglas observation plane weighs 4,800 lb., has 376 sq. ft. of
wing area with E.M.A.R. of 5.2, and is flying at 120 miles per hour.
If angle of attack of wings is +5Â° and stabilizer is set at +5Â° to wing
chord, what is tail angle?
6. A training biplane weighs 2,400 lb., has 280 sq. ft. of wing area
with E.M.A.R. of 4.6, and is flying at 85 miles per hour. If angle of
attack of wing is +7Â° and stabilizer is set at â5Â°, what is tail angle?
Tail Moment. To find the moment about the center of gravity
due to the tail load, the lift (either positive or negative) acting on
the tail must be multiplied by the distance from the center of
gravity to the center of pressure of the tail surface. The tail
surface, being usually a symmetrical airfoil, has a constant center
of pressure position.
The lift force on the tail is found in the usual way. The tail
surface is usually of a smaller aspect ratio than 6. To correct for
this, the angle of attack may be corrected for the smaller aspect
ratio, or what is the exact equivalent the tail area may be multi-
TAIL MOMENT 253
plied by the aspect ratio factor, FAS.., to give an effective hori
zontal surface area, <S',.
8', = S,X FM.
The airfoil characteristics of the tail airfoil surface are usually
different from those for the main wing, but the slope of all airfoil
lift curves is approximately the same and equal to 0.0718. If
at is the tail angle measured from the zero lift chord, the lift
coefficient of the tail surface is 0.0718 X a,.
It has been found that the air stream is slowed up by friction
with the fuselage so that the air velocity over the tail surface is less
than the airspeed. It is assumed that the speed at the tail is 90
per cent of the airspeed. Then the velocity squared at the tail is
81 per cent of the airspeed squared.
Example. Find tail moment, when horizontal surface is 40 sq. ft.
in area, span of tail is 11 ft., symmetrical airfoil section stabilizer is
set at â10Â° to main wing. Distance from center of gravity of air
plane to center of pressure of stabilizer is 14 ft. Main wing is Clark
Y, angle of attack of wing is 4Â°, airspeed is 100 miles per hour.
Solution. For Clark Y wing, angle of zero lift is â 5Â°.
4Â° + 5Â°
Downwash angle e = â~
= 4.5Â°
Tail angle = -10.5Â°
Aspect ratio of tail = .TQ.
= 3.07
From Fig. 39, for aspect ratio of 3.07, FA.R. = 0.828
Lift force on tail (down)
= 0.0718 X at X p/2 X St X FA.R.tÂ«i X 0.81 X V2
= 0.0718 X 10.5 X 0.00119 X 40 X 0.828 X 0.81 X I46V72
= 518Ib.
Mi = 518 X 14
= + 7250 ft-lb.
Problems
1. A tail surface, 30 sq. ft. in area, has a span of 11 ft.; its airfoil
section is symmetrical. Stabilizer is set at â5Â° to main wing which is
Clark Y section and is at 2Â° angle of attack. Distance from center of
gravity of airplane to center of pressure of stabilizer is 15 ft. What is
tail moment if airspeed is 120 miles per hour?

254 STABILITY
2. A tail surface 45 sq. ft. in area has a span of 13 ft., and its air
foil section is symmetrical. Stabilizer is set at 0Â° to main wing which
is Clark Y section and is at 1Â° angle of attack. Distance from center
of gravity to center of pressure of stabilizer is 16 ft. What is tail
moment if airspeed is 90 miles per hour?
3. A tail surface 47 sq. ft. in area has a span of 15 ft., and its airfoil
section is symmetrical. Stabilizer is set at â10Â° to main wing which
is Clark Y section and is at 6Â° angle of attack. Distance from center
of gravity of airplane to center of pressure of stabilizer is 17 ft.
What is tail moment if airspeed is 110 miles per hour?
The sum of the moment due to the wing and the moment due to
the tail at various angles of attack is the criterion of the airplane's
longitudinal stability. Not only must it be possible for the air
plane to balance at all normal flying conditions, but for stability,
when the angle of attack is increased there must be a diving mo
ment, and vice versa.
For stability, the slope of the curve of moments plotted against
angle of attack must be negative, so that with larger angle of
attack there must be less positive moment. If the slope of the
moment curve is positive the airplane will be unstable.
Moment Coefficient Curves. It is usual to plot moment coeffi
cients instead of the moments themselves.
The wing moment coefficient, CM,, as shown in Chapter IV, is
such that
c = chord in feet
M = Cjt(-SV2c\ P = distance in percentage of chord back
\ ' from L.E. of point on chord about
and which moment is desired
â _/-Â»/. _ p p N C.P. = center of pressure location in per-
centage of chord back from L.E.
If the center of gravity is on the M.A.C., the above expressions
are exactly right for moment and moment coefficient, when the
distance of the center of gravity backward from the leading edge is
substituted for p. When the center of gravity is above or below
the wing chord, the wing drag will produce a moment, so that it
is necessary to consider the resultant force, instead of merely
lift component, and the moment arm should be the perpendicular
distance from the center of gravity to the vector of the resultant.

MOMENT COEFFICIENT CURVES 255
The resultant force can be computed by
R=
where
CR =
If the simplest case is considered, where the center of gravity is
on the wing chord, the longitudinal moments, neglecting thrust
and drag, will be
+ CrtailStail X fA.R.taa X V^f X d
C,t = -CWwing + 0.0718 X oun X . X FA^M X 0.81 X -
It is quite common to use a tail coefficient, C/, where
Cj = 0.0718 X j*l X FAR uii X 0.81 X -
Substituting in above
Owing C
Cu = â Cowing + C/tCtaU
These moments may be plotted for various angles of attack.
Example. Find and plot wing moment coefficient, tail moment, and
total moment coefficient for the following high-wing monoplane.
The wing is rectangular, Clark Y section, 48-ft. span, 6.5-ft. chord.
Total horizontal tail area is 43 sq. ft. ; span of tail is 12.5 ft. Stabi
lizer is set at â5Â° to main wing. The center of gravity of the airplane
is 30 per cent of the chord back of the leading edge of the M.A.C.
and 25 per cent of the chord below the M.A.C. Distance from center
of gravity to center of pressure of tail is 12 ft.
Solution. Area of main wing = 48 X 6.5 = 312 sq. ft.
Aspect ratio of wing = g-= = 7.39
From Fig. 39, for aspect ratio of 7.39, FA.R. = 1.043
6 (see Fig. 84) = tan~l ^
= 50.2Â°
9Q
Â«Q
25
R (see Fig. 84) = -Q y, = 39.0 per cent M.A.C.

256
STABILITY
.02
.03
at
05
FIG. 84. Moment coefficients about center of gravity.
.CM,
FIG. 85. Moment coefficients versus angle of attack (illustrative example).

MOMENT COEFFICIENT CURVES
TABLE XVI
12 5
Tail aspect ratio = -TQ- = 3.64
From Fig. 39, for A.R. of 3.64, FA.R. = 0.874
Cf = 0.0718 X 3.12 x i Q43 X 0.81 X ^ = 0.0124
4S X 0 S74 12
TABLE XVII
TAIL MOMENT COEFFICIENTS
257
(1)a0481216a0481216(2)9-a50.246.242.238.234.2(3)sin (8â a)0.768.722.672.618.562(9)C.P. COS a0.424.346.313.293.284(10)CL0.360.650.941.191.44(4)Cos (8â a)0.640.692.741.786.827(5)R sin (Sâ a)0.300.282.262.241.220(IDCi(C.P. coSa-R sin (9-a))-0.0447- .0416- .0479- .0619- .0921(6)R cos (8â a)0.250.270.290.307.323(12)CD0.011.017.033.060.139(7)C.P.0.424.347.316.300.296(13)Co(Rcos(e-a)
-C.P. sin a)+0.0027+ .0042+ .0081+ .0147+ .0335(8)C.P. sin a0.0.024.044.062.082(H)Cuw-0.0420- .0374- .0398- .0472- .0586
(1)aA.R.Â«0481216(2)<*ZX.(A.R.Â«)59131721(3). az.L.(A.R.7.Â»)4.798.4212.4616.2820.14(4)â¢2.4436.27.99.6(5)<*/-7.6-5.9-2.7-1.6+0.5(6)Cut+0.0945+ .0734+ .0336+ .0199- .0062

258 STABILITY
As shown by Fig. 85 this gives balance or zero moment at about
7.2Â° angle of attack. This is a stable condition for locked elevator,
i.e., elevator held in same plane with stabilizer; since a greater angle
of attack means a diving moment, at a lesser angle of attack, there is a
stalling moment.
A change of stabilizer setting does not change the wing moment
coefficient, nor does it change slope of tail moment coefficient curve.
The curve of total moment coefficient is moved to right or left, so that
equilibrium is found at a different angle of attack.
Problems
1. Plot moment coefficient curve for airplane in illustrative ex
ample with stabilizer set at â10Â° to wing chord.
2. Plot moment coefficients for an airplane similar to that described
in the illustrative example, except that it is a low-wing monoplane and
the center of gravity is 25 per cent above M.A.C., stabilizer set at
â 5Â° to wing chord.
Free Elevator. This condition is where the pilot releases the
control stick entirely. The elevator being hinged at its forward
edge would tend to sag down from its own weight. The air pass
ing under the stabilizer impinges on the under side of the elevator,
so that the elevator assumes a position where the moment about
its hinge due to its weight just balances the moment due to the air
pressure on the under side.
Lateral Stability. Because the airplane is symmetrical about a
vertical plane through the longitudinal axis, lateral stability does
not present as difficult a problem as does longitudinal stability.
A low center of gravity position as in flying boats is a great aid in
lateral stability.
When flying straight and level, the air will meet the wing (or
wings) on the left side of the airplane at the same angle of attack
as on the right side and therefore there will be the same lift on
one side of the airplane as on the other side. If for any reason the
airplane tips, the wing on the side which is going down will meet
air, so that relative to the wing air not only is coming backward
at the wing (due to the forward motion of the airplane), but also
is coining upward (due to the roll). The relative wind is then not
horizontal but backward and upward, so that temporarily the
descending wing has a greater angle of attack. The other, rising,
wing is meeting air on its upper surface, that is, momentarily the
DIHEDRAL 259
rising wing has a relative wind, which is backward and downward,
- giving a lesser angle of attack. The descending wing has a greater
angle of attack and consequently greater lift; the ascending wing
will have less lift, tending to restore the plane to its original atti
tude. The descending wing will also have more drag, the rising
wing less drag, tending to turn the airplane.
This action is effective only while the airplane is actually rolling.
If an airplane has ceased rolling and is flying level with one wing
low, there is the same angle of attack on both the left and the
right wings and there is no tendency on the part of the airplane to
right itself.
Dihedral. One of the most effective ways of securing lateral
stability is with dihedral. Instead of the wings being straight
across the span, they slope outward and upward from the center.
Dihedral angle is the angle which the wings slope upward from the
horizontal. A small dihedral angle of l$Â° or 2Â° is sufficient to give
ample lateral stability.
When an airplane tips sideways, it will sideslip. If the wings
are tipped up to a vertical position, there will be a great deal of
sideslip; but if the plane is only slightly tilted, there will still be
some amount of slip as the resultant of lift and weight will have a
side component. As soon as any slip takes place, the relative wind,
instead of coming directly in front of the wing, will come from a
direction which is to one side of dead ahead.
With a straight wing, even when the relative wind comes from
the side instead of from dead ahead, the angle of attack will still
be the same on the right wing as the left wing. With dihedral,
if the right wing drops, the plane will slip to the right. The
relative wind is then coming at the airplane from the right of
dead ahead. Owing to the dihedral angle, the right wing will
have a greater and the left wing a smaller angle of attack. This
will give more lift on the low wing and less on the high, tending to
restore the airplane to an even keel.
The first Wright airplane happened to have great inherent
stability so the upper wings were given negative dihedral, called
cathedral, to decrease it. This is never done in modern plane
construction. Too much lateral stability makes a cross-wind
landing extremely difficult.
An explanation sometimes given of the action of dihedral in
aiding lateral stability is that the wing going down has a greater
260
STABILITY
horizontal projected area than the wing going up. As the usual
dihedral angle is 1^Â° or 2Â°, the additional projected area of a wing
dropping from normal to a horizontal position would be (1 â
cos 2Â°) X area or (1 â 0.9994) X area, which would be a very
small part of the area.
Some tapered-wing monoplanes have a straight upper surface,
the decrease in thickness coming entirely on the under surface.
This helps lateral stability, and is known as effective dihedral.
Normal Flight .
8 12 16
,- Flight at or
â¢bow burble
poinl
Angle of Attack
20 24 ?8
FIG. 86. Autorotation.
Autorotation, As explained in a previous paragraph, when an
airplane tips, the descending wing has a greater and the rising wing
a lesser angle of attack. At low or medium angles of attack, a
wing with greater angle of attack has greater lift. The curve of
lift coefficient versus angle of attack is a straight line with a
positive slope to near the stalling angle, where it rounds off to a
maximum. Beyond the angle of maximum lift, the lift coeffi
cient has negative slope.
When an airplane is flying at or near the angle of maximum lift,
if the airplane tips, the descending wing will have a greater angle
of attack than the rising; but since beyond the burble point the
slope of the lift curve is negative, a greater angle of attack will
mean /e.s.s lift. Since the descending wing has the less lift and the
ascending wing has the more lift, the rising wing will rise more and
DIRECTIONAL STABILITY 261
the wing which is going down will go down more. This rotation
will continue indefinitely unless controls are applied to stop the
maneuver. Rotation about the longitudinal axis with wing at
or above the angle of maximum lift is called autorotation.
Autorotation is what takes place in a snap roll. In spinning, the
plane is autorotating while traveling downward in a helical path.
To stop autorotation, the throttle is opened wide and the stick
pushed forward so that the wing is below the burble point.
Directional Stability. Because of the symmetry of the airplane,
usually little difficulty is experienced in achieving stability in yaw
or directional stability. A deep fuselage will aid in directional
stability.
In pursuit planes, which have shallow well-rounded fuselage,
use is often made of sweepback. Sweepback or the sloping of the
wings backward from the center section aids in the following
manner. When an airplane turns to the left, the swept-back right
wing will become more nearly at right angles to the direction of
flight, its effective span will be greater and its drag will increase,
while the drag on the left wing will decrease. A right turn will
show an opposite reaction. In each case, the change in relative
drag of the two wings will be such as to cause the airplane to
return to its original heading.

CHAPTER XV
AUXILIARY LIFT DEVICES
Speed Range. The ratio of maximum velocity to minimum
velocity is called the speed range. With retractable landing gear
and general clean design, racing planes can have a speed range of
3.3; airplanes not so carefully streamlined or those so heavily
loaded that they cannot fly at the angle of attack of minimum
drag will have a smaller speed range. Unless design is very poor,
or the load is exceedingly heavy, the speed range should be at
least 2.5.
The above is based on fixed wings. The landing speed is de
termined by the maximum lift coefficient and the wing loading.
If the maximum lift coefficient can be increased in any way, the
wing area can be decreased without changing the minimum speed.
Fixed Slot. G. Lachmann in Germany and F. Handley-Page in
England appear to have developed the slotted wing at about the
same time. The slot is a narrow opening near the leading edge
and parallel to the span. The small section in front of the slot
may be considered as a miniature airfoil. When the main wing
is at a high angle of attack, the small airfoil in front of the slot
is at a small angle of attack. Whereas with a simple wing burb
ling takes place at 18Â° to 20Â° angle of attack, because air is unable
to change direction so as to follow the upper surface of the wing,
with the slot, the air is given a downward deflection in passing
over the small auxiliary wing section, so that it can follow closely
the upper surface of the main wing.
By using a slot, the maximum lift angle is increased to 28Â° or
30Â°. The slope of the lift curve remains constant, so that the
maximum lift coefficient is increased about 50 per cent by the use
of a slot.
With a fixed slot, at low angles of attack, there being less pressure
on the upper than at the lower end of the slot, air will travel up
ward through it. This will divert the main air stream and cause
burbling so that the drag at low angles of attack is much greater
with the fixed slot than with the simple wing.

AUTOMATIC SLOT
263
Automatic Slot. To F. Handley-Page should go the credit for
obviating the increased minimum drag of the fixed slot. The
auxiliary airfoil is held by a linkage mechanism or a series of studs
working in pairs of rollers in the main wing, so that it will move
freely from a closed position where the auxiliary is butted against
the leading edge of the main wing to an open position where there
is a gap of an inch or more between the auxiliary airfoil and the
main wing.
Fixed Slot at High Angle of Attack
Fixed Slot at Low Angle of Attack
Automatic Slot at High Angle of Attack
Automatic Slot at Low Angle of Attack
FiG. 87. Wing slots.
By examining Figs. 14, 15, and 16, it will be seen that at low
angles of attack there is a pressure on the nose which is utilized to
press the auxiliary airfoil tightly against the main wing, while at
high angles of attack there is a negative pressure to draw the auxil
iary wing to its " open " position. The automatic slot requires
no manipulation on the part of the pilot. At low angles of attack,
the drag is only very slightly greater than with the ordinary wing.
264
AUXILIARY LIFT DEVICES
Flaps. Flaps, in the simplest form, merely mean that the rear
part of the main wing is hinged so that it can be swung downward.
In appearance, they resemble ailerons, except that ailerons extend
only a small portion of the span and are so linked that, when the
aileron on one side goes up, that on the other side goes down.
Flaps extend across the span, except for the small portion which is
aileron, and the flaps on both sides go down together. Flaps are
moved by a control mechanism in the pilot's cockpit.
The effect of depressing the flaps is to increase the effective
camber of the upper surface of the wing as well as the concavity
of the under surface. This has the effect of increasing the lift
coefficient, partly because of the action on the under side, where
the depressed rear edge acts to hinder the smooth flow of air;
pressure will build up at this point, which will cause an increase in
lift. It will also cause the center of pressure to move rearward.
No Hip.
of Slob.
FIG. 88. Effect on lift coefficient of slots and flaps.
This rearward center of pressure movement, when the flaps
are swung downward, means that it is usually necessary to inter
connect the flaps with the stabilizer; otherwise the airplane will
be thrown out of balance longitudinally.
With flaps, the maximum lift coefficient can be increased 50

FLAPS 265
per cent. At low angles of attack, the flaps are in their normal
position so that they do not detract from high speed. Both slots
and flaps may be installed on the same wings, and by so doing,
maximum lift coefficient may be increased 100 per cent.
Special forms of flaps have been devised and several have proved
to be very practical. Among these are the " Zap " flap, in which
the lower surface of the rear portion of the wing swings down while
the upper surface remains intact. Another type is the Fowler
wing; the rear portion of the lower surface slides backward and
downward, so that not only the camber but also the wing area
are increased.
AUTOGIRO
267
The rotating vanes are four in the older, three in the newer,
types. The latest type, without a fixed wing, permits, by the
removal of one bolt on each vane, the swinging together of all
three vanes over the fuselage, and in this position the autogiro
may be taxied along a road
or trundled into an ordinary-
sized garage (see Fig. 90).
The airfoil section most
favored for the vanes is the
Gottingen 429 profile. The
normal position of three blades
would be 120Â° apart, but
during rotation a blade ex
periences more drag when
moving forward than when
moving backward, so that if
the blades were fastened
(a) Side View
rigidly there would be re- Fla
peated variation in the
(bi TOP view
Autogiro with blades folded.
stresses. For this reason, each blade is hinged about a vertical
pin, its horizontal movement being restricted by friction dampers
so that only a slight relative motion is permitted.
Each blade is also hinged about a horizontal pin, so as to per
mit flapping or movement in a plane through the axis of the rotor
head. The rotor head supports the inner ends of the three vanes.
In horizontal flight, the advancing blade has a greater relative
velocity than the retreating blade; consequently the advancing
blade would have greater lift. Rigidity of the blades would tilt
the entire gyro, and it is for this reason that the blades are hinged
about a horizontal axis. There is no restriction to their upward
sweep; care is taken, however, that when rotation is slow the
blades cannot sink down so as to strike the propeller. Folding
up is impossible, owing to centrifugal force. The angle which the
span of any blade makes with the horizontal is due to the resultant
of centrifugal force and the lift on that blade. This means that
the advancing blade is at a higher angle from the horizontal than
the retreating blade. When there is no forward motion and the
autogiro is parachuting down, the relative wind is vertically
upward and all blades are at the same coning angle.
In vertical descent, there will always be rotation. Even if it

AUTOGIRO 269
The speed of rotation will be constant at about 100 r.p.m. If, for
any reason, the resultant should act backwards from the vertical,
it would immediately have a component tending to retard ro
tation. The decrease in rotational velocity would change the
direction of the relative wind to give a larger angle of attack,
which would cause the line of action of the resultant to move for
ward again.
When the autogiro is moving forward in horizontal flight, the
main axis of rotation of the rotor head is tilted slightly backward.
Rotation of the rotor head is counter-clockwise viewed from above,
and this rotation is always in effect before take-off. Then a
blade on the right side has greater speed than a blade on the left.
If there were no flapping the advancing right blade would have
greater lift than the retreating left blade. Being hinged to permit
upward movement, the forward-moving blade is rising, giving a
smaller angle of attack, while the backward-moving blade is being
moved downward by the effect of centrifugal force. These
effects tend to make the lifts on each side more nearly equal.
When the axis of rotation is tilted backward to the resultant
force produced by the action of the relative wind so that there is a
component producing rotation as shown in Fig. 91c, the rotor will
accelerate. When the resultant force is parallel to the axis of
rotation there will be no acceleration, the rotational speed will be
constant, and the system will be in equilibrium. If the resultant
acts in a direction to give a component decelerating the rotor, the
autogiro will start to descend, speeding up the rotor.
The rotor system is supported on a sturdy tripod, the head being
mounted on a universal joint, so that it may be tilted in any di
rection by the control column. This control column hangs down
instead of protruding up from the floor as in a conventional air
plane. The movement of the pilot's hand is the same as with the
ordinary control stick. Pulling back on the stick causes the nose
of the autogiro to go up; pushing forward causes it to go down.
Moving the stick to the left causes the fuselage to tilt in a manner
similar to the way an airplane fuselage would be tilted in banking
for a left turn. The rudder on the rear of the fuselage is operated
by pedals or rudder bar as in the conventional airplane.
The landing gear resembles that of the airplane except that a
much wider tread is given to the wheels. The shock-absorbers
have greater travel to withstand harder landings.

270
UNCONVENTIONAL TYPES OF AIRCRAFT
Gyroplane. In the autogiro the blade airfoils have a fixed angle
with respect to the rotor disk (an imaginary plane perpendicular
to the axis of rotation). In the gyroplane this angle can be
changed (see Fig. 92).
Fio. 92. Gyroplane.
Four blades are used, set 90Â° apart. The opposite blades are
rigidly connected, but each pair is supported in bearings in such a
manner that the blades may be " feathered " or have the angle
with the rotor disk altered as the blades proceed around the disk.
This movement is caused by a central cylindrical cam at the rotor
hub.
The gyroplane has a fixed wing as well as the rotating vanes.
At high speeds the small fixed wing furnishes sufficient lift, and the
rotating blades are turned to the zero lift angle offering a minimum
of drag. As the speed is decreased, more of the load is taken by the
rotor.
Another feature of the gyroplane is its lateral control. The
control stick is connected with the feathering cam by linkage.
A movement of the stick to the left will cause the blades on the
right side to have an increased angle of attack, and the blades as
they proceed to the left side will have a decreased angle of attack,
CYCLOGIRO 271
resulting in more lift on the right than on the left. Conversely
a stick movement to the left causes the blades on the left side to
increase their angle, and on the right side to decrease their angle.
The control stick is also connected to conventional ailerons on the
fixed wing for control at high speed.
Although the gyroplane is still in the developmental stage, it is
aerodynamically sound. It should be as safe as other rota ting-
wing aircraft and holds possibilities of a greater speed range.
Cyclogiro. The cyclogiro, sometimes termed the " paddle-
wheel " airplane, is of the rotating-wing type, having several
blades on each side rotating about a horizontal axis perpendicular
to the direction of normal flight (see Fig. 93). By means of cams
Fio. 93. Cyclogiro.
or linkages, the angle which an element makes with the tangent
to its circular path may be changed as the blade rotates. Chang
ing the setting of the cam operating this feathering can be made to
produce a resultant in any desired direction.
The combination of wings, i.e., the " paddle-wheels," is driven
by the engine, but a clutch mechanism is provided so that in case
of engine stoppage the airfoil systems are free to rotate. They
autorotate, thus permitting hovering or slow descent. With the
engine connected, a reasonable forward speed and climb are ob
tainable.
The autorotation, with the clutch out, may be understood by
examining Fig. 94. The three symmetrical airfoils A, B, and C
are pivoted at their centers of pressure at three points 120Â° apart
on a circular framework which rotates about its center 0. From
eccentric point 0' links are connected to each airfoil. The posi
tion of 0' with respect to 0, both in direction and distance, may
be controlled by the pilot. In Fig. 94a, it is assumed that the

272
UNCONVENTIONAL TYPES OF AIRCRAFT
system is stationary. The relative wind will then be vertically
upward. The resultant forces on each wing will be as shown.
Each of these resultant forces has a tangential component tending
to cause the system to rotate in a counter-clockwise manner about
center 0. After rotation has started, conditions are as represented
Resultant lore*
(a) Vertical Descent
Fofward
windâr
Upward
wind
rt (orca
Upward .
wind
Peripheral .
velocity
(b) Vertical Descent
Resultant foree
(c) Forward Flight
Fio. 94. Operation of cyclogiro.
in Fig. 946. The relative wind (VR) at each wing is the resultant
of that due to the downward motion and to the rotary motion of
each individual airfoil. The resultant forces on each wing are
shown approximately in the diagram. All these forces have an
upward component tending to retard descent. In the diagram,
the resultant force on the wing at A has a component tending to

CYCLOGIRO 273
retard rotation, but both wings at B and C have components tend
ing to increase rotation. As long as the components acting to
cause counter-clockwise rotation are greater than those tending
to cause clockwise rotation, the speed of rotation will increase.
At some speed of rotation, equilibrium will be found. Figure 94
shows conditions on the left side of the cyclogiro; on the right
side the conditions will be reversed.
To obtain forward motion the position of the eccentric center
0' is shifted by the pilot as is shown in Fig. 94c. The relative
wind at each airfoil is the resultant of the relative wind due to
forward motion and that due to the rotation. The resultant
force on each airfoil can be resolved into a component tangent
to the circular path and radial to the path. The tangential
components either aid or retard rotation, the algebraic sum of these
components usually retard rotation in forward flight, and it is the
function of the engine to furnish torque to overcome this re
sistance in the same way that the engine furnishes force to over
come drag of the wings in the ordinary airplane. The vectorial
sum of the radial components of the resultant forces on the in
dividual airfoils should have an upward component, which is the
lift.
Although the cyclogiro is still in experimental stages, it has
been proved that the device is capable of slow hovering descent in
case of engine failure; that a steep descent, not unlike that of an
autogiro, can be made; and that horizontal flight at a fair rate of
speed can be maintained.

CHAPTER XVII
MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
Load Factors. In the preceding chapters, it has been shown
that, while in flight, external forces are acting on the airplane struc
ture. Some of these forces, lift and weight, are dependent on the
size and design; other forces, inertia forces, are dependent on the
suddenness with which maneuvers are executed. In one kind of
maneuver a certain part of the airplane is stressed highly, and in
another kind of maneuver a different part of the airplane may have
its greatest stress. In designing parts of an airplane, each part
must be planned to withstand the greatest stress that that part
may receive in any ordinary maneuver. The term " applied
loads " means the actual forces produced on a structure by the
accelerations during a maneuver. The load factor is the accelera
tion expressed in terms of g.
For safety, parts are made of greater ultimate strength than
just enough to stand the greatest loading they will undergo. The
applied load multiplied by the factor of safety gives the design
load.
The load factors in maneuvers are based to a great extent on
past experience and are therefore semi-empirical. Many calcu
lated accelerations have been checked by accelerometer readings
obtained in airplanes in actual flight. The gust load factors are
based on an arbitrarily assumed sharp-edged vertical gust of 30-ft.-
per-sec. velocity.
Materials. The materials used in the construction of airplanes
cannot be unduly heavy or bulky in giving the required strength,
as unnecessary size or weight detracts from the performance.
The cost of raw material is small compared with the labor cost, but
a material which is extremely high in price would probably not be
desirable. The material should, if possible, be adapted to use by
workmen of ordinary skill.
The quantity of airplanes of one particular design will to some
extent dictate the choice of material. Metal stampings are very
274
STEEL 275
satisfactory and cheap on quantity production, but in small lots
the expense of dies is not justified.
Wood. Wood was the chief material used in early airplane
construction, but it is employed to only a limited extent at the
present time. First-quality selected spruce is hard to obtain and
is consequently expensive, and other woods are not entirely satis
factory.
Plywood, which is made of several thin sheets of veneer, some
times serves for flooring and other parts of the fuselage. In one
or two airplanes, plywood has been used for wing covering. Ply
wood is very unsatisfactory in the tropics as the combination of
heat and moisture causes the glue to lose its strength.
Probably the main reason that wood has been largely superseded
is its lack of uniformity. It must be aged or seasoned before
fabrication. It must be protected by varnish from absorbing
moisture. There is usually a large waste. Because of its non-
uniformity and the ever-present dangers of defects not discernible
on the surface, a high safety factor must always be applied in the
design of wooden members.
Cloth. The first airplanes had cloth for wing covering, and the
first fuselages were cloth-covered. The standard cloth was un
bleached mercerized Grade-A cotton, having a minimum tensile
strength of 30 Ib. per in. After the cloth covering has been
sewed in place, it is treated with dope â a colloidal solution of
either cellulose acetate or cellulose nitrate. Doping the fabric
makes it weatherproof, tightens the fabric, and produces a rigid
surface. Without the dope, damp air would make the fabric
slack. Because clear dope is transparent, and because sunlight
is the chief cause of the deterioration of fabric, it is customary to
impregnate the dope with pigment. Even when protected with
pigmented dope, cloth loses its life and strength after about a
year. Because of this need for frequent renewals, fabric is being
used less and less.
Steel. Low-carbon steel is used to some extent in modern air
planes for less important parts of the structure. Its tensile
strength is about 55,000 Ib. per sq. in. It is used either in the
form of tubes or in sheets. It is assembled either by welding or
riveting.
Chrome-molybdenum steel, usually termed " Chrome-Moly,"
is used to a great extent in the fabrication of the modern airplane.

276 MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
This steel, unheat-treated, has an ultimate tensile strength of
95,000 Ib. per sq. in., with a yield point of 60,000 Ib. per sq. in.
When properly heat-treated it may develop an ultimate tensile
strength of 200,000 Ib. per sq. in. It is slightly more difficult to
machine than the low-carbon steel but it may be welded just as
easily.
Aluminum Alloys. Absolutely pure aluminum does not corrode
as does impure aluminum, but the addition of other metals greatly
increases its strength, so that aluminum alloys are used for air
craft rather than the pure aluminum. The alloys are treated in
various ways to minimize the danger of corrosion. Originally the
term duralumin was applied to one specific composition alloy;
now it is common practice to use the term duralumin loosely to
cover all strong aluminum alloys. The most popular alloy has
4 per cent copper, ^ per cent manganese, and 5 per cent magne
sium ; it is used for tubing and sheets. Changes in the composi
tion are made to give special properties. Alloys suitable for
castings usually have silicon added.
Duralumin has a specific gravity of 2.8, while chrome-molyb
denum steel has a specific gravity of 7.9, so that, volume for
volume, duralumin has 35.4 per cent of the weight of steel. The
tensile strength of 17ST duralumin is 58,000 Ib. per sq. in., while
that of unheat-treated steel is around 100,000 Ib. per sq. in.
Then a piece of duralumin in tension has 35.4 per cent of the
weight and 58.0 per cent of the strength of a piece of steel of the
same cross-section. If the duralumin piece had a larger cross-
section so the weight were the same as that of the steel piece, the
duralumin would be 1.6 times stronger in tension than the steel.
In bending such as would be experienced in a beam the extra
depth of the duralumin beam for the same weight would give
much greater stiffness than that of a steel beam.
Duralumin can be welded or riveted. Sheet duralumin is
being used a great deal for wing and fuselage covering, and spot
welding appears to be superseding riveting for joining sheets.
Great care must be exercised in heat-treating duralumin,
especially if the material is worked cold during fabrication.
Aluminum alloy rivets should invariably be driven within a half-
hour of being heat-treated. If a longer time has elapsed, they
should not be used until after they have been reheat-treated.
To protect aluminum alloys from corrosion, the surface must be

CONSTRUCTION 277
protected by a thin coating of oxide. The most popular method
is called the " anodic " process. This consists in passing an elec
tric current through the piece of duralumin while it is immersed
in a 3 per cent solution of chromic acid. The duralumin is the
anode of this electrolytic bath.
Stainless Steel. An alloy of steel containing 18 per cent
chromium, 8 per cent nickel, and a little less than 0.18 per cent
carbon is known as stainless steel because of its remarkable
resistance to corrosion. It has a high tensile strength and is very
tough and ductile. By cold rolling, tensile strengths of 400,000
Ib. per sq. in. have been obtained, but in this state it is very
difficult to fabricate. Ordinarily 200,000 Ib. per sq. in. is a fair
value of its tensile strength.
The maximum resistance to corrosion is obtained after heat-
treatment. The heat of the ordinary welding process causes
stainless steel to lose some of its properties. A special method of
spot-welding, called " shot-welding," has been developed which
does not harm the steel.
In 1932, an amphibian airplane was built in this country en
tirely of stainless steel. In Russia, stainless steel is used a great
deal in airplane construction, and it may be presumed that it will
be employed more widely in the United States when its prop
erties and method of handling are better understood.
Construction. The early form of construction of an airplane
was to make the fuselage of oblong cross-section, with four length
wise members called longerons and suitable cross-pieces and
bracing. The wings had two wooden spars with ribs or formers
spaced at equal intervals to give the desired airfoil shape.
When metal was first introduced as an airplane material, every
part was reproduced in metal as an exact replica of the wooden
piece. Because of the nature of wood, it absorbs vibrations better
than metal, so that troubles due to vibration that had not been
experienced with the wooden construction were encountered
in the metal construction. More important, however, was the
item that wood had little tensile or shear strength, so that the
design of the structure had to be extremely simple. Metal can
be rolled or worked into innumerable shapes and can be used in
very thin sheets still retaining requisite thickness. The entire
design of aircraft has therefore been modified to take advantage
of all the special properties of metal not possessed by wood.

At higher speeds, parasite resistance becomes of paramount
importance, and as fuselages are built of better streamline form, the
monocoque form of construction becomes more desirable. The
monocoque or stressed-skin construction relies entirely on the
skin to carry all the bending moments and shear. The pure
monocoque has only vertical bulkheads to reinforce the skin.
A type called semi-monocoque has longerons in addition to the
bulkheads.
Military Planes. Airplanes for military uses are divided into
various types depending on the use to which they are put. Train
ing airplanes should have a fairly low landing speed, and this will
mean a moderate maximum speed. The training plane will be a
two-seater for the student and the instructor, with dual-control,
a small gas supply, and no equipment. The observation plane is
a two-seater with fairly high speed. It is essential that there be
excellent visibility for the observer. The equipment would in
clude radio, camera, and machine guns for both pilot and observer.
The bombing plane is primarily to carry heavy loads of bombs at
as high a speed as is consistent with the load carried. It has a
crew of four or five. For defense it is equipped with machine
guns. Some maneuverability is usually sacrificed in order to
obtain load-carrying ability. The pursuit plane is the fast single-
seated fighter. It must have high maximum speed, big rate of
climb, and high degree of maneuverability. Its engine must be
supercharged so that the plane may operate at high altitude.
The equipment consists of two fixed synchronized machine guns,
a bomb rack for carrying small demolition bombs, radio, and oxy
gen tank. On some airplanes, fixed machine guns are installed in
the wings to be operated from the cockpit.
Figure 95 shows an Army observation airplane. It is a high-
wing braced monoplane, designed to give the observer extremely
good visibility of the ground.
Figure 96 shows an army attack airplane. It is a low-wing canti
lever monoplane. Special attention should be drawn to the clean
ness of design, the absence of wire bracing, and the streamlining
of the landing gear.
Figure 97 shows an army pursuit airplane. It has an extremely
high speed and high degree of maneuverability with full military
load.
Figure 98 shows an army two-seater pursuit airplane. Although

construction with metal skin on both sides of wing forward of the
rear spar and with fabric skin rearward of the rear spar. The
boat hull is metal-covered over a metal framework, divided for
safety into nine watertight compartments. It is designed for
thirty-two passengers. The wing span is 114 ft., the wing area
is 1,330 sq. ft. Flaps are located between the ailerons and are
hydraulically operated. The weight empty is 21,950 Ib.; the
useful load is 16,050 Ib.; the maximum speed at sea-level is 180
miles per hour; the landing speed is 65 miles per hour.
Figure 102 shows the Seversky low-wing twin float, two- or
three-seater monoplane amphibian. It is equipped with a 420-
hp. Wright Whirlwind engine. The fuselage is all-metal mono-
coque construction; the wings are multi-box all-metal construc
tion. Flaps are of the split trailing-edge type and extend between
the ailerons. The wing span is 26 ft.; the wing area is 209 sq. ft.
The weight empty is 2,550 Ib., and the useful load, 1,650 Ib.;
the maximum speed at sea-level is 185 miles per hour, and the
landing speed 55 miles per hour.
Figure 103 shows the Lockheed Electra, a twelve-place low-wing
cantilever monoplane. It is equipped with two Pratt and Whitney
Wasp Junior 400-hp. engines. The fuselage is all-metal mono-
coque with longitudinal reinforcements. The wings are all-metal
stressed skin, with trailing-edge flaps. The wing span is 55 ft.;
the wing area is 458 sq. ft. The weight empty is 6,200 Ib.; the
useful load, 3,550 Ib.; the maximum speed is 210 miles per hour,
and the landing speed 63 miles per hour. The landing gear is
retractable, and the entire airplane is a splendid example of good
streamlining.
Figure 104 shows the Fairchild Cargo Carrier, a high-wing
braced monoplane. It is equipped with one 750-hp. Wright
Cyclone engine. The fuselage is of welded chrpme-molybdenum
steel tubing, fabric-covered. The wing spars are single solid web
type with extruded angles as flanges all of chrome-molybdenum
steel; the ribs are built up of aluminum framework; the wing is
fabric-covered. Special attention should be drawn to the Zap-
type flaps in the illustration in their " down " position. The
wing span is 84 ft.; the wing area, 800 sq. ft. The weight empty
is 7,320 Ib.; the useful load, 5,680 Ib.; the maximum speed is 167
miles per hour, and the landing speed 52 miles per hour.
Figure 105 shows the Monocoupe, a high-wing braced cabin

CHAPTER XVIII
INSTRUMENTS
Introduction. Instruments are practically indispensable for
safe flying. Although on short hops around an airport the
necessity for instruments is slight, on cross-country flights, safety
demands that every possible instrumental aid be given the pilot.
On the Wright brothers' first flights, their only guide was a long
streamer of cloth tied to one of the struts. It served as airspeed
indicator: at low speeds the rag hung limply down; at higher
speeds its position became more nearly horizontal. It also in
dicated slipping by swinging away from the center of turn and
skidding by swinging towards the center of turn.
Many instruments have been added since the days of the early
Wright flights, but each has been the result of a distinct need for
that instrument. All instruments have a definite function, and
they are placed on the instrument board because at some time
the occasion will arise when the information given by that in
strument will be vital.
It is of primary importance that aircraft instruments be accurate
at all tunes. With only the owner flying the airplane, if one in
strument reads consistently low or high, the pilot can of course
make a mental correction; but this is a very poor practice and is
extremely dangerous. The Army Air Corps has a fixed policy of
" either dead-right or stopped." Interpreted, this means that it is
more desirable to have an instrument completely fail to function
than to have it function imperfectly. If an instrument is not
working at all, the pilot will disregard it; if it apparently is func
tioning the pilot will rely on its indications and, if they are in
correct, disaster may result.
All aircraft instruments are classed under two headings, engine
instruments and avigation instruments. All instruments whose
readings do not pertain to the operation of the engine are termed
avigation instruments. Since time should not be lost while the
pilot's eye is searching about the instrument board, the engine
instruments should be grouped together and the avigation instru
ments should be together.
285
286 INSTRUMENTS
In considering instruments, care must be taken to differentiate
between accuracy and sensitivity. Sensitivity is the ability to
detect very small differences in the amount of the quantity being
measured. It is not the same as accuracy or correctness. An
instrument may be sensitive and at the same time very inaccurate.
For example, a tachometer might be extremely sensitive in that it
would show a very small change in the number of revolutions per
minute, but the actually indicated revolutions per minute might
be greatly in error.
Another important feature in instruments is absence of lag.
The instrument should respond instantly to any change in the
magnitude of the quantity being measured. For example, an
altimeter would be of little value if the airplane dropped a thou
sand feet and the altimeter did not show this decrease for several
seconds. A properly designed instrument will have the parts so
balanced that the time lag will be reduced to a negligible amount.
Engine Instruments. Engine instruments are either to enable
the pilot to operate the engine most efficiently or to warn him of
impending trouble. Some engine troubles cannot be alleviated
in the air, but the instrument performs the very useful service of
indicating wherein the trouble lies, so that, the cause of stoppage
being known, the fault can be remedied after landing. Much
time can be saved the mechanic in repairing a stopped engine if
he knows what first caused the trouble.
Airplane engines that have passed the rigid tests of the Depart
ment of Commerce if they have no defective parts and are prop
erly mounted should run for long periods provided that they are
oiled properly, proper and sufficient fuel is supplied, etc. The
throttle of an airplane engine is a hand throttle. When it is set
at a certain throttle-opening to give a certain engine speed, the
engine will continue to turn over at that speed unless some part
of the engine or its auxiliaries is not functioning properly.
Engines do not stop without cause, nor do they stop instantly.
Whatever ultimately causes the engine to quit entirely, first causes
it to slow down. The malfunctioning of some part of the operation
causes a loss of power which results in a drop in engine speed.
If the reason for this malfunctioning is not removed, the loss in
power will increase and finally result in stoppage. For example,
if a bearing is getting insufficient lubrication, it will get hot and
expand. The added friction will slow up the revolutions per min-
CHRONOMETRIC TACHOMETER 287
ute as well as increase the heating to cause more expansion till
finally the bearing and journal " freeze." For another example,
clean spark plugs do not suddenly become fouled. There is a
gradual accumulation which causes poor firing, lessening the power
and decreasing the speed. As the accumulation increases the
firing becomes poorer until the spark fails to jump and the cylinder
misses completely.
Probably the only reasons for instantaneous failure of an engine
are breakage of the fuel-line or breakage of an electric wire, both
of which would be due to vibration from improper mounting.
Since, on a properly mounted engine, complete failure is always
preceded by a more or less brief period of poor functioning, a care
ful watch should be kept of the engine speed; a slight decrease in
revolutions per minute is a warning of impending trouble.
The tachometer is essentially a cautioning instrument; if it
shows a decrease in engine speed, the pilot should scan the other
engine instruments to locate, if possible, the source of the trouble.
If the oil or water is too cool, the pilot can remedy this in the air
by closing shutters. Most of the other troubles cannot be recti
fied in the air, but with the advance warning the pilot can often
land before his engine has quit entirely.
Tachometers. The tachometer indicates the revolutions per
minute of the engine. Although its most valuable function is to
warn of impending engine trouble, it is at all times useful in aiding
the pilot to set the engine at the most economical cruising speed,
etc. On the line, it helps the mechanic in judging to what extent
an engine is " tuned-up." If an airplane engine can be throttled
down to 250 r.p.m. and it turns over without missing, it is in very
good condition; if it can be throttled down to 200 r.p.m. without
missing, it is in excellent condition.
Several types of tachometers are in use, the most popular being
the chronometric and the centrifugal types. The chronometric
type has more working parts and therefore the production cost
should be greater than for the centrifugal type. With wear of the
working parts, the centrifugal type loses in accuracy while still
functioning; the chronometric type is " either dead-right (within
instrumental accuracy) or stopped."
Chronometric Tachometer. This type actually counts the
revolutions in 1-sec. periods, but shows on the dial the revolutions
per second multiplied by 60 (i.e., the revolutions per minute).

288
INSTRUMENTS
The pointer remains stationary for 1 sec. If the engine speed is
constant, the pointer remains fixed; but if the engine speed is vary
ing, at the end of the 1-sec. counting period, the pointer jumps to a
new position. This does not mean that the engine speed is erratic
or jumpy, but merely that the average speed for 1 sec. is different
from that of the previous second.
The mechanism is roughly as follows. A flexible shaft from the
engine turns a gear in the tachometer at a fixed ratio to engine
speed. This driving gear does two things. First, it winds the
mainspring of a clockwork, through a friction clutch, so that the
spring will not be wound too tight; as the tachometer operates the
clockwork tends to run down but the driving gear keeps it wound
up. The other function of the driving gear is to rotate a counting
gear. This counting gear, marked G in Fig. 106, is in mesh with
FIG. 106. Chronoraetric tachometer mechanism.
a cylindrical rack or fine-tooth worm. This worm is split longi
tudinally into three segments, A, B, and C. The three segments
encase a shaft and are so keyed to the shaft that they may move
independently along it. On one end (left end in Fig. 106) is a
pinion with an escapement operated by the clockwork so that by
an intermittent mechanism, at the end of each second, the shaft
is rotated through one-third of a revolution. On the other end of
the shaft is a loose collar S, which by a spring is held against the

CENTRIFUGAL TACHOMETER 289
end of the segmented worm. The collar S moves the pointer over
a scale.
Assuming segment A in mesh with counting gear G, at the be
ginning of the 1-sec. counting period, the rotation of G starts
moving segment A to the right. At the end of the second the
linear movement of A has been proportional to the speed of gear
G. Synchronously with the end of the second, the clock escape
ment rotates the shaft and segmented worm through 120Â°, so that
segment A occupies the position previously occupied by segment
C, segment C has moved to replace segment B, and segment B has
moved to engage with counting gear G. The linear displacement
of segment A is maintained by a locking pawl. Collar S, linked
with the pointer, is resting against the end of segment A.
During the next second, segment B is being fed to the right by
the counting gear. At the end of the second, segment B moves
down to the position of A, and segment A slides back along the
shaft to its zero position, actuated by a spring not shown.
The above-described type is the " Tel " mechanism; other
types use gears instead of the segmented worm.
Even a very cheap clock can be regulated so as not to gain or
lose more than half a minute in a day; in 1 sec. the inaccuracy
is very small indeed, and the only error should be due to the mesh
ing of the teeth of the counting gear which, on a good instrument,
should not exceed plus or minus 10 r.p.m. If a chronometric
tachometer is functioning at all, it should be correct within these
limits. Sometimes when very cold the oil in the clockwork be
comes thick and gummy, stopping the clockwork. Wear of teeth
will cause a jam, stopping the operation.
In addition to the merit of either being correct or stopped, the
chronometric type is usable when the engine is turning over very
slowly. The centrifugal type described in the next paragraph
does not give a readable indication much below 500 r.p.m.
Centrifugal Tachometer. The centrifugal type depends on the
centrifugal action of a pair of weights disposed about a shaft
which is rotated by the engine through a flexible shaft. The
weights, see Fig. 107, are connected by links to fixed collar A and
movable collar B. As the speed of rotation of the shaft is in
creased, the weights tend to move outward raising collar B, this
motion being resisted by a spring. Centrifugal force varies as
the square of the speed, so the upward movement of collar B is

THERMOMETERS 291
suited to finding the temperature of a liquid such as the oil or the
cooling medium; the electric type is suited best for finding the
temperature of parts of the engine and is used on air-cooled
engines.
The pressure-type thermometer has three parts: a bulb, which
is immersed in the oil or water; a pressure gage on the instrument
board; and a length of tubing which connects the bulb to the
gage. There are two kinds of pressure thermometers â the
liquid-filled and the vapor-pressure thermometers.
In the liquid-filled type, the bulb, the tubing, and the pressure
chamber in the gage are all filled completely with a liquid. When
the bulb is heated, the liquid in the bulb expands and causes in
ternal pressure in the system. For an increase of 100Â° C., the
increase in pressure is several hundred pounds per square inch.
This pressure is indicated on the pressure gage, the scale, however,
reading directly in degrees of temperature. Since only a part of
the liquid is heated to the temperature which it is desired to meas
ure, there is liable to be an inaccuracy due to the liquid in the
connecting tubing and the gage not being at this temperature.
This error is made negligible by having the connecting tubing of
very fine bore and by putting a bimetallic compensation on the
pressure gage.
In the vapor-pressure type, the bulb contains a volatile liquid,
usually ether. The quantity of liquid must be such as not to
fill the bulb completely. The remainder of the bulb, the capillary
connecting tubing, and the pressure chamber of the gage are filled
with the vapor from the liquid. It is essential that the free surface
of the liquid be inside the bulb, since in a closed system containing
a liquid and its vapor the vapor pressure depends on the tem
perature of the liquid surface in contact with the vapor.
The liquid-pressure type depends on the expansion of the
liquid with heat, so the pressure changes will be lineal with tem
perature; with the vapor-pressure type, the pressure change will
not be linear with temperature but will be greater at higher
temperatures, so that the scale will be more open there than at
low temperatures. The pressures developed with the liquid-
filled type will be much greater at the same temperature than with
the vapor-pressure type so that the gage is much more rugged for
the liquid-filled type. Owing to these high pressures in the
liquid-filled system, the changes in atmospheric pressure due to

292 INSTRUMENTS
altitude are insignificant; with the vapor-pressure type there
may be an error of several degrees resulting from this. Both types
use a fine capillary tube connecting the bulb to the gage, and care
must be taken in dismantling an airplane that a careless mechanic
does not cut the tubing under the impression that it is a copper
wire.
The electric-type thermometer is customarily a thermocouple
connected to a millivoltmeter. One wire is iron, the other con-
stantin. The " hot junction " may be a true joint, or the same
effect is achieved if the two wires are inserted into holes a short
distance apart in the cylinder wall and peined securely in place.
In a thermocouple, the difference in potential indicated by the
millivoltmeter on the instrument board depends on the difference
in temperature between the " hot " and " cold " junctions.
This means that some form of temperature compensation must be
used or the thermometer will merely indicate the difference be
tween engine temperature and cockpit temperature.
Ice-warning indicators are merely thermometers with special
markings for the temperatures between 32Â° and 29Â° F., which is
the temperature range that is especially dangerous from the
standpoint of ice formation.
Avigation Instruments. Avigation instruments are those in
struments which aid the pilot in flying the airplane safely and in
guiding him to his destination. They tell him his altitude, his
speed, his direction, and the attitude of the airplane with respect to
the ground or some other reference.
Altimeters. The usual altimeter is a barometer or pressure gage
which measures the atmospheric pressure. Other types have
been proposed but none have passed beyond the experimental
stage. These types are electrical or sonic.
For bombing, it is desirable to know the altitude very accurately
at heights of 12,000 to 15,000 ft. in order that the trajectory may
be calculated correctly. For photographic mapping, usually done
at about 12,000 ft., it is primarily essential that all the photo
graphs be taken at exactly the same altitude in order that each
part of the mosaic be the same scale. It is very desirable that
this altitude be known correctly to check ground distances.
In flying over mountain ranges in cloudy weather, flight should
be made at sufficient altitude to have ample clearance above the
mountain tops. The readings of the ordinary airspeed indicator

ANEROID ALTIMETERS 293
are subject to an altitude correction, but an error of a hundred
feet in altitude makes a very small change in the altitude correction
to the indicated airspeed.
Therefore, except for bombing and photographic work and the
somewhat rare attempts for altitude record, the need for accuracy
at medium or high altitudes is not very great. For landing in
fog, however, the altimeter should be extremely accurate.
Aneroid Altimeters. The standard type of altimeter is a
pressure gage, but since the pressure differences to be observed are
very small, the gage must be exceedingly sensitive. For this
reason an aneroid is used. An aneroid is a thin metallic box
shaped like a poker chip. The flat sides are very thin and flexible.
Formerly these sides were corrugated to give flexibility, but
better results are obtained with flat sides. When pressure on
the outside is removed, the aneroid expands. As the flat sides
move outward, this motion is magnified and transmitted to the
pointer.
The dial instead of being graduated in pressure units is marked
in units of altitude. Since the expansion of the aneroid depends
on pressure, a simple linkage would result in an approximately
uniform pressure scale. The pressure difference for 1-ft. altitude
difference is much greater close to the ground than at altitude, so
that if the pointer movement were proportional to pressure differ
ence, the altitude scale would be non-uniform; that is, the gradu
ations would be far apart near the ground and closer together as
altitude is increased. To have a uniform altitude scale, a very
ingenious arrangement of links and chain and roller is used.
Having a uniform altitude scale makes it possible to have the
scale adjustable. With the usual circular dial, a knob is provided
outside the case whereby the dial may be rotated irrespective of
the position of the pointer.
Formerly there was no fixed barometric scale on the altimeter.
Before taking off, the pilot would turn the dial till the zero of his
altitude scale was directly back of the pointer. After flying
around, in coming down to land he would assume that the alti
meter would read zero when his wheels touched the ground.
This would be true only if the atmospheric pressure had not
changed while he was in the air. If, while he had been flying, the
atmospheric pressure at the airport had decreased by, say, 0.2 in.,
his altimeter would read 200 ft. when he landed. Conversely if

294 INSTRUMENTS
the barometric pressure on the ground had risen while he was
aloft, his altimeter might indicate zero while he was still several
hundred feet in the air.
Modern altimeters have a fixed barometric scale in addition
to the usual adjustable altitude scale. This is a desirable adjunct
to landing at an airport in fog. While the airplane is still in the
air, an operator on the ground, hearing the motor noise, carefully
reads the barometer at the airport and radios the reading to the
pilot. The pilot thereupon sets the zero of the altitude scale op
posite this reading on the fixed barometric scale on his altimeter.
He then comes down to land knowing that when the pointer
reaches the zero on the altitude scale, his wheels should be touch
ing the ground.
The altitude-pressure relation for altimeter calibration is given
in N.A.C.A. Report 246 and is practically identical with the
standard atmosphere given in Table I of this text. This relation
is based on an arbitrary assumption of the temperature change
with altitude. This assumption checks very closely with the
average observed variations of temperature with altitude at
latitude 40Â° in the United States. These observations were taken
throughout the year. On any one day, the temperature at some
altitude may be above or below the average yearly temperature
at that altitude.
For an aneroid altimeter to be absolutely correct, the tempera
ture not only must be 15Â° C. (59Â° F.) at sea-level but it also must
vary in an orthodox manner as the altitude is increased. When
these conditions do not exist the altimeter will not read correctly
at altitude. A correction to the altimeter reading can be made if
the average temperature of the air between the plane and the
ground is known. A very close approximation of this mean
temperature can be made by reading the temperature every few
hundred feet during the climb and averaging these readings.
An approximation sufficiently close for most photographic work
is made by taking the arithmetic mean between the ground air
temperature and the air temperature at the altitude at which the
flying is to be done.
Since air inside the aneroid would expand with an increase in
temperature and build up a pressure, and vice versa, it is custom
ary to pump out most of the air before sealing the aneroid to de
crease the error from this source. The pressure inside the altimeter
ALTIMETERS, MISCELLANEOUS TYPES 295
case, outside the aneroid, should be atmospheric pressure; there
fore, there should always be an opening in the case. Ignorant
mechanics, seeing a hole in the case, sometimes, with mistaken
zeal, plug it up. This should be guarded against.
Frequently the pressure in the cockpit is not exactly the same
as the atmospheric pressure immediately around the airplane.
This is especially true in cabin planes. For accurate readings a
tubing is connected to the altimeter case, the outer open end of the
tubing being outside the cabin at some point on the structure
where there is only static pressure.
To make the altimeter sensitive, the side of the aneroid is of
large area. A very slight difference of pressure will then make
an appreciable pointer movement.
It is important that an altimeter have very little lag. Inertia
varies with mass, so that, if the aneroid or other moving parts
have considerable mass, they will have more inertia or resistance
to sudden movement. Sensitive altimeters are built with large
aneroids, but sufficient care is taken in balancing the moving parts
so that lag is reduced to a minimum.
It should be noted that the word " sensitive " is not synony
mous with accurate. A sensitive altimeter is one in which the
pointer moves a detectable amount for very small changes in
altitude. A " sensitive " altimeter is subject to the same errors
as other aneroid altimeters if the atmosphere at the time of flight
is not standard, i.e., if the pressure and temperatures do not
correspond with the standard pressure-temperature-altitude
relation.
Altimeters, Miscellaneous Types. At sea, sonic depth-finders
are used, the time interval being measured for a sound to travel
to the bottom of the ocean and echo back. Boehm in Germany
and Jenkins in the United States have attempted to adapt this
scheme to aircraft but with only moderate success.
A capacity altimeter depends on the principle that the mutual
electrical capacity of two adjacent plates increases with the
approach of a third plate. Two plates are fastened to the bot
tom of the fuselage and their capacity increases as the plane nears
the earth, which acts as the third plate. This device acts ad
mirably as a landing altimeter because the sensitivity increases
greatly as the altitude becomes small. Owing to weight and cost,
this type is rarely used.

296 INSTRUMENTS
At night, flying over water, a searchlight with a diverging beam
can be aimed directly downward. If alongside the searchlight
proper is mounted a telescope equipped with stadia wires, it is
possible to measure the diameter of the light circle on the water
and compute the altitude. Such a device has been used on the
Graf Zeppelin. By comparing the altitudes obtained by this
method with the readings of the aneroid altimeter, the meteorolo
gist ascertains whether the Graf is in a low- or high-pressure area
to aid him in his weather predictions. Another scheme used on
the Graf is to drop plaster eggs and time the interval till they
shatter on the water.
Airspeed Indicators. The airspeed indicator shows the speed
of the airplane with respect to the surrounding air, i.e., the speed
of the relative wind. In still air, the airspeed is the ground speed,
but if any wind is blowing, the airspeed and ground speed are
not the same. The airspeed indicator is a valuaWfe aid to the
pilot. It warns him when the plane is near its stalling speed. By
variations of its indications, he knows if he is nosing-up or diving.
In taking-off, the airspeed indicator tells him when he has attained
sufficient speed. He can know when he is at best climbing speed,
speed corresponding to L/Aotai maximum, etc. In dives he is
warned when the speed is becoming excessive for structural
strains.
Phot-Static Airspeed Indicators. The standard airspeed in
dicator makes use of a Pitot tube, which is a tube parallel to the
airplane axis, its open end pointing in the direction of flight.
The pressure at the open end of a correctly designed Pitot tube
will be
PI = P, + ^.y- per square foot
Pt is Pitot pressure in pounds per square foot
â, Ps is static (atmospheric) pressure in pounds
p is mass density of air in slugs per cubic foot
V is airspeed in feet per second
If the airspeed, F, is expressed in miles per hour instead of feet
per second this becomes
1.075
PITOT-STJkTIC AIRSPEED INDICATORS 297
If the Pitot and static pressures are in pounds per square inch,
= Ps + 0.00747 pF2
With air at standard density (p = 0.002378 slug per cubic fopt),
this becomes
P,= P, + 0.00001776 F2
In calibrating airspeed indicators against pressure gages, the
pressure gage shows the difference between the Pitot pressure and
the static pressure, so that
Pt - P, = 0.00001776 F2
or F = 237.3 V P, - P,
If the calibration of the airspeed indicator is against a U-tube of
water, since 1 in. of water is equivalent to a pressure of 0.0362 Ib.
per sq. in.,
h = 0.000491 F2 h is head of water in inches
or F = 45.2 v F is in miles per hour
Because cockpit pressure is not exactly the same as atmospheric
pressure, a static tube is mounted immediately adjacent to the
Pitot tube, and the other end of the static tube is connected to
the inside of the case of the pressure gage. The pressure gage will
then be operating on the dynamic pressure, or difference between
Pitot and static pressure, at the point where the Pitot and static
tubes are mounted. It is important that the tubes be in a proper
location where the air flow is not too greatly disturbed. For a
biplane, the best location is on a forward interplane strut about
midway of the gap. For a monoplane, the preferable location
is one-third the semi-span in from a tip and about half a chord
length forward of the leading edge in the plane of the under sur
face of the wing. Mounting the Pitot and static tubes on a rod
projecting this far in front of the wing, though it gives more
accurate airspeed readings, is undesirable from the liability of
their being damaged as the airplane is moved around in the hangar.
For this reason it is customary to mount the tubes about a foot
below the under surface of the wing, one-third the semi-span in
from the tip and vertically below the leading edge.

298 INSTRUMENTS
The tubing connecting the Pitot-static heads to the indicator
in the cockpit must be absolutely airtight. All connections should
be soldered or a metal union should be used. The former practice
of using rubber tubing to make joints is to be condemned as with
age the rubber cracks open.
Under certain weather conditions, ice forms on the open for
ward-projecting end of the Pitot tube. Because it is pressure,
not force, that is being measured, the actual size of the opening
makes very little difference. Ice partially blocking the opening
of the Pitot tube will not affect the readings of the airspeed in
dicator as long as there is even a pinhole opening. With the
opening totally sealed over by ice, the airspeed indicator fails to
function. Some Pitot tubes have means for being electrically
heated to prevent ice formation. It should be borne in mind
that the same* weather conditions that would cause stoppage by
ice of the Pitot tube would cause ice to form on the propeller and
leading edge of the wing, and a pilot should avoid this.
Pitot-Venturi Airspeed Indicator. At one time, it was almost
universal practice to mount a Venturi tube alongside a Pitot
tube and connect these by two lines of tubing to a pressure gage
airspeed indicator in the cockpit, so that one side or compartment
of the pressure gage had the Pitot pressure, the other had the suc
tion from the throat of the Venturi tube. The suction (or nega
tive pressure) at the throat of a properly designed Venturi tube is
numerically several times the (positive) pressure of a Pitot tube,
the air velocity being the same. The pressure gage operating on
the pressure differential between a Pitot tube and a Venturi tube
could be much more rugged and sturdy than one operating on the
pressure differences between a Pitot tube and a static tube.
The reason for the discontinuance of the manufacture and use
of the Pitot-Venturi type of airspeed indicator is that any deposit
of ice or mud on the forward lip of the Venturi nozzle destroyed
the smooth flow of air through the throat of the Venturi tube.
Unless the airflow was devoid of eddies and burbling, the suction
would not be proportional to airspeed and the instrument would
read incorrectly.
Altitude Correction for Airspeed Indicators. The Pitot-static
as well as the obsolete Pitot-Venturi airspeed indicators are termed
" dynamic," since the pressures on which the indicators operate
vary with the dynamic pressures, i.e., they vary with (p/2)V2.
COMPASSES, MAGNETIC-NEEDLE TYPE 299
These instruments, when the airplane is traveling at the same air
speed at altitude as at the ground, will be subjected to less pressure
difference at altitude since the density (p) is less. These airspeed
indicators will therefore read low at altitudes.
The mechanism of the indicator is designed to give a uniform
airspeed scale, so that, while the pressure varies as the square of
the velocity, a linkage is used that gives a pointer movement
varying as the square root of the pressure. Then as the density
(p) decreases with altitude, the pressure decreasing in the same
ratio, the indicated airspeed will decrease as the square root of the
density.
A rough rule is to add 2 per cent of the indicated airspeed for
every thousand feet of altitude to get the true airspeed. More
accurate results are obtained by multiplying the indicated air
speed by v/po/p, using values of p/po from Table I in this text.
The true airspeed is of little use in flying except, with wind
velocity known or by using a wind-star, to obtain groundspeed.
For handling the airplane the pilot desires to know not the true
airspeed but the dynamic airspeed or airspeed indicated on a
dynamic-type airspeed indicator. Maximum rate of climb,
stalling, stresses, etc., are all dependent on dynamic airspeed and
not on true airspeed. For example, if an airplane has a certain
stalling speed at sea-level, the stalling speed at any altitude will be
the sea-level stalling speed multiplied by \/po/p. The dynamic
airspeed indicator at any altitude indicates a speed which is the
true airspeed multiplied by Vp/po, or conversely, the true air
speed is the indicated airspeed multiplied by Vp0/p. If the stall,
ing speed is known at sea-level, whatever the altitude, when the
airspeed indicator reads that speed, the airplane is on the point
of stalling. In other words, if at some high altitude the airplane
is put in a stall and the airspeed indicator read, at any other
altitude when the airspeed indicator shows the same reading, the
airplane is stalled.
True Airspeed Indicator. Any freely revolving device such as
an anemometer or spinner (miniature propeller) will rotate at a
rate proportional to the true airspeed provided that there is little
or no friction. When friction is not negligible so that the rotor
must do some work, its speed is no longer independent of density.
Compasses, Magnetic-Needle Type. A magnetic compass is an
instrument which tells direction by means of the earth's mag-

300 INSTRUMENTS
netism. The earth's magnetic field is represented by magnetic
lines of force which, in general, run from the north magnetic pole
(located near 70Â° N., 96Â° W.) to the south magnetic pole (near
71Â° S., 148Â° E.) but with erratic diversions due to local deposits
of iron and other causes. These lines slope downward, except at
the magnetic equator, so that at the latitude of San Antonio the
lines slope 50Â° from the horizontal; farther north at the latitude
of New York the dip is 72Â°.
A magnetic needle, unaffected by nearby iron or steel, tends to
lie along the magnetic lines of force. In the United States, it is
customary in making compasses to suspend the needles from a
point considerably above the needles so that there will be little
tendency for the needles to dip. They will be free to swing into
the vertical plane of the magnetic lines of force. At only a few
places on the earth are these lines running true north and south.
Compasses therefore do not indicate true north, but when they
are in the plane of the magnetic lines of force, they are said to be
indicating magnetic north. The difference between true north
and magnetic north is the magnetic variation (or magnetic declina
tion). Variation is said to be plus or westerly when the compass
indicates a north which is west of the true north; variation is
easterly or negative when the compass indicates a north which is
east of the true north.
Charts or tables tell the variation at various places; a sample
chart for the United States is given in Fig. 108. The variation
changes from year to year so that the most recent chart should
always be used.
The pull of magnetic force is in the direction of the magnetic
lines of force; it is only the horizontal component of this force
that has a directional effect on the compass needles. Near the
earth's magnetic poles the direction of the force is nearly vertical
so that the compass needles have little tendency to point in any
direction.
Besides variation, compass needles are subject to the additional
error of deviation, which is due to the nearby presence of steel or
iron. Direct electric currents also affect the compass. The
deviating effect of these disturbing elements varies as the mass and
inversely as the square of the distance; a small piece of steel close
to the compass may have more effect than a large piece of steel at a
considerable distance. When deviation is such that the compass

COMPASSES, MAGNETIC-NEEDLE TYPE
301
indicates a north which is west of magnetic north, deviation is called
westerly or plus; when the compass north is east of the magnetic
north, deviation is easterly or minus.
The compass needles point in a general northerly direction.
As an airplane's heading is changed, the absolute direction with
-25'
20Â°
-15'
0Â«
FIG. 108. Magnetic variation for the United States, 1935.
respect to the compass of the engine, fuselage members, and other
steel parts is changed. The deviating effect of the engine, etc., is
therefore different with each heading of the airplane.
Variation depends on the geographic location of the airplane;
deviation depends on the heading.
To ensure that there shall not be large deviations, a compass on
an airplane should be compensated, which means placing small
magnets close to the compass needles to counteract as much as
possible the deviating influence of steel objects on the airplane.
It is usually not possible to correct all deviation; the most that is
attempted is to compensate on north heading and on east heading
so that there shall be zero deviation on these headings. The
airplane is then set on other headings (every 30Â° from north) and
the deviation recorded on a card which is fastened on or near the
compass. By consulting this deviation card, interpolating if
necessary, the pilot can correct his compass reading to obtain his
true heading.
302 INSTRUMENTS
Directions are given in degrees clockwise from north, so east is
90Â°, south is 180Â°, west is 270Â°, etc. Headings measured from true
north are true headings; measured from magnetic north they are
magnetic headings; and measured from the north indicated by the
compass they are compass headings.
A course is the direction an airplane should head to reach its
destination provided there is no cross-wind; if there is a cross-
wind, the proper heading is not the same as the course.
On airway strip maps, the line between airports is marked with
the magnetic course (M.C.) at intervals, wherever the variation
has changed by as much as 1Â°. Before these magnetic courses are
used by the pilot, they must be changed to compass courses by
applying deviation. If a pilot is using maps not so marked but
obtains a true course by any means, the true course must be
changed to a compass course by applying both variation and
deviation.
To find a magnetic course knowing the true course, the variation
is added to the true course if the variation is westerly, and sub
tracted from the true course if variation is easterly. To find the
true course knowing the magnetic course, the variation is sub
tracted from the magnetic course if the variation is westerly,
added to the magnetic course if variation is easterly.
To find a compass course knowing the magnetic course, the
deviation is added to the magnetic course if the deviation is
westerly, and subtracted from the magnetic course if the deviation
is easterly. To find a magnetic course knowing the compass
course, the deviation is subtracted from the compass course if
deviation is westerly, and added to the compass course if deviation
is easterly.
Example. It is desired to head due east. Variation (from map)
is 14Â° W. Deviation (from card on instrument board) is 10Â° E. What
should compass read?
Solution. True heading should be 90Â°; since magnetic N. is 14Â° west
of true N., magnetic heading should be 104Â°. Since compass N. is 10Â°
east of magnetic N., compass heading should be 94Â°.
Example. The compass heading is 260Â°. Variation is 21Â° E.
Deviation is 5Â° E. What is true heading?
Solution. Compass heading is 260Â°; since compass N. is 5Â° E. of
magnetic N., magnetic heading is 265Â°. Since magnetic N. is 21Â° E.
of true N., true heading is 286Â°.

COMPASSES, MAGNETIC-NEEDLE TYPE 303
Problems
1. Compass heading is 80Â°. Variation 15Â° W., deviation 10Â° W.
What is true heading?
3. It is desired to head 195Â° true. Variation 15Â° W., deviation
10Â° E. What should compass read?
3. True heading is 290Â°. Variation 25Â° E., deviation 5Â° W. What
is compass heading?
4. Magnetic heading is 340Â°. Deviation is 12Â° E. What is com
pass heading?
6. Compass heading is 355Â°. Variation 12Â° E., deviation 10Â° E.
What is true heading?
6. Magnetic heading is 5Â°. Deviation is 20Â° E. What is compass
heading?
7. True course is 160Â°. Variation is 10Â° W.; deviation is 15Â° E.;
there is no wind. What should be the compass heading?
8. True course is 15Â°. Variation is 20Â° W.; deviation is 8Â° E.;
there is no wind. What should be the compass heading?
9. Magnetic course is 274Â°. Deviation is 5Â° W.; there is no wind.
What should be compass heading?
10. Magnetic course is 129Â°. Deviation is 10Â° E.; there is no wind.
What should be compass heading?
Airplane compasses have two parallel bar magnets of tungsten
steel fastened to a spider of non-magnetic material. Affixed to the
spider is the " card " or scale, a cylindrical strip of celluloid or
thin brass, on which the graduations are marked. The compass
being mounted so that the pilot is virtually looking backwards at
the compass, the point on the card corresponding with the south-
seeking end of the magnets is marked N (North). The card is
usually marked with 5Â° graduations.
From the center of the card, a stellite pivot projects downward,
resting in a jewel-cup on the top of a post extending up from the
bottom of the bowl. A retaining device prevents the pivot from
jumping out of the cup (see Fig. 109).
All airplane compasses are of the liquid type. The compass
magnets and card are inside a spherical metal bowl which has a
glass window on one side, and the entire bowl is full of mineral
spirits. The liquid serves two purposes; it buoys up the card so
that there is less friction at the pivot, and it damps the swingings
of the card.
Oscillations of the card are caused either by the airplane's nose
swinging to one side which by friction with the interior of the

304
INSTRUMENTS
bowl causes the liquid to swirl, moving the card; by a wing
dropping which makes the compass card pivot no longer vertical
permitting the magnets to dip; or by vibrations transmitted from
the engine. To prevent the last, the entire compass is mounted
on felt washers.
Filler
Drawer (or Compensating
Magnets
Lubber Line
Pivot
Sylphon
nber-J
Card
Magnetic Needles
Glass Window
Expansion Chamberâ1 ' '.Retaining Claws
FIG. 109. Compass, magnetic needle type.
Ordinarily compass cards have a regular period for an oscillation
and are termed periodic. The period is the time required to swing
from an extreme position on one side to an extreme position on the
other side and return. Whether the amount of swing is large or
small, the period is practically the same. With excessive damp
ing, the periods are not of the same duration; such compasses are
termed aperiodic. An aperiodic compass, if disturbed, will re
quire a longer time to return to north than the more common type
of compass, but the aperiodic card will not swing so far past north.
In a very few swings it will be steady enough to read, whereas an
ordinary compass will swing several times before the amplitude
has decreased to such a small amount that it may be read. As
yet, aperiodic compasses have not been so built as to be adaptable
for instrument-board mounting; they serve well as master com
passes to be placed back in the cabin, away from magnetic ma
terial, to check the pilot's steering compass.
Steering entirely by compass is very tiring to the pilot, and for
this reason the compass should be so mounted as to be as nearly
as possible in the pilot's ordinary line of vision. The compass
should be placed where it will be affected least by local magnetic
material such as steel fuselage members, voltage regulators, and
guns. Care should be taken when mounting to ensure that the
bolts, washers, and nuts are brass or aluminum.

COMPASSES, INDUCTION TYPE 305
Compasses, Induction Type. The ordinary compass is a direct-
reading instrument; the induction-type compass is a distant-
reading instrument, that is, the part affected by the earth's mag
netism is a considerable distance from the part the pilot reads.
The induction-type compass consists of three main parts, a gen
erator, a control-dial, and an indicator. The generator is located
in a part of the airplane as free as possible from steel, usually in
the extreme rear of the fuselage. The indicator is placed in the
cockpit where it can be easily seen by the pilot. The control dial
is located conveniently for the avigator, or for the pilot if he is
functioning also as avigator.
The induction compass depends on the principle that, if mag
netic lines of force are cut by a moving wire, a difference in electric
potential is created at the ends of the wire. If the wire moves
parallel to the magnetic lines of force, no lines being cut, there
will be no difference of potential. If a coil of wire is connected
to a galvanometer and the coil is rotated about a vertical axis, at
the instant that the coil is in the magnetic north-south plane, the
galvanometer will indicate a maximum current, but at the instant
that the coil is in the magnetic east-west plane the galvanometer
will indicate zero current. Instead of a single coil, one may con
ceive of a number of coils in different planes all wrapped around
a cylindrical core with the ends of each separate coil terminating
in commutator segments, and a pair of brushes connecting with
the galvanometer. As long as the brushes are in the magnetic
east-west plane, they are connected through the commutator
with a coil just as it is not cutting any lines of force. If the brushes
are not in the east-west plane, they will be connecting with a coil
when it is cutting the magnetic lines of force and therefore a cur
rent will be indicated on the galvanometer. A zero reading on the
galvanometer would show that the brushes were in the magnetic
east-west plane.
The brushes arc mounted on a turntable which may be rotated
by the control dial. With the elementary type described above,
when it is desired to fly magnetic north, the brushes are set
exactly thwartship (perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the
airplane). As long as the airplane is headed due magnetic north,
the galvanometer will read zero. If the airplane's heading changes
by even a slight amount to one side, the brushes will no longer be in
the east-west plane and the galvanometer will be deflected to one

306
INSTRUMENTS
side. If it is desired to fly, say, a 30Â° magnetic heading, the
brushes are turned through a 30Â° angle counter-clockwise viewed
from above. With the brushes in this position, right rudder is
given till the galvanometer reads zero, which will be when the
airplane is headed 30Â° magnetic. Veering to one side or other from
this heading will cause corresponding deflections of the needle.
In the induction compass as actually constructed, instead of a
number of separate coils, the armature is drum-wound, greatly
adding to the sensitivity of the instrument. The functioning is
the same as described above except that the brush positions are
shifted through an angle of 90Â°. The vertical armature shaft
projects up through the top of the fuselage, and on the upper end
is a paddle-wheel or impeller which is caused to revolve by the
slipstream. The axis of the armature coils must be truly vertical
at all times; therefore, since the airplane may be flying at different
angles of attack, a universal joint is necessary between the upper
and lower ends of the armature shaft (see Fig. 110).
Fio. 110. Compass, induction type.
Propeller mounted
in slipstream
The induction compass is a magnetic compass, and corrections
must be made for variation in order to obtain true directions.
The rotor or armature can usually be so located that deviation is
negligible, but if deviation is appreciable, compensation can be
made by strapping permanent magnets to the vertical shaft-
housing of the rotor.
The induction-type compass will read zero either when the
airplane is on the desired heading or when it is 180Â° off from the
desired heading. When the airplane is on its correct heading a
shift of the heading to the right will make the galvanometer needle
deflect to the right, and a shift of heading to the left will make
DIRECTIONAL GYRO 307
the needle deflect to the left. When the airplane is 180Â° off from
correct heading, a shift of heading to the right will make the needle
deflect to the left, and vice versa.
One of the chief advantages of the induction-type compass
over the ordinary type is that with the ordinary type on long flights
the pilot must constantly bear in mind the heading that he must
fly. With the induction type, after the control dial has once been
set, the pilot has only to fly so as to keep the needle of the gal
vanometer always on zero.
Compass, Magneto Type. Because of the weight of the in
duction compass (14 to 15 Ib. for total installation) and because of
trouble with failure of the universal joint, the General Electric
Company has brought out a modification called the magneto
compass, weighing less than 9 Ib. In line, one on each side of the
armature are two bars or pole pieces of Permalloy, a special alloy
of iron which is extraordinarily permeable to magnetic lines of
force. If the bars were placed in a north-south plane there would
be a very strong magnetic flux across the poles. The poles, how
ever, are so placed by the control dial that, whenever the airplane
is on its proper heading, the poles are in the east-west plane.
There is then no magnetic flux across the space between the poles
where the armature is turning. If the heading is changed even
slightly, there will be a magnetic flux cut by the armature coils
and a current will be shown on the galvanometer. Slip-rings are
used instead of an armature. The armature shaft is rigid through
its entire length, no universal joint being necessary. The pole
pieces are mounted on a heavy pendulum so that the poles are at
all times in a horizontal position.
Directional Gyro. A true gyroscopic compass such as installed
on marine vessels is inapplicable to airplane use. Necessarily the
rotating mass must be heavy, making the total installation very
weighty. On the Graf Zeppelin, the only aircraft on which a
gyroscopic compass has been tried, the installation was more than
300 Ib. in weight. A gyroscopic compass is a north-seeking device
in that a weight is suspended by a yoke on the gyroscope shaft
so that, if the shaft is ever off from a true north-south line, the
weight, in conjunction with the earth's rotation, will cause pre
cession back to a true north indication.
The directional gyro is not a gyroscopic compass in that it has
no directive force to make it seek a north heading. It is set by

308 INSTRUMENTS
reference to a magnetic or radio compass. After being set, the
directional gyro will remain on heading for several minutes, the
exact time depending on the bumpiness of the air and the amount
of maneuvering of the airplane. The ordinary compass is very
difficult to steer by. The card of the magnetic-needle type is
constantly swinging from side to side; in extreme cases the card
may spin completely around. With the induction type, the
pointer of the indicator, except on extremely calm days, is flicker
ing from side to side. The indications of the directional gyro are
remarkably steady and consequently easy to stear by.
The operation of the directional gyro may be said to depend on
the law of gyroscopic inertia. The energy stored up by the rota
tion of the gyro wheel tends to keep the axis of rotation in its
original position or in a position parallel to its original position.
The directional gyro is in a case which is airtight except for two
openings. One opening is connected either to the throat of a
Venturi tube located in the slipstream or to an engine-driven pump,
Rotor -
Horizontal Ring-
Direction of Flight >-
U- Vertical A*is
|XTt*SM'^m\ \ N A
.Card
\\Â«~~ Horizontal AJHS
'\
. Caging Arm
Synchronizer Pinion/ "**. Synchronizer Gear
FIG. 111. Directional gyro.
causing a partial vacuum (3^ in.) inside the case. The other
opening is to the outer air but it is so arranged that entering air
passes through nozzles to strike against buckets cut in the rim of
the gyro rotor, causing the rotor to spin at a speed of 10,000 to
12,000 r.p.m. The rotor wheel weighs 11 oz. Its horizontal
shaft is held in bearings in a horizontal gimbal ring. This hori
zontal ring is pivoted and free to turn about a horizontal axis in
the plane of rotation of the gyro rotor.
A view of the directional gyro is shown in Fig. 111. Ordinarily

310 INSTRUMENTS
see Fig. 112. The gyrostat of the turn indicator has therefore
only one degree of freedom, the axle may turn about an axis which
is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the airplane. This is different
from the directional gyro in which the gyroscope has the further
freedom of rotation about a vertical axis so that the axle may
point in any direction and at any vertical angle. In the turn
indicator, the gimbal ring is ordinarily held in a horizontal posi
tion by a centralizing spring. The gyrostat wheel has buckets on
its rim. Air is removed from the case by a Venturi tube in the
slipstream or by an engine-driven pump, the atmospheric pressure
forcing air to enter through a nozzle. The entering air strikes the
buckets causing the wheel to spin at approximately 9,000 r.p.in.
The direction of rotation is such that the upper rim of the wheel
goes in the direction towards the nose of the airplane.
In operation, a horizontal turn of the airplane turns the axle
of the gyro wheel. The combination of this turning force and the
inertia force of rotation causes the gyro to precess. A right turn
of the aircraft causes the right end of the gyro axle to move up or
to make the gimbal ring rotate in a counter-clockwise manner as
viewed from the pilot's seat. A left turn of the airplane would
cause precession to move the right end of the gyro axle downward.
The gimbal ring has a projecting lug which moves in a slotted arm
connected to the pointer, so that the pointer moves to the same side
as does the bottom of the gyro wheel in processing.
It must be emphasized that the turn indicator shows turns
about the apparent vertical or Z axis of the airplane and not
about the true vertical in space. It shows both properly banked
or skidded turns. In a banked turn, since the tipping of the
spin axis of the gyro is opposite to the bank, the instrument is very
sensitive. In a sideslip, where the airplane is banked without
turning, the turn indicator registers zero. Likewise, in a verti
cally banked turn where the apparent vertical or Z axis of the air
plane is actually horizontal, the turn indicator shows zero. The
name " turn indicator " is incorrect; the instrument should be
called a yaw indicator since it shows yaw, not actual turn.
Bank Indicators. The banking indicator is a lateral incli
nometer. Its purpose is in straight flight to indicate if the air
plane is laterally level and in turning flight to indicate if the air
plane is properly banked.
In a turn, centrifugal force combines with gravity to form a

PITCH INDICATORS 311
resultant force which acts on every part of the airplane in the
same direction. A pendulum or spirit level indicates an apparent
vertical which is the direction of this resultant force. A spirit
level mounted on the instrument board, laterally with respect to
the airplane, may serve as a bank indicator. In straight flight
with wings level, the bubble is in the central highest part of the
glass tube; if one wing is low the bubble goes to the high side.
In a properly banked turn, the bubble is in the center of the tube.
In skidding, where the outer wing is too low, centrifugal force
throws the liquid to the outer end of the tube, making the bubble
appear at the inner (or too high) end. In slipping, where the
inner wing is too low, the liquid goes to the inner or low end, the
bubble appears at the high end.
Because with a spirit level a bump will cause the fluid to surge
back and forth, and there being no way of damping this bubble
movement, the preferred bank indicator is the ball-in-glass-tube
type. In this type the glass tube is curved downward at the
middle; the steel ball has almost as large a diameter as the inner
diameter of the tube and thus has a dashpot action with respect
to the liquid in the tube. The fluid is usually a mixture of alcohol
and glycerine. By painting the outer back surface of the tube
with luminous paint, this type works nicely in night-flying, the
ball standing out as a black disk against the luminescent back
ground.
With the ball-in-tube type, the ball goes towards the end of the
tube that is too low. If in straight flight the wings are level, or
if in turning flight the wings are banked the correct angle, the
ball remains in the center of the tube. To correct the airplane,
the pilot needs to remember only the simple rule, to move the stick
in the same direction that he would move the ball in bringing it to
the center of the tube.
Usually the bank indicator and turn indicator are in the same
case, the combination instrument being called the bank-and-
turn indicator.
Pitch Indicators. The pitch indicator is a fore-and-aft in
clinometer to tell whether or not the aircraft is flying level longi
tudinally. With constant revolutions per minute the airspeed
indicator can be used for this purpose, a decreased airspeed mean
ing climb, an increased airspeed meaning dive, and an unchanged
airspeed denoting level flight. The increased airspeed comes,

312 INSTRUMENTS
however, after the nose has gone down, and the decreased air
speed conies after the nose has gone up. To eliminate this slight
lag which tends to cause overcontrol, and also because in cold
weather there is a danger of the Pitot tube becoming clogged with
ice, it is desirable to have an instrument that gives directly the
angular attitude of the airplane with respect to the horizontal.
The problem of finding longitudinal inclination is extremely
difficult because of the effects of accelerations. A spirit level
resting on a horizontal table top shows the bubble in the center of
the glass. If the spirit level is shoved along the table as the move
ment is started, owing to inertia the liquid surges backward and the
bubble moves forward in the direction the spirit level is being
moved. When constant motion is attained, the bubble becomes
centered again. When the movement is stopped, the liquid
surges onward so that the bubble goes to the rear of the glass.
A pendulum hanging in a moving vehicle hangs vertical when the
vehicle is not moving or is at a constant speed, swings backward
when the vehicle is accelerated and forward under the effect of a
deceleration.
If a plumb-bob is suspended at the side of an airplane against a
circular scale, it will hang vertically when the speed of the airplane
is constant. Suddenly opening the engine throttle to increase the
airspeed would cause the plumb-bob to swing backward, and
momentarily at least the pilot looking at the reference scale would
be led to believe that he had nosed up. If the nose of the airplane
drops 10Â° after the airplane has attained a constant speed con
sistent with his throttle opening and this angle of dive, the plumb-
bob on the side of the cockpit will indicate the 10Â° downward
angle. As the nose goes down, however, the speed increases, and
this increase of speed may be at such a rate that the plumb-bob
may actually be thrown backward, indicating to the pilot a climb.
If the nose of the airplane goes up, the decrease in speed may cause
the plumb-bob to swing forward and it will remain forward of its
correct position till the lessened speed is constant. A spirit level
mounted on the side of an airplane will give wrong indications
similar to that of the plumb-bob. Neither a simple pendulum nor
a simple spirit level will serve as a longitudinal inclinometer.
A solution that works very effectively is a gyro-controlled pen
dulum, as shown in Fig. 113. A short-period pendulum is con
nected by a link to the gimbal ring of a gyrostat. The gyro wheel

314
INSTRUMENTS
The speed acceleration tends to throw the pendulum backward,
but the greater precessional force moves the pendulum forward.
When the pitch indicator, bank indicator, and turn indicator
are all mounted in one case, the combination is called the flight
indicator.
Gyro-Horizon. Although the flight indicator gives the desired
information, it is generally conceded that it is easier for the pilot
Right Bank Climb Level Flight
Dive
Horizon Bar
Gimbal Ring
Direction of Flight >.
Left BanK
, Rotor Housing
Pointer Guide Pin
Pointer
Balancing
Weight
Pivot of Rotor Housing
Pendulum Assembly
Airport
FIo. 114. Gyro-horizon.
to visualize the attitude of the airplane from a miniature replica
of the airplane and the horizon than from reading two separate
and distinct arbitrary scales. The gyro-horizon gives the angle
of pitch and the true angle of bank. On the face of the instrument
is a small representation of the airplane, and back of this moves a
bar representing the horizon (see Fig. 114).

GYRO-HORIZON 315
The rotor in the gyro-horizon rotates about what is ordinarily a
vertical axis, in a counter-clockwise direction viewed from above.
The rotor is encased in a housing which is swung in a gimbal ring,
so that the housing may rotate in a vertical plane parallel with the
longitudinal axis of the airplane. The gimbal ring is swung on
pivots so that the gimbal may rotate on an axis parallel with the
longitudinal axis of the airplane. The front pivot of the gimbal
and the left pivot of the rotor housing are so constructed that
outside air may enter through the gimbal pivot and pass through
a small channel inside the gimbal, then through the gimbal pivot
to the interior of the rotor housing. With this construction, no
matter what the angular position of the gimbal or the housing,
outside air will be able to enter the housing. After entering the
housing, the air divides and goes through two passages to nozzle
openings on diametrically opposite sides of the rotor. After doing
the work of causing the rotor to spin, the air leaves by four ports
at the bottom of the rotor housing.
A long arm hinged to the front of the gimbal ring terminates in
a " horizon " bar across the face of the instrument. This bar is
always parallel to the plane of the gimbal ring. A pin fastened to
the rotor housing projects through a slot in the gimbal to actuate
the arm of the horizon bar, moving the bar up when the upper part
of the rotor housing is moved backward in the case towards the
pilot and down when the rotor housing has an opposite relative
motion.
At the bottom of the rotor housing are four air-ports or openings,
set 90Â° apart, so that two are on the fore-and-aft axis of the air
plane and two on the lateral axis. At each opening is a vane, hung
pendulously, so that, when the rotor housing is exactly vertical,
each vane covers half of its corresponding opening. An equal
quantity of air then issues from each opening. If the gyro de
parts from its upright position, gravity holding the vanes vertical,
one vane completely closes its port as shown in the lower left-hand
diagram in figure, while the opposite vane completely opens its
port as shown in the lower right-hand diagram. Air streaming
out in a jet from an opening when none is issuing from the opposite
side causes a reaction tending to swing the bottom of the gyro
housing in the opposite direction from the side from which the jet
is issuing. This force combined with the inertia force of the gyro
rotation causes precession in a direction at right angles to the air

316
INSTRUMENTS
reaction which would be in the direction shown by the arrow in the
lower right-hand diagram. This corrective movement brings the
gyro back to its normal position. Any tendency of the gyro to
depart from its true vertical position, caused by acceleration forces
or by friction in the bearings, is thus corrected. Although the
pilot apparently sees a movement of the horizon bar over the
face of the instrument, the horizon bar is actually stationary, and
it is the miniature airplane, as well as the real plane, that is moving
relatively to the bar.
Rate-of-Climb Indicators. Although pitch indicators and
artificial horizons show the attitude of the plane with respect to the
horizontal, an airplane can have a constant angle with the hori
zontal and be either climbing, settling, or flying level, depending
on whether the plane has excess speed, insufficient speed, or the
correct speed corresponding to the angle of attack. A sensitive
altimeter will tell a pilot whether he is going up or down but will
not tell him directly the rate at which he is gaining or losing
altitude.
In climbing, there is one angle of attack and one airspeed at
which the rate of climb is greatest; the airspeed for maximum
rate of climb varies with the load on the airplane, the angle of
attack bears no simple relation to the angle of the longitudinal
axis with the horizontal plane. In gliding, there is one angle of
attack and one airspeed for the flattest angle of glide, and this
airspeed varies with the load.
Capillary
Tube
Fio. 115. Rate-of-climb indicator.
For these reasons an instrument giving directly the rate of
climb, either positive or negative, is very useful in fog flying and
in flight testing. The most satisfactory rate-of-climb indicator is
the capillary-leak type, sometimes called the " leaky altimeter "
type. An aneroid is mounted in a case with a large opening from
the interior of the aneroid box to the outside air. In the case,
outside of the aneroid box, is an opening to the outside air through

DRIFT INDICATORS 317
a long, very fine capillary glass tube (see Fig. 115). As long as the
aircraft stays at the same altitude, the air in the case outside the
aneroid is at the same pressure as that in the interior of the aneroid.
When the altitude is changed, the air inside the aneroid because
of the large opening instantly assumes the air pressure corre
sponding to the new altitude, but some time must elapse before
sufficient air can escape or enter by the capillary tube for the air
in the case outside the aneroid to attain the pressure correspond
ing to the new altitude.
In climbing, the air inside the aneroid is at less pressure than
the air outside, and so the sidewalls contract. This motion is
transmitted and magnified by a lever arm and chain to a spring
roller to which the pointer is attached. In a glide the air inside
the aneroid is at greater pressure than the air outside, so that the
side walls expand, giving a reverse motion to the pointer. Flow
through a simple orifice depends on density, but flow through a
capillary tube is within wide limits practically independent of
density and depends only on the viscosity. An instrument, such
as described above, can therefore be graduated in rate of climb,
and it will retain its calibration at all altitudes.
Drift Indicators. Whenever there is a cross-wind, an aircraft
does not travel over the ground in the same direction as the air
craft is headed. The actual path of the aircraft over the ground
is called the track. The angle between the aircraft heading and
the track is called the drift angle or simply the drift.
To ascertain the drift, it is necessary to see objects on the
ground. If the ground objects that are seen directly ahead of the
aircraft pass directly below the aircraft and then appear directly
astern there is no drift. If the objects as they are passing to the
rear appear to be moving over to one side, the airplane is said to
drift. To be able to estimate the angle of drift, devices are
provided through which the operator sights on objects on the
ground. The basic principle of all drift indicators is essentially
the same. A bar or wire on the outside of the cockpit or a glass
plate with ruled parallel lines set in the floor of the cockpit is so
arranged that the bar, wire, or glass plate is rotatable in a hori
zontal plane. The wire or lines are turned until, to the observer
in the airplane, objects on the ground appear to be moving back
ward along the wire. If the airplane is rolling or pitching, th3
objects will describe an erratic path as viewed from the airplane..

318 INSTRUMENTS
The observer must mentally average out these deviations from a
straight path and so set his wire that the object appears to move
equally on either side of the wire.
For over-water flights, smoke bombs by day and flares by
night are dropped overboard from the airplane. On the hori
zontal tail surface are painted lines radiating from a sighting point
in the roof of the cabin, where the observer can place his eye.
The central line runs along the center line of the fuselage; the
other lines are 5Â° apart. After dropping over the bomb or flare,
the observer waits till he sights the smoke or light over the tail.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
N.A.C.A. Reports 125-128.
U. 8. ARMY, T.R. 1440-50.
SPERRY GYROSCOPE Co., The Sperryscope.

CHAPTER XIX
METEOROLOGY
Introduction. The ancients believed that the presence of
meteors in our atmosphere was largely responsible for weather
changes and therefore gave the name of meteorology to the art
or science of weather forecasting. This conception has long since
been proved false, but the old name of meteorology is still retained.
The United States Navy has adopted the term aerology. It is
more appropriate and less tongue-twisting and is being used more
and more by aviators.
Meteorology is an important adjunct to aviation. From a
standpoint of safety, a study of the meteorological conditions
should give warning of flying hazards such as storms or fog.
When flying over clouds, consideration of certain meteorological
factors should enable the pilot to estimate, at least in a general
way, his drift. Pilots of free balloons can judge at what altitude
to travel to secure favorable winds. Dirigibles can alter their
course in order to secure suitable weather conditions.
The United States Weather Bureau was started many years
ago as a division of the Department of Agriculture. Its pre
dictions were primarily for the farmer, to warn him in a general
way of impending freezing weather or of rain. In the early days,
the observations were taken only at ground level or on the roofs of
tall buildings.
With increasing knowledge of the technique of weather fore
casting and the growth of flying demanding a more exact and
thorough prediction, in recent years there has been improvement
in the precision and minuteness of weather prediction. Today,
in addition to ground observations made twice daily at some 250
stations in the United States, upper-air measurements of tem
perature, pressure, and humidity are made daily by the Weather
Bureau at seven stations, by the Naval Air Service at seven, and
by the Army Air Corps at eight. One important airline has its own
staff of meteorologists to supplement the governmental agencies.
All these agencies interchange data, and in addition to the Weather
319
320 METEOROLOGY
Bureau system of intercommunication, the Department of Com
merce maintains a teletype system at the principal airports.
The upper-air measurements are made by means of a meteoro
graph carried aloft by an airplane or by small unmanned free
balloons called sounding balloons. The meteorograph is a small
combination instrument containing a clockwork-operated smoked
drum on which are recorded temperature, pressure, and humidity.
The temperature-indicating unit is a bimetallic strip of dissimilar
metals which bends on heating. The pressure-indicating unit
is a tiny aneroid. The humidity indicator consists of a number
of animal hairs stretched over an elastic framework.
Temperature. The heat radiating from the sun passes first
through our atmosphere before reaching the earth. Dry air
absorbs practically no heat from the sun, but moist air does
absorb it. As half of the air is below 22,000 ft. and the air above
that altitude has scarcely any moisture content, practically all the
heat absorption by the air occurs at the lower altitudes.
The sun's radiation not absorbed by the atmosphere strikes the
earth's surface. Part of the radiation is absorbed and part re
flected or re-radiated, the exact proportion depending on whether
the surface is rock, field, trees, ice, etc. Dark surfaces, like plowed
fields, absorb more heat and are at a slightly greater temperature
than reflecting surfaces such as green fields. The air in contact
with the ground is heated by direct conduction, and this air heats
air with which it is in contact by direct conduction. Also warm
air rises, so that warm air may be found at considerable altitude.
These rising currents of warm air are called convection currents,
and the presence of warm air at altitude from this cause is said to
be due to convection.
When a mass of air at a given temperature is compressed adia-
batically, that is, without the addition or subtraction of heat, the
temperature of the air increases. Conversely, when a mass of
air is allowed to expand without heat being added or heat being
allowed to escape, the temperature drops. The heat conduc
tivity of atmospheric air being very low, if a mass of dry air moves
from one level to a higher level, since the pressure is less at the
higher altitude, the air will expand very nearly adiabatically and
consequently drop in temperature. This drop will be approxi
mately 1Â° F. for every 185-ft. increase in altitude. On the other
hand, air moving downward 185 ft. should increase 1Â° in tempera-
PRESSURE 321
ture. Actually other factors affect the heating and cooling so that
the change in temperature is usually less than 1Â° for 185-ft.
altitude difference.
Both for the reason explained in the last paragraph and because
the heating effect of the earth is less with higher altitude, the
temperature decreases as one rises above the earth. The rate at
which temperature decreases with altitude is called the tempera
ture gradient. The temperature continually decreases until the
stratosphere is reached. In the stratosphere, the temperature is
presumed to be constant.
At night, the ground cools quickly so that the air adjacent to the
ground drops in temperature. When this occurs, the air gets
warmer as one ascends a short distance. This is termed reverse
temperature gradient. At a comparatively low altitude, this
reversal stops and the temperature decreases as further ascent is
made.
On weather maps, lines, usually dotted ones, are drawn connect
ing geographic points that have the same ground temperature.
These lines are called isotherms.
Humidity. Warm air can hold more water vapor in suspension
than cold air can. The amount of saturation of air with water
vapor is called the humidity. Absolute humidity is the actual
amount of water vapor present in a cubic inch or cubic centimeter
of air. Relative humidity is the ratio of the mass of moisture
present in the air to the amount required for complete satu
ration.
When warm air with high relative humidity is chilled, the abso
lute humidity may remain the same, but since at lower tempera
ture less moisture is required to saturate the air completely, in
lowering the temperature, the relative humidity increases. If
the relative humidity increases to more than 100 per cent, pre
cipitation will take place.
Pressure. Atmospheric pressure is due to the weight of the
column of air extending from the point of measurement upward
to the limit of our atmosphere. Atmospheric pressure is usually
given in terms of the height of a mercury column that would be
supported by the atmosphere. Even though glass tubes con
taining mercury are rarely used now except as basic standards,
aneroid barometers are marked off in units of height of mercury
columns. Standard atmospheric pressure is 29.92 in. or 760 mm.

322 METEOROLOGY
A unit only used in meteorological work is the millibar (1,000
millibars = 750 mm. of mercury = 29.53 in. of mercury).
On weather maps, lines are drawn connecting places that have
the same equivalent sea-level barometric pressure. These lines
are called isobars.
Warm air expands and its density decreases. This would tend
to make the barometric pressure less over heated areas and
greater over surrounding cooler areas.
Considering the earth as a whole, as the equatorial regions re
ceive nearly three times the amount of heat received by the polar
regions, it might be expected that there would be a region of low
barometric pressure in the tropics and of high barometric pressure
near the poles. This is true in so far that there is low pressure in
the tropics, but owing to the earth's rotation, centrifugal force
draws the air away from the poles. The resulting effect is to have
in general a comparatively high-pressure band around the earth
at about 30Â° latitude and low-pressure areas at the equator and
around the poles.
Winds. Air, like any other fluid, travels from a region of high
pressure to one of low pressure. A large difference in barometric
pressure at two places a short distance apart geographically will
cause a strong air movement or wind. A small pressure difference
will cause a correspondingly weaker wind. On American weather
maps, isobars are drawn for 0.1-in. pressure difference. Where
these isobars are close together, there are strong winds; where
there are big spaces between the isobars, the winds are very mild.
Because air travels from high-pressure to low-pressure areas, it
might be expected that, in the northern hemisphere, at the south
ern edge of the temperate zone there would be north winds and at
the northern edge of the temperate zone there would be south
winds. These north and south winds are modified by the earth's
rotation as follows. The earth is rotating from west to east.
" Stationary " air on the equator actually is moving eastward
with a velocity greater than 1,000 miles per hour. Air farther
from the equator has less eastward velocity. At any latitude, the
ground and " stationary " air has less eastward velocity than the
ground and " stationary " air at less latitude. Air tending to move
directly northward in the northern hemisphere, owing to its
greater eastward velocity, becomes a southwest wind. Air
tending to move southward is moving into a region which has a

WEATHER MAPS
323
greater eastward velocity, so that the north wind becomes a north
east wind. This is true whether the air movement is on a large or
small scale.
When, from local heating or other causes, there is a low-pressure
area, usually called simply a " low," in the northern hemisphere,
air instead of moving radially inward deviates to the right, so
that there is a counter-clockwise rotation of wind about a low, as
(a) Wind Direction in Low. Northern Hemisphere
<tÂ» Wind Direction in High, Northern Hemisphere
Fin. 110. Wind directions (a) In lx>w, (6) in High.
shown in Fig. 116a. About a high-pressure area, or high, the air
instead of moving radially outward at right angles to the isobars
veers to the right as shown in Fig. 1166.
Weather Maps. Areas of high and low barometric pressure are
constantly moving across the United States from west to east.
A rapid movement and constant succession of highs and lows
implies frequent changes in the weather. A slow movement
portends a continuation of the present weather.

324
METEOROLOGY
Although a study of a daily weather map gives a certain amount
of information, it is always advisable to study, in conjunction with
it, the maps of the two previous days. By doing this, the paths
of the disturbances can be visualized and the probable future
positions of the disturbances predicted. For special reasons dis
turbances sometimes appear seemingly spontaneously; but the
highs and the lows are usually noted first on the west coast and
they follow more or less well-defined paths across the United States.
Lows. In meteorology, the term " cyclone " is synonymous
with " low." In some localities, owing to distinct temperature
differences from adjacent regions which maintain themselves for
long periods, there are lows which are more or less stationary or
semi-permanent. Mostly, however, the lows move eastward at
Clear weather
Cold air
a rate of about 25 miles
per hour in the summer
and about 40 miles per
hour in the winter.
Examining Fig. 117, it
will be seen that, if a line
is drawn through the
center of the low in a
northeast to southwest di
rection as shown by the
dotted line, winds on the
southeast side of this line
come from a southerly direction while those on the other side
have a component from the north. Winds from the south bring
warm air northward. Winds from the north bring cold air
southward.
Warm air
Fio. 117. Weather in a Tx>w.
When the warm air meets the cooler air, approximately in the
area marked A in Fig. 117, the warm air being of lighter density
rises and flows over the cold air. The mass of cold air meeting
the warmer air at B, Fig. 117, forces its way under the warm air.
The leading surface of a mass of air in motion is called a " front ";
that at A is a warm front, that at B a cold front. Fronts are not
sharp planes of discontinuity between warm and cold air. Wher
ever a mass of air at one temperature meets a mass at a different
temperature, there is always turbulence and a mixing of warm and
cold air. A front may be many miles in length.
In the northeast section of the low, the rising warm front de-
HIGHS 325
creases in temperature both because of expansion and because of
mixture with the colder air. If the warm air contained moisture,
the cooling will result in the water vapor condensing out to form
clouds. A continuation of the cooling will cause precipitation in
the form of rain or snow. The ascension of warm air is gradual
as the air moves northward, so the rainy area may be quite ex
tensive.
In the southwest section of the low, the cold front is much more
sharply denned. The change in temperature is quite sudden, and
the precipitation is much more intense. The turbulence along the
cold front is very intense, and the air is quite " bumpy " to the
pilot.
On the northwest side of a low, the air is cold. Cold air holds
little moisture in suspension. Any increase in temperature per
mits the air to absorb more water vapor, so that in this sector are
clearing weather and blue skies.
By watching the way in which smoke drifts away from chim
neys or flags flutter, a pilot may often be able to ascertain the
wind direction on the ground during the day. Knowing the direc
tion from which the wind blows enables the pilot to estimate the
direction of the center of the low, and he can head his airplane so
as to avoid the extremely bad weather. A very valuable rule to
remember is known as Buys-Ballot's law. It is, briefly, to
imagine oneself facing into the wind; the barometric pressure on
the right hand is lower than the left, and the center of the low will
be on the right-hand about 135Â° from dead ahead.
Highs. A region of high barometric pressure moves eastward
at less speed than a low-pressure area, and a large high-pressure
area may be stationary for several days. An exception to this
is the case where the high is situated between two lows; when this
occurs the high has the same velocity as the lows. As a rule,
when a high sets in, settled weather may be expected to last for
two or three days. Regions of high pressure are sometimes called
anticyclones.
In highs, the isobars have the same oval shape as in lows, but
the isobars are farther apart. The pressure gradient being less,
the winds are less in strength than those found in a low. A high
usually covers more territory, never being as concentrated as the
lows. The weather in a high is generally clear, but fog sometimes
occurs in the autumn. Rains are always of short duration.

326 METEOROLOGY
Since a high usually follows a low in progression across the
United States, when a high comes into a region, the rain area of
the preceding low has traveled onward. With the rise in barome
ter the weather clears and the temperature drops. At the center
of the high a perfect calm is usually found with a cloudless sky or
at most a few scattered clouds. Temperature is low at night but
rises rapidly during the day.
Winds Aloft. While winds at low altitudes cross the isobars at
an angle which is somewhat towards the right from going straight
across, as altitudes are increased the angle from a perpendicular
crossing becomes greater. At about 8,000-ft. altitude, the winds
are generally practically parallel to the isobars. Continuing
higher the winds change direction so as to become more nearly
west winds. If the wind at lower altitude is southeast it will
probably veer through south and southwest to west; if the wind
is northeast at lower altitude it will probably back through north
and northwest to west.
The velocity increases with altitude up to a height of 20,000 ft.
Above this, the wind usually decreases in strength. Roughly,
the wind at 5,000-ft. altitude has twice as great velocity as at the
ground.
Clouds. The suspension of water vapor in the air is determined
mainly by the temperature. When the temperature is high, a large
amount of water vapor may exist; when the temperature is low
only a small amount of water vapor can be held in suspension.
Consequently, if a mass of warm air carrying a high percentage of
moisture comes in contact with or moves completely into a cooler
region, the air is chilled and the water vapor is condensed to liquid
water in the form of minute drops. Particles of dust usually act
as nuclei about which this condensation collects, but sometimes a
drop of water acts as nucleus. These tiny drops form clouds, and
if the condensation continues, these drops grow in size until
precipitation as rain or snow results.
Clouds may be formed in several ways, such as when:
(a) Warm saturated air blows over cold sea or land, as when
warm currents pass over mountains especially if the mountains
are snow-covered, or in winter, warm south winds. Clouds thus
produced are usually of the stratus type; see below.
(b) Rising air expands and in expanding it is cooled, condensing
out its moisture. This usually produces cumulus clouds.

CLOUDS 327
(c) Air is forced to rise by encountering mountain slopes.
(d) Air may part with its heat by radiation on cold nights and
in cooling cannot contain so much moisture.
(e) Air is forced to rise when a warm front meets the cooler air
on the northeast sector of a low.
There are many different types of clouds but, all may be classi
fied under or are a combination of four main subdivisions.
Cirrus. These are thin and wispy. They are composed of ice
particles and are found at altitudes of 25,000 to 30,000 ft. Cirrus
clouds appear like giant, curling feathery plumes and are some
times called " mares' tails."
Cumulus. These are detached, fleecy clouds. They appear
like big lumps of absorbent cotton or shaving-soap suds. They
have a flat base. They are composed of water particles and
may be found at altitudes from 5,000 up to 25,000 ft.
Stratus. These are low, flat, spread-out clouds, resembling
fog but not resting on the ground, and are in distinct layers.
This type often merges into nimbus.
Nimbus. These are thick, extensive layer of formless clouds,
black on the under side from which rain or snow is falling.
Fog is cloud resting on or close to the ground. Fog is divided
into two classes, radiation fog and advection fog.
Radiation fog forms along rivers, creeks, etc., during still
cloudless nights of the summer or autumn. During a calm, warm
day, water evaporates into the lower atmosphere of such regions,
where it remains since there is no wind. During the night the
ground cools; the lower, moisture-laden air drops in temperature,
and condensation takes place.
Advection fog forms when warm air drifts slowly over a cold
surface. This occurs in winter in front of an advancing low.
Advection fog is also formed when a cold wind passes under a
mass of warm, damp air such as in winter in front of a high.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
HUMPHREY, Physics of the Air.
GREGG, Aeronautical Meteorology.
MAGUIRE, Aerology.
CHAPTER XX
AVIGATION
Introduction. Avigation is the guidance of aircraft along a
desired path and the ascertainment of the aircraft's geographic
position. The term " avigation " has superseded the older ex
pression " air navigation," which is anomalous since the word
navigation refers to travel by water.
The chief advantage of air travel over other means of trans
portation is the speed in reaching the destination. The two
reasons for this speed are: first, aircraft are faster than other
means of travel; and second, aircraft can travel the shortest
possible path. When aircraft follow railroads, highways, or
winding rivers, the only gain is due to the superior speed of the
aircraft. By cutting across mountain ranges, etc., to follow the
most direct route, the distance to be flown is reduced considerably.
Flying by following a definite landmark, such as a railroad,
river, or highway, or by sighting recognizable landmarks ahead
immediately after a known landmark has passed astern is a form
of avigation; but the term avigation is usually applied to the
conducting of an aircraft from place to place and finding position
when recognizable landmarks are not continuously in sight.
Dead reckoning (contracted from deduced reckoning) is the term
applied to the method of finding position by means of the direction
and distance flown from the last recognized landmark. It is
sometimes called compass flying. When long distances are flown,
dead reckoning is liable to considerable error, owing to the effect
of the wind not being known accurately, and the position should be
checked if possible by astronomic means or by the aid of radio.
Maps and Charts. The earth is an oblate spheroid, the polar
diameter of which is 7,900 miles and the equatorial diameter
7,926 miles. For all avigation work the earth is assumed to be a
sphere. The earth rotates daily about an axis, the ends of which
are the north and south poles. The equator is the circle formed by
a plane cutting the earth perpendicularly to the axis and equi
distant from the poles. The equator is everywhere 90Â° distant
328
MAPS AND CHARTS 329
from each pole. Circles passing through both poles are meridians.
Their direction is everywhere north and south. Circles formed by
planes cutting through the earth perpendicular to the axis are
called parallels of latitude.
The geographic position of any place on the earth may be de
noted by its latitude and longitude. The latitude of a place is the
length of the arc of the meridian through the place, between the
equator and the place. It is measured in degrees and minutes,
and is designated north or south according as the place is north
or south of the equator. The longitude of a place is the angle
between the plane of the meridian through the place and the plane
of the meridian through Greenwich, England. The angle is
measured in degrees and minutes, and longitude is designated
west or east according as the place is west or east of Greenwich.
A circle formed by any plane passing through the center of the
earth is called a great circle. The shortest path between two
places on the earth is along the great circle passing through the
two points.
A map or chart represents in miniature, upon a flat surface and
according to a definite system of projection, a portion of the earth.
Although the two names are used indiscriminately, a chart pic
tures a portion of the earth the greater part of which is water,
whereas a map depicts a portion of the earth's surface which is
mostly land.
No spherical surface can be depicted correctly on a flat surface.
There can be no accurate maps.
There are four uses for maps: (a) to find distances, (6) to find
directions, (c) to recognize natural features, and (d) to compare
areas. No map is ideal for all these purposes; a map may furnish
correct information for one of these uses and approximately cor
rect information for one or two of the others, but it cannot be
correct for all four.
The scheme or arrangement on which the parallels of latitude
and meridians are laid out is called the system of projection. An
infinite number of systems of projection may be thought of. At
one time or another several hundred have been used, and at
present over three dozen are actually in use in the maps made by
various nations and by various agencies and for various purposes.
The three most common projections which are widely used are the
mercator, the polyconic, and the great circle projections. For

330 AVIGATION
areas under 200 square miles the earth may be considered flat;
for larger areas the curvature of the earth becomes important.
It is important to know the system of projection of the map being
used and the limitations and inaccuracies of that system.
Polyconic Projection. The polyconic projection is used in the
United States Coast and Geodetic Survey maps, United States
Post Office maps, and the airway strip maps issued by the Depart
ment of Commerce and Army Air Corps. This projection can
usually be identified by being the only one of the three common
projections having a scale of miles printed on it. This scale of
miles is correct in the central portion of the map but is likely to be
slightly inaccurate near the sides of a map of such size as to cover
the area of a continent.
It is an ideal projection for areas the size of a single state. It is
best suited to maps which are long in the north-south dimension
and narrow in the east-west dimension, thus making it a satis
factory projection for maps of the Atlantic or Pacific coast. For
maps of the entire United States there is considerable distortion
near the seacoasts.
The parallels of latitude are circles of different radii. If the
map is large scale, short portions of the circular parallels may be
considered as being straight lines. When longer distances are
being dealt with, the curvature enters into the problem. On the
earth, the parallels of latitude are due east-west lines. On the
polyconic maps, since the parallels are represented by circles,
east-west lines have a different inclination in different parts of the
map; therefore, if a line is drawn between two places on the map
a considerable distance apart, the direction of this line cannot be
ascertained. The polyconic projection depicts more accurately
than other projections the actual surface of the ground so that
landmarks, rivers, and shorelines can be recognized readily.
Mercator Projection. The mercator projection is used in the
maps issued by the United States Navy Hydrographic Office and
is the standard projection for ocean-sailing charts. This pro
jection can be identified by being the only one of the three common
projection having the meridians as straight vertical equidistant
lines and the parallels of latitude as straight horizontal lines, the
degrees of latitude increasing in length farther from the equator.
It is the only one of these three projections on which the entire
inhabited portion of the earth can be represented on one map.

GREAT-CIRCLE CHARTS 331
Since its limit of construction is about 70Â° latitude, polar regions
cannot be shown on the ordinary mercator chart.
On the mercator projection, the meridians and parallels intersect
at right angles; north is the same direction in all parts of the map.
It is therefore very easy to find the direction of a line drawn on a
mercator chart by measuring the angle at which the line crosses
a meridian. A straight line drawn on a mercator chart is called a
rhumb line.
On the sides of mercator charts is a scale of latitude. This scale
is not constant. To measure short distances on a mercator chart,
the length of a degree of latitude on the side scale, at the average
latitude between the two places, is used as measuring unit. This
gives the distance in degrees and fractions of a degree of latitude.
A degree of latitude is 60 nautical miles in length, a nautical mile
being 6,080 ft. long.
A rhumb line is not the shortest path between two points on the
earth's surface; it is merely a line which has a constant direction.
The shortest path is a great circle, which is shown as a curve on a
mercator chart.
Great-Circle Charts. For the use of seamen, the Hydrographic
Office has published five great-circle charts, namely, of the North
Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, and Indian
Oceans. These charts have the property that a straight line
between two points on the chart represents the great circle through
these points on the earth, and shows all the localities through which
this most direct route passes. The meridians are straight lines,
either parallel as shown in Fig. 118, or converging towards the
pole. The parallels of latitude are represented as conic sections.
It is very complicated to measure directions on this projection.
The usual procedure, after drawing a straight line on this chart as
a great-circle path between two points, is to spot a number of
points on this line. By reading the latitude and longitude of
each point, they may be transferred to a mercator chart. On
the mercator chart, a smooth curve is then drawn through these
points. On the great circle, direction is constantly changing.
In practice, instead of actually following the great circle, a series of
straight tracks are flown approximating the great circle, the head
ing of the aircraft being changed whenever the direction of the
great circle changes a degree.
The rules of the Fe'de'ration Ae>onautique International state

AVIGATION
that, in making a record for distance flown, the distance from
starting to landing point shall be measured along the great-circle
route. Directions given by radio direction-finders, such as the
(a) Polyconic Projection
(b) Mercator Projection
(c) A Great Circle Projection
FIG. 118. Common map projections.
radio beacon or the radio compass, are along the great-circle
course. For short hops of only a few hundred miles the mileage
saved is inappreciable, but for transcontinental or transoceanic
flights the distance along the great-circle path is many miles shorter
than along the rhumb-line path.

GREAT-CIRCLE DISTANCE 333
Distances cannot be scaled off directly on a great-circle chart,
and though an auxiliary graph is provided, it is quite complicated
so that the great-circle distance is usually computed.
Great-Circle Distance. The distance along the arc of the great
circle between two points A and B may be found by the following
formula :
cos D = sin LA sin LB + cos LA cos LB cos L/OAB
D is distance WAB is longitude difference
LA is latitude of point A between points A and B
LB is latitude of point B
Example. Find the great circle distance from Curtiss Field, Long
Island (40Â° 45' N., 73Â° 37' W.), to Le Bourget Field, Paris (48Â° 50' N.,
2Â° 20' E.).
Solution.
LA = 40Â° 45'.N.
LB = 48Â° 50'
LOAB = 73Â° 37' + 2Â° 20' = 75Â° 57'
(NOTE: Since longitudes are of opposite names, the difference is
found by adding.)
sin 40Â° 45' sin 48Â° 50' = 0.6528 X 0.7528
= 0.4914
cos 40Â° 45' cos 48Â° 50' cos 75Â° 57' = 0.7576 X 0.6582 X 0.2428
= 0.1211
cos D = 0.4914 + 0.1211
= 0.6125
D = 52Â° 14'
On a great circle, a degree is 60 nautical miles and a minute is 1
nautical mile in length.
Distance (D) = 52 X 60 + 14
= 3,134 nautical miles
fi r\or\
= 3,134 X or 3.609 land
Problems
1. Find the distance from Rome (41Â° 54' N., 12Â° 29' E.) to Natal,
Brazil (5Â° 37' S., 35Â° 13' W.). (Del Prete's flight.)
2. Find the distance from San Francisco (37Â° 47' N., 122Â° 28' W.)
to Honolulu (21Â° 22' N., 157Â° 48' W.). (Hcgcnberger's flight.)

334 AVIGATION
3. Find the distance from Gran well, England (53Â° 05' N., 0Â° 25' W.),
to Walvis Bay, South Africa (22Â° 43' S., 14Â° 20' W.). (Flight of
Gayford and Nicholetts.)
4. Find the distance from Burbank, California (34Â° 12' N., 118Â°
18' W.), to Floyd Bennett Field, N. Y. (40Â° 40' N., 73Â° 50' W.).
(Flight of Haizlip and others.)
6. Find the distance from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland (47Â° 43' N.,
53Â° 08' W.), to Clifden, Ireland (53Â° 30' N., 10Â° 04' W.). (Flight of
Alcock and Brown.)
Velocity Triangle. The velocity of an aircraft with respect to
the ground is the resultant of two velocities: that of the aircraft
with respect to the air, and that of the air with respect to the
ground, the latter being the wind velocity. Velocity has two
characteristics, speed and direction.
The velocity of the aircraft with respect to the air has a speed
which is the reading of a properly corrected airspeed indicator
and a direction which is the true heading of the aircraft determined
from a properly compensated compass reading corrected for
variation. The velocity of the aircraft
with respect to the ground has a speed
which is the ground speed and a direc
tion which is the track or actual path of
the aircraft over the ground. Drift is
the angle between the heading and the
track.
To find the resultant of the air veloc-
Pio. 119. Velocity tnangle, .. ,,..,..
finding ground velocity. ltv and the wind veloÂ«ty, use is made
of the parallelogram of velocities, the
two component velocities being drawn to the same scale and in
the proper respective directions as two sides of a parallelogram,
and the resulting velocity being its diagonal. By omitting two
sides of the parallelogram, the remaining velocity triangle is
sufficient to obtain a solution. Care must be taken that the
arrows indicating direction of velocity are correctly marked to
give continuity. The use of the velocity triangle is illustrated
by the following example in conjunction with Fig. 119.
Example. An airplane is heading due northeast with a corrected
airspeed of 150 miles per hour. There is a 40-mile-per-hour west wind.
What are the ground speed, track, and drift?
Solution (see Fig. 119). Draw line AB, 150 units in length; let
VELOCITY TRIANGLE 335
direction of A B be northeast. From point B, draw line BC, 40 units
in length, direction of BC being east (since a west wind blows towards
east). Connect points A and C.
Then the line AC represents ground velocity.
The length of AC being 181 units, the ground speed is 181 miles per
hour.
The line AC makes an angle of 54Â° from north, so that track is 54Â°,
Angle BAG is 9Â°, which is drift of 9Â° right.
Problems
1. An airplane is headed east with an airspeed of 125 miles per hour.
There is a 30-mile-per-hour northeast wind. What are ground speed,
track, and drift?
2. An airplane is headed 30Â° with an airspeed of 150 miles per hour.
There is a south wind of 25 miles per hour. What are ground speed,
track, and drift?
There is a northeast wind of 20 miles per hour. What are ground
speed, track, and drift?
There is a 35-mile-per-hour wind from 320Â°. What are ground speed,
track, and drift?
6. An airplane is headed 220Â° with an airspeed of 120 miles per
hour. There is a south wind of 30 miles per hour. What are ground
speed, track, and drift?
The desired track being known, the aircraft must be headed
into the wind from this track in order that the wind in combination
with the aircraft's own motion shall carry the aircraft along the
desired track. The angle by which the heading is altered from the
desired track into the wind is called the angle of crab.
In taking-off on a cross-country flight, if the aircraft is first
headed on the desired track and the drift measured, the heading
should not be crabbed by the drift angle since when the heading
is changed the wind will be at a different angle and consequently
there will be a different drift angle. The heading can, of course,
be altered in this way to an approximately correct heading, but
the drift on the new heading should be measured and the heading
re-altered for the difference between this drift and the drift on the
former heading. This is called the cut-and-try method.
When the wind speed and direction are known, the proper
heading can be found by a velocity triangle. In this form of

336 AVIGATTON
problem, the airspeed is known but not its direction; the track is
known but not the ground speed. Various devices have been
made for solving this problem mechanically. The graphic
solution is illustrated by the following example.
Example. It is desired to fly northeast. Airspeed is 150 miles
per hour. There is a 40-mile-per-hour west wind. What should be
the proper heading, and what will be the
ground speed?
Solution (see Fig. 120). Draw line AW,
40 units in length, in a direction representing
due east. Through point A draw line AX
of indefinite length, in a direction represent
ing northeast. With W as center and 150
40 " units as radius, strike an arc, intersecting
FIG. 120. Velocity tri- line AX at point fi.
angle, finding heading. Then triangle A B W is the velocity tri
angle. The length of A B is the ground
speed, 176 miles per hour. The direction of line WB, 34Â°, is the
heading.
Problems
1. It is desired to fly due north. Airspeed is 150 miles per hour.
The wind is from 80Â°; wind speed is 40 miles per hour. What should
be proper heading, and what will be ground speed?
2. It is desired to fly northeast. Airspeed is 135 miles per hour.
The wind is from west; wind speed is 30 miles per hour. What should
be heading, and what will be ground speed?
3. It is desired to fly 5Â°. Airspeed is 100 miles per hour. Wind is
from 300Â°; wind speed is 40 miles per hour. What should be heading,
and what will be ground speed?
4. It is desired to fly 160Â°. Airspeed is 125 miles per hour. Wind
is from 70Â°; wind speed is 35 miles per hour. What should be head
ing, and what will be ground speed?
6. It is desired to fly 230Â°. Airspeed is 110 miles per hour. Wind
is from 170Â°; wind speed is 35 miles per hour. What should be head
ing, and what will be ground speed?
Wind-Star. Although, at many airports, information is avail
able as to winds at altitude, there is no certainty that winds will
not have changed after the observations were taken. The wind
conditions may be entirely different a few miles away from the
airport.
WIND-STAR 337
Drift indicators installed on the aircraft can be used to measure
drift angle with a fair degree of accuracy. Finding ground speed
by use of two cross-hairs on the drift indicator presupposes knowl
edge of the actual height of the aircraft above the ground. Alti
meters give barometric height, i.e., altitude above sea-level, not
height above the ground. When the location of the aircraft is
known, the height above sea-level of the ground below the air
craft can be found from contour maps; but when the geographic
location of the aircraft is recognizable on a map, the pilot resorts
to landmark flying, not dead reckoning.
Ground-speed indicators have been devised on the principle of
synchronizing the speed of an endless celluloid belt on the aircraft
with the apparent rearward speed of the ground. These devices
have not yet passed out of their developmental status.
A single drift measurement does not give ground speed, nor
does it give sufficient information to obtain wind speed and
direction. Measurements of drift on two headings will give ground
speed and wind velocity by utilizing the principle of the wind-star.
For example â see Fig. 121a â if an airplane is headed north
with an airspeed of 150 miles per hour and a 15Â° right drift is
measured, this may be due to a 40-mile-per-hour west wind or to a
45-mile-per-hour northwest wind or to a 78-mile-per-hour south
west wind. There'may be an infinite number of winds which will
produce a"15Â° right drift on a north heading.
If the heading is changed to east and the drift is found to be,
say, 5Â° left, the wind is then determined, because there can be only
one wind that will give a 15Â° right drift on a north heading and a
5Â° left drift on an east heading. By drawing line A B â see Fig.
1216 â 150 units long (airspeed is 150 miles per hour) in a direction
representing north and drawing line AX of indefinite length at an
angle of 15Â° to the right of AB, the track on the first heading is
represented. From point B, a line BA' is drawn in a direction
opposite to the second heading (i.e., westward); the length BA'
is 150 units. Then A 'B represents the airspeed and heading after
heading has been changed. Through A' a line A'X' is drawn of
indefinite length making an angle of 5Â° left of A'B. Call the
intersection of AX and A'X' the point W, and connect points B
and W. Then the vector BW represents the wind speed of 48
miles per hour and wind direction of 249Â°, this being the only wind
velocity that will give a drift of 15Â° right on a north heading and a
338
AVIGATION
drift of 5Â° left on an east heading. The length of AW is the
ground speed 173 miles per hour on first heading, and the length
of A 'W is the ground speed 195.5 miles per hour on second heading.
After the drifts on two headings are found so that the wind is
known, the drift can be found on any heading by drawing a line
representing the heading into point B, and from the other or
starting end of the vector drawing a line through point W.
or (<f>
FIG. 121. Wind-star.
Figure 121c shows the finding of drift on south, southwest, and
west headings, A\B, A^B, and A^B representing the respective
headings and AiW, AiW, and A3W representing the respective
tracks and ground speeds. When headings and tracks are drawn
for several different headings as in Fig. 121c, the drawing bears a
crude resemblance to the conventional star-form, which is the
reason for giving this process the name of the wind-star.
After the wind velocity has been found by measuring the drift
ASTRONOMIC AVIGATION 339
on two headings, it is possible to find the proper heading for the
aircraft to follow a desired track by the following procedure.
From the arrow end of the wind-vector draw a line of indefinite
length in a direction opposite to that of the desired track. From
the non-arrow end of the wind-vector as center and with the air
speed as radius strike an arc intersecting the line just drawn.
The radius from this point of intersection gives the proper head
ing. For example, the wing having been found on a north head
ing and an east heading as Fig. 1216, it is desired to find the
heading which will give a true northeast track. Through point
W draw a line of indefinite length WX" in a southwest direction;
see Fig. 121d. With B as center and 150 units as radius, inter
sect line WX" at point A ". Then direction of A "B is the proper
heading 37.5Â°, and length of A"W is the ground speed, 192 miles
per hour.
In using this method, it is customary to head 30Â° to the right of
the desired track and 30Â° to the left, since by so doing a good inter
section is obtained. The wind-star method does not involve
knowledge of altitude.
Problems
1. On a 30Â° heading there is a 10Â° left drift; on a 330Â° heading there
is a 15Â° left drift. If airspeed is 125 miles per hour: (a) what is wind
speed and (6) direction; (c) what heading should be flown to obtain a
due north track; (d) what will be ground speed?
2. On a 15Â° heading there is a 10Â° left drift; on a 75Â° heading there
is a 20Â° left drift. Airspeed is 160 miles per hour. (a) What is wind
speed and (b) direction? (c) What heading should be flown to obtain
a northeast track? (d) What will be ground speed?
3. On a 60Â° heading there is a 5Â° right drift; on a 120Â° heading
there is a 10Â° left drift. Airspeed is 140 mile per hour. (a) What
is wind speed and (b) direction? (c) What should heading be to fly
east. (d) What will be ground speed?
Astronomic Avigation. For centuries sailboats and more re
cently steamships have navigated by means of observations on the
sun, moon, or stars. The angular height of a celestial body above
the horizontal plane being measured by a sextant, an oblique
spherical triangle is solved and a line partially determining the
ship's position is obtained. Two such lines exactly fix the position.
On marine vessels, the horizon, where sky and water meet, is

340 AVIGATION
used to determine the horizontal plane. Unless an aircraft is at
an altitude less than 1,000 ft., the observer is unable to see the
horizon because of haze. For this reason, and also to enable
observations to be taken at night, some form of artificial horizon
is used; generally a spirit level is utilized. In bumpy air the
bubble dances about badly, but by taking the average of a number
of observations the error can be reduced to a minimum.
Computation of the position from the sextant observations was
formerly a long, tedious matter. Short methods have been
evolved which permit the calculations to be made in a minute or
less.
Astronomic avigation is used on long overwater flights, such as
trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific hops.
Radio Avigation. Radio is an important adjunct to flying.
A simple receiving set enables the pilot to receive storm-warning
and other weather information as well as to use the radio beacon.
A two-way set enables the pilot to report his progress and other
wise keep completely in touch with the ground.
To make use of radio a "battery is required, so that an airplane
whose engine operates from a magneto must add a battery. This
is necessary for reception; to transmit, a source of high-voltage
current is needed in addition. Apparatus have been developed
which are very compact and light weight.
The ordinary aircraft engine has a spark gap in each cylinder for
each ignition. This sparking sets up radio oscillations which
would interfere with the reception of radio messages if the engine
were not shielded. This means that every electric wire must be
covered with a coating of braided metal, the plugs themselves
shielded with a metal cup, and every other part of the electrical
equipment surrounded with a metal covering.
The metal structure of the airplane is made to serve as a ground,
which means that every metallic part of the airplane must be
connected electrically to every other metallic part. This is called
bonding. Proper bonding prevents trouble caused by intermove-
ment of parts and eliminates possible sparking.
Radio is used in avigation in several ways. If two or more
stations on the ground are equipped with radio compasses,
the pilot can request them to get his bearings, then sending out a
series of dots from the plane enables the ground operators to get
the direction of the airplane each from his own station. With
RADIO BEACON 341
the bearings from two or more ground stations, either the pilot or
one of the ground operators can draw corresponding lines on a map
and the intersection gives the geographic location of the airplane.
If the ground operator does the plotting he promptly radios the
position to the airplane.
Radio Beacon. Another form of radio avigation is the utiliza
tion of the radio beacon. The Department of Commerce has
(a) Intensity from Directional Antenna
PureV
PureB
(b) Signal Zones
Flo. 122. Radio beacon.
installed radio beacons at many airports, and it has been very
successful in guiding airplanes from one airport to another. No
special equipment is needed on the airplane; a receiving set is
required, but a transmitter is not necessary. No special skill is
required by the pilot.
The radio beacon transmitter is shown diagrammatically in
Fig. 122. In broadcasting, the transmitter is designed to send
signals in all directions with equal strength, but it is relatively
ample to erect an antenna which will send stronger signals in one

342 AVIGATION
direction than another. The directional antenna usually has
" figure 8 " characteristics as shown in Fig. 122a. This diagram
means that, if AB is the antenna, the strongest signals will be
heard in a vertical plane through AB. At any point not in this
plane the signal heard on the plane will not be as strong as it would
be if the airplane were the same distance away from AB but in the
plane AB. The intensity of the signal received on the airplane,
which is a measure of the audibility, is proportional to the length
of the arrow on the diagram in the direction of the airplane.
When two directional antennas, AB and CD, are crossed as in
Fig. 1226, but not connected electrically in any way, signals may
be sent out simultaneously from each. Two code letters are used,
which are easily recognizable but are so selected that, if they are
both started at the same time, the dash of one code letter is sounded
at the same instant as the dot or dots of the other letter. The
letters A (. â) and N ( ) answer this requirement, as do
D ( ) and U ( ), or B ( ) and V ( ). If the radi
ations from each antenna are received with equal strength, the
receiver will respond to both equally, and the signal heard by the
pilot will be a T or long dash ( ). If the reception of one
signal is of greater intensity than the other, the powerful signal
will be heard while the weaker signal will be either faint or in
audible.
For example, if antenna AB is emitting a characteristic signal
B and antenna CD is sending out V, in the two planes, which
bisect the two angles made by A B and CD, both signals would be
received with equal strength, and the T signal would be heard.
If the airplane's position is nearer the plane through A B than the
plane through CD, though the V signal might be heard faintly, the
B signal would predominate.
Because it is somewhat difficult to distinguish the difference in
signals when the pilot is in or close to the T zone, a visual-type
radio beacon is frequently used. One antenna transmits with a
frequency of 66 cycles, the other with a frequency of 86| cycles.
Located on the instrument board is a glass-faced box containing
two springy metal strips or '' reeds." One responds to a frequency
of 66 cycles; the other to 86$ cycles. When receiving the modula
tion frequencies, the reed vibrates rapidly in vertical plane. The
greater the intensity received, the greater is the amplitude of
vibration. The pilot looks at the ends of the reeds, which are
RADIO LANDINGS 343
painted white; when vibrating rapidly they appear to be two
white vertical lines. The greater the amplitude of vibration, the
longer is the line. When the airplane is in the T zone, the circuits
for reeds are receiving the same intensity, and the two white lines
are the same length. When the airplane is off to one side of the
T zone, the circuit for one reed is receiving greater intensity so that
one white line is longer and the other is shorter. The visual beacon
is less tiring for the pilot, but since the receiving hook-up is slightly
more complicated there is more danger of failure.
The radio beacon guides a pilot in a proper direction. With a
cross-wind, the pilot will probably zigzag a bit till he finds experi
mentally a heading which does not direct him from the B zone
across the T zone into the V zone, or vice versa. Although there
is a zone of silence directly over the beacon, a pilot flying in fog
cannot rely on silence meaning he has reached his destination;
his receiving set might have developed trouble. The beacon
gives no indication of the distance to the transmitting station.
In mountainous districts, the radio waves suffer peculiar dis
tortions and echoes which affect the accuracy of the beacon.
The beacon requires a special transmitting installation.
Radio Compass. By constructing the receiving antenna in the
form of a coil or loop, and by suitably designing the tuned circuits
in rotating this loop about a vertical axis till a signal fades
out completely, the direction of the transmitter of that signal
can be ascertained. Such an arrangement is called a radio
compass.
A radio compass can be used on any broadcasting transmission;
the sending set need have no directional effect. The radio com
pass is useful in fog flying, since the pilot can take bearings on two
or more broadcasting stations and plot these bearings on his map;
the intersection gives the plane's position. The radio compass
can also be used as a " homing " device. The pilot can find the
direction of a broadcasting station located near his destination
and then head his airplane in that direction.
Radio Landings. The following method of making a landing
in fog, etc., was devised by Captain A. F. Hegenberger, A.C.,
and is termed the Army method.
Two transmitters are positioned near the landing field. These
transmitters are portable so that the line connecting them can be
put in the direction of the prevailing wind. Transmitter A is lo-

344 AVIGATION
cated outside the landing area but not more than 1,000 ft. outside
the boundary of the field. Transmitter B is located farther from
the field at a distance of a mile to a mile and a half from A. If an
airplane flies over B headed for A, continuing his flight, without
changing his heading, should bring the airplane directly over the
landing area. The transmission from A and B are on different
frequencies.
The transmitters at A and B are not especially powerful. It
is sufficient if signals can be picked up at a distance of 25 miles.
The antenna for this transmission is non-directional; that is, the
signals are broadcast with equal intensity in all directions.
At each station, A and B, is also a marker beacon. This beacon
uses a low-power ultra-high-frequency transmitter, the wave length
of the oscillator being 4 meters. A very short horizontal doublet
antenna is used, located one-quarter wavelength above the ground.
This form of antenna is very directional. The antenna is placed
so that it is in line with the approach to the field, i.e., along the
line AB. Then the radiation is a fan-shaped wave in a plane
through A or through B perpendicular to the line AB.
The procedure for utilizing the above-described equipment is
as follows. The pilot, by making use of radio beacon, radio com
pass, or dead reckoning, arrives within receiving distance of
station A. He then tunes in on B with his radio compass, and
flies directly towards it, setting his directional gyro on his head
ing. He is then flying directly away from the field. After passing
over B, the pilot makes a gradual flat turn of 180Â°, using his di
rectional gyro to tell him when he has exactly reversed his heading.
Altitude should be gradually lost so that the altitude is approxi
mately 700 ft. above the ground when the airplane passes the
outer station B. The exact time of passing B is told by the
signal denoting passing the standing wave of the marker beacon.
The receiver of the radio compass is then tuned on A and the
airplane headed in that direction. In this, the pilot is aided by his
directional gyro which he had previously set on the reverse head
ing. In proceeding from B to A the throttle is set back approxi
mately at 1,000 r.p.m. and the plane is put in a steady glide at an
airspeed about 30 per cent above stalling speed. If this procedure
has been followed the plane should arrive at station A at an alti
tude of 200 ft., and continuing the steady glide the plane should
pass over all obstacles and reach the landing area properly.
RADIO LANDINGS 345
As soon as the wheels touch the ground, the pilot cuts the throttle,
permitting the plane to come to rest.
The pilot knows when he is passing over station A either by the
" zone of silence " or from the signal from the marker beacon
located at A. If his altitude at that time is less than 200 ft., the
pilot merely opens the engine, putting the airplane in level flight
for a brief interval of time, and then permits the plane to settle
into its glide again. If the plane is higher than 200 ft. in passing
over A, the pilot may either momentarily glide more steeply
before resuming his normal glide or he may return to B and start
his glide again at a slightly steeper angle. The altitudes men
tioned in this paragraph are read from a sensitive altimeter set
at correct ground barometer reading from information radioed
up to the pilot by the ground operator.
This method of landing without seeing the ground has been
tested by many hundred landings either in hooded cockpits or in
actual fog. No accidents have ever been reported in using this
method.
CHAPTER XXI
AEROSTATICS
Introduction. Aerodynamics treats of air in motion; aero
statics deals with air at rest. In aviation, aerostatics deals with
the problems of lighter-than-air craft.
All lighter-than-air craft are balloons, but present-day usage
is to employ the term balloon only for craft which has no motive
power and the term dirigible balloon or simply dirigible for a
balloon supplied with motive power. The term airship is
synonymous with dirigible; an airplane should not be called an
airship.
Balloons are classified in two types, captive and free balloons.
Captive balloons are moored to the ground and are used for
observing artillery fire, etc. Captive balloons, if spherical in
shape, have a strong tendency to rotate, so that they are usually
elongated in shape with protuberances so designed that the bal
loon lies in the direction of the wind. This shape is called a kite-
balloon. Free balloons are usually the so-called spherical shape.
The upper part is a true hemisphere; the lower half is hemi
spherical except that at the extreme lower part the skin cones
down to a long narrow tube called the appendix. In the earlier
forms a rope netting was arranged over the upper half of the bag,
the ends coming down just below the appendix where they were
fastened to a metal concentration-ring from which the basket for
passengers was hung. Because of the weight of the rope and the
criss-cross of the netting forming many tiny pockets to retain
rainwater, the netting arrangement was discarded for the suspen
sion band or " bellyband," a strip of fabric around the equator
of the bag, ropes from the concentration-ring being attached to
this band. The most modern method is to fasten each rope from
the concentration-ring to a piece of fabric, called a finger-patch,
cemented to the bag at the point where the curve of the sus
pension rope is just tangent to the sphere of the envelope. A
valve, normally held shut by springs, is opened by pulling the
346
348 AEROSTATICS
care of the transverse loads, the gas being in a single large envelope.
The non-rigid is a single rubberized-cloth gas-tight bag containing
the gas. Since, in non-rigid and semi-rigid types, the pressure of
the gas inside the bag is relied upon to give the bag its shape, both
these types are termed pressure airships.
Gases. Hot-air, coal-gas, hydrogen, and helium are the prin
cipal gases used for lighter-than-air work. Heated air is used
sometimes for parachute jumps at carnivals; as soon as the air
cools lift is lost. Coal-gas or ordinary illuminating gas is used
sometimes for free balloons, the hydrogen contained in these gases
being chiefly responsible for the lifting power. Hydrogen has
been used for more than a century and is best from the point of
lift but has the disadvantage that, if it mixes with air, it is highly
inflammable and explosive. Helium though furnishing less lift
than hydrogen is perfectly inert so that in its use there is not the
fire hazard always present with hydrogen.
Previous to 1915, helium cost approximately $2,000 per cubic
foot. During the war the cost to the United States government
was reduced to $400 per 1,000 cu. ft. At present, owing to im
provements in the method of extraction from natural gas, the cost
is about $25 per 1,000 cu. ft. The cost of hydrogen is about $5
per l.O00cu. ft.
Under standard conditions of 59Â° F. temperature and 29.92
in. of mercury pressure, the weight per cubic foot of the gases
important in aerostatics is as follows
Air 0.07651 Ib.
Hydrogen 0.00532 Ib.
Helium 0.01056 Ib.
Average illuminating gas 0.0323 Ib.
Laws of Aerostatics. Six physical laws find application in
aerostatic work. Full explanations are given in any standard
textbook on physics. Briefly these laws are as follows.
Archimedes' law: the buoyant or upward force exerted upon a
body immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid dis
placed.
Boyle's law: at a constant temperature, the volume of a gas
varies inversely as the pressure.
Charles' law: at a constant pressure, the volume of a gas varies
directly as the absolute temperature.

LIFT 349
Dalton's law: the pressure of a mixture of several gases in a
given space is equal to the sum of the pressures which each gas
would exert by itself if confined in that space.
Joule's law: gases in expanding do no interior work.
Pascal's law: the fluid pressure due to external pressure on
the walls of the containing vessel is the same at all points through
out the fluid.
Lift. A body completely immersed in a fluid displaces its own
volume of fluid. If the weight of the fluid displaced equals the
weight of the body, the body is in equilibrium. If the weight of
the fluid displaced is greater than the weight of the body, the
body rises. If the weight of the fluid displaced is less than the
weight of the body, the body falls.
The operation of a balloon and a submarine is somewhat similar
in that both are entirely submerged in a fluid. The submarine is
entirely sealed when under water, and the skin must be of suffi
cient strength to withstand stresses due to difference in pressure
between inside and outside the hull. Balloons either are open to
the air or have other arrangements so that there will be little or
no pressure difference.
Lift is obtained directly from Archimedes' principle. Unit
lift is the difference between the weight of a cubic foot of air and
the weight of a cubic foot of the gas. The gross lift or buoyancy
of a balloon or airship is expressed by the following equation:
L = gross lift in pounds
I â V(D D"\ ^ = vo'ume of 8&S i n cubic feet
Da = weight of a cubic foot of air
Dt = weight of a cubic foot of gas
The net lift or useful load is the difference between the gross lift
and the dead weight of the bag, ropes, basket, etc.
From the laws of Boyle and Charles, volume varies inversely
as pressure and directly as absolute temperature. If P0 is the
standard pressure, T0 the standard temperature, and V0 the
standard volume, then V\, the volume when the pressure is PI
and the absolute temperature is T\, may be found by the fol
lowing,
Zl-llxEB
Fo T0 X P1
350 AEROSTATICS
The foregoing is true only if the gas is in a perfectly elastic
container.
Example. A cloth bag contains 1,000 cubic feet of air, the tempera
ture being 59Â° F. and the pressure 29.92 in. What is the volume if the
pressure is increased to 40.0 in. and the temperature decreased to
0Â°F.?
Solution.
- 1,000 519x 400
460 29.92
= 663 cu. ft.
In practice the balloon bag is made of rubberized cloth. If
there is not sufficient volume of gas to fill the bag, the cloth sides
will fold in and the bag will be flabby. When the volume of the
gas is just equal to the cubical content the bag will be fully in
flated. Any further increase in volume of the gas means that
gas will escape through the appendix. If the appendix is closed,
a decrease in the air pressure outside or an increase of tempera
ture of the gas inside will cause the bag to burst. For this reason,
though the appendix is usually tied shut while the balloon is being
handled on the ground, the tie-off is broken as soon as the balloon
leaves the ground.
Density varies inversely as volume, so that if Z)0 is the density
under normal pressure P0 and normal absolute temperature To,
the density DI under pressure PI and temperature Tt is found by
the following relation :
DI _ n Y PI
Do T, X Po
Under normal conditions, the temperature of the gas inside the
envelope is the same as the temperature of the adjacent air. The
open appendix ensures that the pressure of the gas and air are the
same.
Considering the pressure of the gas the same as the pressure of
the surrounding air and the temperature of the gas the same as
that of the air, the expression for lift under other than standard
conditions becomes
ASCENSION OF A FREE BALLOON 351
L = V(DM^ Â£ - Dg, ^Â£) 0,, = weight of a cubic foot of
\ .i i "o .< i /V gas un(jer standard con-
L = gross lift in pounds
F = volume of bag in cubic feet
AM = weight of a cubic foot of
air under standard con-
/ T P T P\ ditions
_ v( D - D } â â ditions
9*> Ti Po Po = standarc] pressure
PI = actual pressure
To = standard absolute temper
ature
Ti = actual absolute tempera
ture
Example. A 10,000-cu.-ft. free balloon is filled with pure hydrogen.
Air and gas are at a temperature of 32Â° F. and a pressure of 28 in.
What is the lift?
Solution.
Lift = V(DU- B*)x
= 10,000 (0.07651 - 0.00532) ^ X
= 7031b.
Problems
1. A 30,000-cu.-ft. free balloon is full of pure hydrogen; air and
gas are at a temperature of 80Â° F. and a pressure of 26.3 in. What
is the lift?
2. A 10,000-cu.-ft. free balloon is full of pure helium; air and gas
are at a temperature of 75Â° F. and a pressure of 27.5 in. What is the
lift?
3. A 20,000-cu.-ft. free balloon is full of pure hydrogen; air and
gas are at a temperature of â 10Â° F. and a pressure of 21.3 in. What
is the lift?
4. A 20,000-cu.-f t. free balloon is full of pure helium ; air and gas are
at a temperature of â10Â° F. and a pressure of 21.3 in. What is the
lift?
5. A 30,000-cu.-ft. free balloon is full of pure hydrogen; air and gas
are at a temperature of 20Â° F. and a pressure of 23.7 in. What is the
lift?
Ascension of a Free Balloon. When a free balloon, full of gas
on the ground, has lift greater than its weight, it rises, and be
cause the atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude, gas will
expand and tend to occupy greater volume. Since the fabric
does not stretch, the volume is fixed and gas is forced out of the
352 AEROSTATICS
appendix. As the altitude increases, the density of the air de
creases; but the density of the lifting gas decreases at the same
rate, so that the difference between the two weight densities,
which is the unit lift, also decreases at the same rate. The
gross lift which is the constant volume multiplied by the unit lift
decreases. Ascension will continue until the gross lift just equals
the weight.
If the bag is only partially inflated at the ground, on rising,
the atmospheric pressure being less, the gas will expand, round
ing out the bag more fully. There will be no loss of gas till the
bag is fully rounded out. The altitude where the bag is completely
full and where any further increase in altitude will cause gas to
escape is called the pressure height.
A free balloon which is fully inflated at the ground will start to
lose lift immediately on leaving the ground and there will be a
continuous loss of lift as the balloon rises. A free balloon which
is partially inflated at the ground will have a constant lift until
the pressure height is reached; above that altitude, lift will de
crease with altitude.
While inflating a balloon, sufficient sandbags are placed in the
basket or hung on the netting to ensure that the balloon will not
leave the ground. When ready to start, the balloon is weighed-off.
This process is the removing of ballast until the total weight of the
balloon just equals the total lift. In this condition, a man stand
ing on the ground can with practically no exertion move the
balloon up in the air a foot or so, where it will stay in equilibrium.
Adding a fraction of an ounce of sand will make the balloon sink
slowly to the ground. Tossing overboard a little ballast will
cause the balloon to rise slowly; heaving over a lot of sand will
cause the bag to rise swiftly.
If the bag is fully inflated at the ground, after weighing-off,
weight equals lift. If ballast is then jettisoned, the weight is
lessened. The balloon will rise. As it rises, gas will escape, so
that the lift will decrease. At the start, the accelerating force will
be equal to the difference between the weight and the lift; i.e.,
the force in pounds will equal the pounds of sand put over. In
ascending, since the difference between the weight of the balloon
and the lift will be less owing to the decreasing lift, the upward
accelerating force diminishes. At the height where the lift has
decreased till it equals the weight, there will be no unbalanced

ASCENSION OF A FREE BALLOON 353
upward accelerating force and the balloon will be in equilibrium.
To ascend further, more ballast must be put overboard. The
ascent to a high altitude can be made by easy stages, by first
dropping a little ballast, then a little more, and a little more till
the desired height is reached.
A bag, which is only partially inflated at the ground is weighed-
off in the same manner as a fully inflated bag. When a little
ballast is dropped, however, the balloon will immediately rise to
its pressure height, the upward accelerating force being constant
to that altitude. On reaching the pressure height gas will begin
to escape, and with decreasing lift, the difference between lift and
weight will get smaller, till equilibrium is reached.
A partially inflated balloon will be at pressure height when its
volume has increased to equal the capacity of the balloon. As
the volume of a gas varies inversely with density, the reciprocal of
the ratio of the new volume to the old is the ratio of new density
to the old. Using Table I, interpolating if necessary, the altitude
may be found corresponding to this density.
If it is desired to ascend to some predetermined moderately
high altitude, there is no special merit in fully inflating the bag for
gas will start to escape immediately as the balloon rises. A par
tially inflated balloon on reaching its pressure height is exactly in
the same condition as if it had been fully inflated on the ground.
It should be noticed that there is a difference in maneuvering.
On the ground, the fully inflated bag has more lift so that more
ballast can be carried. In ascending with the full bag, ballast is
gradually dropped so that, when the altitude is reached correspond
ing to the pressure height of a partially inflated bag, the amount
of ballast remaining in each case would be the same. The bag
which was fully inflated on the ground can be brought up to any
desired altitude slowly. A bag only partially inflated on the
ground will have a constant upward accelerating force; there
fore there will be a constantly increasing upward velocity. Ar
riving at the pressure height, the balloon will have considerable
upward momentum, the product of its mass tunes its velocity,
and this momentum will tend to carry the balloon on upward
beyond its equilibrium point. At the equilibrium point, the lift
equals the weight. If momentum carries the balloon above its
pressure height, the gas having already expanded to fill the bag,
gas will be forced out and lift will decrease. Lift being less than
354 AEROSTATICS
the weight, there is a downward accelerating force which acts
first to decelerate the upward velocity, and, when this has been
reduced to zero, the downward force will cause a downward ve
locity with ever-increasing speed. A skilful pilot will time his
actions so that, just when the balloon has reached its highest point
and is about to start on its downward plunge, just enough ballast
is thrown over so that the weight remaining equals the then-exist
ing lift.
Example. A 10,000-cu.-ft. free balloon is inflated with 8,000 cu. ft.
of pure hydrogen at the ground, temperature 59Â° F., pressure 29.92 in.
What is lift at 5,000-ft. altitude (temperature 45Â° F., pressure 24.8 in.)?
At 10,000-ft. altitude (temperature 15Â° F., pressure 21.1 in.)? What
is the pressure height?
Solution.
At ground
L = 8,000 (0.07651 - 0.00532)
= 570 Ib.
At 5,000-ft. altitude: To determine if bag is full
v .. v ^ v Zl
Vi - KÂ«pixn
= 8,000 2^-g- X 5jg
= 9,391 cu. ft. (volume at 5,000-ft. alt.)
L = 9,391 (0.07651 - 0.00532) *jj^ X |^j|
= 5701b.
At 10,000-ft. altitude: To determine if bag is full
v v Po v Tl
V\ = Vo'ET X .ffT
519 21 j
= 10,951 cu. ft. = volume of original gas at 10,000-ft.
altitude; i.e., 951 cu. ft. has escaped.
ciq 21 '!
L = 10,000 (0.07651 - 0.00532) ^ X ^2
- 549 Ib.
To find pressure height:
Pi _ 8,000
Po " 10,000
= 0.8
From Table I by interpolation Pi/Po is 0.8 at 7,075-ft. altitude.

DESCENT OF A FREE BALLOON 355
Problems
(See Table I for pressures and temperatures at altitude)
1. A 10,000-cu.-ft. free balloon is inflated at the ground with 7,000
cu. ft. of pure hydrogen under standard atmospheric conditions.
(a) What is the lift at the ground? (6) What is the lift at 5,000-ft.
altitude?
2. A 25,000-cu.-ft. free balloon is inflated at the ground with
15,000 cu. ft. of pure helium under standard atmospheric conditions.
(a) What is the lift at the ground? (6) What is the lift at 5,000-ft.
altitude? (c) What is the lift at 10,000-ft. altitude?
3. The total weight of a 20,000-cu.-ft. balloon, including bag,
basket, crew, instruments, and 300 Ib. ballast, but less gas, is 1,450 Ib.
The bag is filled with pure hydrogen on a day when the temperature is
65Â° F. and the barometer is 29.6 in. (a) How much ballast must be
dropped off in weighing-off, i.e., having weight just equal lift at the
ground? (6) How much more ballast must be dropped in order for the
bag to be in equilibrium at 5,000-ft. altitude?
4. The balloon described in problem 3 is inflated with only 18,000
cu. ft. of hydrogen under the same atmospheric conditions as in 3.
(a) How much ballast must be dropped in weighing-off? (6) What is
the pressure height? (c) How much more ballast must be dropped in
order to be in equilibrium at 5,000-ft. altitude?
Descent of a Free Balloon. In descending, the atmospheric
pressure increases. Any gas that has escaped from the appendix
or that has been valved is gone. When the balloon is in equilib
rium, if gas is valved, the lift becomes less than the weight, so that
balloon starts downward under an accelerating force which is the
excess of the weight over the lift. The effect of the increase in
atmospheric pressure while descending will be to decrease the
volume of the gas in the bag. The same weight of gas as at the
beginning of the descent will displace less and less volume of air,
but the density of the gas and air will increase as the volume
decreases. The lift will remain the same all the way down, and
there will therefore be a constant accelerating force downward
which will cause ever-increasing downward velocity.
The only way to check descent will be to introduce a decelerat
ing force, that is, an upward force. This can be accomplished
only by making the weight less than lift, which is done by dropping
ballast. The upward excess of lift will decrease the downward
speed to zero and then cause an upward acceleration.

356 AEROSTATICS
If it is desired to descend to a definite altitude and remain there
in equilibrium, the pilot, after valving a slight amount of gas to
start descent, must drop ballast as he nears the desired altitude.
At the instant that his downward progress is checked completely
and before he starts to rise again, he must valve just enough gas
to gain equilibrium.
The faster the balloon is descending, the greater is the amount of
ballast needed to check the speed. A good pilot valves only a
little gas at a time, so that only a little ballast must be sacrificed in
maneuvering.
In landing, the pilot comes down towards the ground, and at the
proper height, which he has learned by experience, the pilot tosses
over ballast so that his downward speed is zero when he is just a
few feet off the ground. At that instant, he is pulling the rip-
cord, which entirely opens one seam of the bag, completely empty
ing it of gas.
Example. A 10,000-cu.-ft. bag is full of hydrogen at 12,000-ft.
altitude (temperature 16.2Â° F., pressure 19.03 in.) and is in equilibrium.
(a) What is the total weight of the bag including ballast? (6) If 100
cu. ft. of gas is valved, what is the loss of lift at this altitude? (c) At
7,000-ft. altitude, what is the volume of the gas in the bag? (d) What
is lift at 7,000-ft. altitude? (e) What ballast must be dropped at
7,000-ft. altitude to secure equilibrium?
Solution.
(a) Li2,ooo = 10,000 (0.07651 - 0.00532) ^. X
JO QO C1Q
= 494 Ib.
(6) L = 100 (0.07651 - 0.00532)
1Q 0"?
= 51b.
1903 494
(c) 77>ooo = 9,900 X X
= 8,468 cu. ft.
(d) Â£7.o0o = 8468 (0.07651 - 0.00532) ^^ X ^
= 489 Ib.
(e) Ballast to be dropped W â LI,UUU = 5
Problems
OQ f)Q K1Q
1. A 30,000-cu.-ft. balloon is only partially inflated with 20,000
cu. ft. of pure hydrogen under standard atmospheric conditions at the

SUPERHEAT 357
ground, (a) What is the lift at the ground? (6) What is the lift at
15,000-ft. altitude? (c) If balloon is in equilibrium at 15,000-ft.
altitude, what is excess weight after 150 cu. ft. of gas are valved?
(d) What is volume of bag after descending to 10,000-ft. altitude?
(e) What is lift at 10,000-ft. altitude?
2. A 20,000-cu.-ft. balloon is filled with pure helium at the ground
under standard atmospheric conditions. (a) What is the lift at the
ground? (6) What weight of ballast must be tossed over to rise to
5,000-ft. altitude; (c) to 10,000-ft. altitude? (d) If 200 cu. ft. of
helium are valved at 10,000-ft. altitude, what is the remaining lift?
(e) When balloon has descended to 5,000-ft. altitude, 200 cu. ft. addi
tional of helium are valved; what is the remaining lift?
Superheat. The sun's radiation consists not only of the long
heat waves but also of the shorter light and electric waves. It
is the heat radiation that warms the earth and to a smaller extent
the atmosphere.
Light radiation may change into heat radiation in passing
through surfaces. This effect may be noticed in a tent which has
the flaps down; the confined air is at a higher temperature than
the outside air because the light in passing through the tent fabric
is changed to heat. In greenhouses there is no ventilation, and
the air inside is hotter than outside, as the result of light changing
to heat in passing through the glass. Naturally the foregoing is
true only on sunny days. In free balloons, the sun shining on the
bag heats up the gas inside the bag to a higher temperature than
the surrounding air. This is called superheat.
Free balloons are suspended in air. If the air is moving, the
balloon travels with it. Air does not travel past the balloon;
the only heat lost is by direct conduction to the surrounding
air.
Kite balloons are moored to the ground for observational pur
poses. In perfectly still air, the same conditions apply as in a
free balloon. If any breeze is blowing, the air passing the bal
loon takes up heat, so that any superheat is quickly lost, the
temperature of the gas being reduced to that of the surrounding
air. Dirigibles in motion are forcing their way through air, and
this air acts to cool off any superheat.
Superheat give additional lift to a balloon. It is a false,
treacherous lift, since if the sun goes behind a cloud or the sun
sets, the additional lift is quickly lost.

358 AEROSTATICS
Black surfaces absorb heat and light; shiny surfaces reflect
heat and light. Balloons whose envelopes are of dark material
have been found to have in the center of the bag a temperature
70Â° hotter than the outer air. With lighter-colored surface the
superheat will be less.
The increase in temperature due to superheat will cause the gas
to expand. Below the pressure height, this will increase the full
ness of the bag; for a fully inflated bag, superheat will force out
gas; in either case, lift is increased.
If a balloon or airship is brought out of a hangar, the gas is
presumably at the same pressure and temperature as the atmos
phere. If the balloon is weighed-off immediately, the unit lift
is due to the difference in weight density of the air and gas at the
same temperature. Should the balloon stay on the ground with
the sun shining brightly, the gas will receive superheat and will
expand. The additional lift involves adding ballast to prevent the
balloon or airship from rising. The weight of ballast that must
be added exactly represents the additional lift due to superheat.
When rising, the balloon moves upward through the air, and this
air passing the envelope tends to cool it slightly.
The additional lift can be calculated if the number of degrees of
superheat is known. If the balloon is initially inflated, the in
creased temperature will cause expansion, reducing the density,
the volume being the same. If the balloon is only partially in
flated, the expansion of the gas will cause a greater displacement
of the bag until the bag is fully inflated. Further expansion will
cause gas to escape. For the partially inflated bag, gas expanding
but not escaping will not change the weight of the gas contained
in the envelope; more air will be displaced, however, so that the
lift will be increased.
It will be noted that, when a fully inflated bag is superheated,
the increase in lift is exactly equal to the weight of the gas forced
out of the bag by the expansion.
The finding of the increased lift from superheat is illustrated
by the following two examples.
Example. An 8,000-cu-ft. balloon is fully inflated with pure hydro
gen under standard conditions. What is the additional lift due to
superheat of 40Â°?
SUPERHEAT 359
Solution.
Lift without superheat = 8,000 (0.07651 - 0.00532)
= 569.5 Ib.
Weight of displaced air = 8,000 X 0.07651
= 612.1 Ib.
519
Weight of superheated gas = 8,000 X 0.00532 X ^
= 39.5 Ib.
Lift with superheat = 612.1 - 39.5
= 572.6 Ib.
Gain = 572.6 - 569.5
= 3.1 Ib.
Check.
559
Volume of superheated gas = 8,000 X FTQ
= 8,616 cu. ft.
Volume of escaping gas = 8,616 - 8,000
= 616 cu. ft.
519
Weight of escaping gas = 616 X 0.00532 X
Example. A 10,000-cu.-ft. balloon is inflated with 8,000 cu. ft.
of pure hydrogen under standard conditions. What is the additional
lift due to superheat of 40Â°?
Solution.
Lift without superheat = 8,000 (0.07651 - 0.00532)
= 569.5 Ib.
559
Volume of superheated gas = 8,000 X gjg
= 8,616 cu. ft.
Weight of displaced air = 8,616 X 0.07651
= 659.2 Ib.
Weight of superheated gas = 8,000 X 0.00532
= 42.6 Ib.
Lift with superheat = 659.2 - 42.6
= 616.6 Ib.
Gain= 47.1 Ib.
Problems
1. A 10,000-cu-ft. hydrogen-filled balloon is brought out of the
hangar. Both air and hydrogen are at 29.9 in. pressure and 45Â° F.
temperature. (a) What is the lift? (6) Owing to sun's rays, the
hydrogen experiences 30Â° superheat; what is then the lift?

360 AEROSTATICS
2. On a cold day a 25,000-cu.-ft. balloon is filled with pure hydrogen.
Air and gas are at 30.1 in. pressure and 18Â° F. temperature. (a) What
is the lift? (b) If the hydrogen is superheated 45Â° F., what is the lift?
3. A 10,000-cu.-ft. balloon contains 7,000 cu. ft. of pure hydrogen.
is lift? (b) What is lift if the hydrogen is superheated 35Â° F.?
4. A 10,000-cu.-ft. balloon contains 9,000 cu. ft. of pure helium.
is lift? (6) What is the lift if the helium is superheated 50Â° F.?
5. A 10,000-cu.-ft. balloon is full of hydrogen at 75Â° F. temperature.
Atmospheric pressure is 29.9 in. and atmospheric temperature is 40Â° F.
(a) What is lift? (b) What is the lift if the sun goes behind clouds and
the gas loses all its superheat?
Purity. Any gas which remains inside a balloon for any length
of time contains impurities owing to air seeping in through the
appendix and mixing with the gas and to other causes. Although
the impurities may be dry air, water vapor, carbon dioxide, or
other substances, only a slight error is involved if all impurities
are considered as being dry air.
The purity of a gas is defined as the ratio of the volume of pure
gas in the mixture to the total volume of impure gas. Considering
all impurities as being dry air, they merely support themselves and
furnish no lift. The impurities merely subtract from the total
volume of lifting gas. A volume of gas of x per cent purity is x
per cent of the volume of pure gas, giving lift, and (100 â x) per
cent of the volume of dry air giving no lift.
Example. A 10,000-cu.-ft. balloon is inflated with hydrogen of 95
per cent purity under standard conditions. What is the lift?
Solution.
Gas is 95 per cent pure hydrogen
5 per cent dry air
Lift = 0.95 X 10,000 X (0.07651 - 0.00532)
= 676.3 Ib.
Check.
Weight of 9,500 cu. ft. of pure hydrogen = 9,500 X 0.00532
= 50.5 Ib.
Weight of 500 cu. ft. of dry air = 500 X 0.07651
= 38.3 Ib.
Weight of 10,000 cu. ft. of impure gas = 88.8 Ib.
Weight of 10,000 cu. ft. of displaced air = 10,000 X 0.07651 = 765.1 Ib.
Difference in weight of displaced air and gas = 676.3 Ib.

NON-RIGID AIRSHIP 361
Non-Rigid Airship. A non-rigid airship is propelled through the
air by one or more engines. To reduce the drag resistance of this
motion, the gas bag is made of streamline shape. The rubberized
cloth is tailored to the correct shape, and the pressure inside the
bag is relied upon to fill out the bag properly. Use is made of two
or more ballonets to preserve the shape of the bag.
Without ballonets, a non-rigid airship, which might have been
fully inflated on the ground, on ascending would need to have gas
valved to prevent bursting, on descending would be flabby. In
free balloons there is no special objection to flabbiness; but in
dirigibles, flabbiness will destroy the streamline contour of the
envelope. Partial inflation means that the nose will be cupped or
dished in, increasing the drag enormously.
A ballonet is a bag or compartment in the main gas bag that is
formed by a diaphragm made of the same kind of gas-tight rub
berized cloth as the outer skin. The ballonet compartment is to
hold air, and it has a valve opening to the atmosphere. The
main gas bag is sealed to the outer air except for a gas valve used
only in emergency.
During inflation the ballonet is filled with air while the main
bag is being filled with gas. On rising, the expansion of the gas
causes the flexible wall of the ballonet chamber to collapse, expel
ling air. When the ballonet wall has entirely flattened out
against the skin of the envelope so that all the air has been ex
pelled, the non-rigid airship is at its pressure height. On descend
ing, air is introduced into the ballonet, thus maintaining the
rigidity of shape of the main envelope. To force air into the
ballonet a scoop hangs down from the ballonet with its open end
in the slipstream of the propeller. Sometimes a small auxiliary
blower is used to pump air into the ballonet.
If the non-rigid airship ever ascends above its pressure height,
gas will have to be valved, and on descending, even with full
ballonets, the main envelope will still be flabby. For this reason
great care needs to be exercised that pressure airships do not rise
to too great altitudes.
The aerostatics of pressure airships does not vary much from
that of free balloons below the pressure height, bearing in mind
that the air in the ballonets contributes no lift.
Superheat affects the operation of an non-rigid airship in the
following manner. Bringing the airship out of the hangar into the
362 AEROSTATICS
bright sunshine, the pilot will notice immediately by his pressure
gage or manometer that the pressure inside the gas chamber is
increasing. The valve releasing air from the ballonet must be
opened at once to prevent the gas bag from bursting. Each
pound of air valved increases the lift by 1 Ib.
When the airship starts to move forward, the superheat is
reduced by the air circulating past the outside of the envelope.
The gas contracts, air is forced into the ballonet, lift is reduced, and
therefore ballast must be discarded.
The ballonet capacity is small compared with the gas capacity
of an airship. Because air is heavier than the gas, the ballonets
are always located on the lower side of the hull. In this location
the sun's rays do not shine on the ballonets but on the upper side
of the hull; any heating of the air would be by direct conduction
from the warm gas through the separating wall to the air. Any
heating of the air would add to the lift in the same way that lift
was obtained in the old-style hot-air balloons; ordinarily this
additional lift is so small that it is neglected.
Example. A non-rigid airship of 200,000 cu.-ft.-capacity is brought
out of the hangar. Atmospheric temperature is 50Â° F. and pressure
is 30.2 in. Ballonets have 40,000-cu.-ft. capacity. How much added
lift will the dirigible pick up if gas is superheated 30Â° F. before take
off?
Solution.
Volume of unsuperheated gas = 200,000 - 40,000
= 160,000 cu. ft.
Original lift = 160,000 (0.07651 -0.00532) )Xsî
= ll,7001b.
540
Volume of superheated gas = 160,000 X ^TQ
= 169,410 cu. ft.
Volume of displaced air = 169,410 - 160,000
= 9,410 cu. ft.
Weight of displaced air = 9,410 X 0.07651 X ^ X
Check.
= 738 Ib. gain in lift
519
Qf) 9
OlU _.'..*
519 30 2
Original lift = 160,000 (0.07651 -0.00532) ^ X ^g
= 1 1,700 Ib.
RIGID AIRSHIPS 363
Weight of air displaced after superheat = 169,410 X0.07651 X ^ X^R
El O Of) O
OiU _.*.,)
= 13,314 Ib.
Weight of gas after superheat = 160,000 X 0.00532 XJ^X^
= 8741b.
Lift after superheat = 13,314 - 874
= 12,440 Ib.
Gain in lift = 12,440 - 11,700
= 740 Ib.
Problems
cin on o
1. A non-rigid airship of 300,000-cu.-ft. capacity has its 50,000-
cu.-ft. ballonets full of air; the remaining space is filled with hydrogen
at standard conditions. What is the pressure height?
2. A non-rigid airship of 225,000-cu.-ft. capacity has its 30,000-
cu.-ft. ballonets full of air. The airship is inflated with pure helium.
Air and gas are at 60Â° F. temperature and 30.1 in. pressure, (a) What
is the lift if there is no superheat? (6) What is the lift with 20Â° F.
superheat?
3. A non-rigid airship of 200,000-cu.-ft. capacity is filled with
hydrogen of 95 per cent purity; ballonets are 25,000-cu.-ft. capacity;
superheat is 35Â° F. (a) What is the total lift? (6) How much ballast
must be tossed over when all superheat is lost?
Rigid Airships. A rigid airship has a metal framework which
consists of a series of huge rings of varying diameter connected by
longitudinal girders extending from the nose to the tail. During
the war, for ease and cheapness in construction, the rings, except
for those at the nose and tail, were of the same diameter. This
gave the " pencil-shape " to the war-time Zeppelins. The modern
Zepps have a nicely streamlined contour even though this requires
separate design of each ring and more intricate tailoring of the
envelope.
There are three keels running lengthwise of the modern rigid
ship. The framework of these keels is triangular in cross-section,
permitting their use as passageways from stem to stern. In
addition to these keels and other longitudinal members, the struc
ture is braced by a multiplicity of wires and cross-pieces.
The gas is contained in ten to twenty individual cells instead of
one large cell as in the pressure-type airship. This gives pro
tection similar to the bulkheads of marine vessels: if one or two

364
AEROSTATICS
cells become punctured, the remaining cells will have sufficient
buoyancy to keep the ship in the air. A network of wires around
each cell prevents undue expansion.
Over the entire framework is stretched the outer cover, which is
a doped fabric designed to reflect heat and give a smooth flying
surface. The air space between the outer cover and the walls of
the gas cells acts as ventilation space.
The cells are only partially inflated on the ground so that
expansion of the gas may take place when the airship rises.
Flabbiness of the gas cells is permissible in the rigid type, since the
streamline shape is preserved by the framework and outer cover.
The dimensions of three famous rigid airships are given below.
Los
Angeles
Nominal gas volume (cu. ft.) 2,470,000
Over-all length (ft.) 658
Maximum diameter (ft.) 91
Slenderness ratio 7.2
Gross lift (Ib.) 153,000
Useful lift (Ib.) 60,000
Maximum velocity (miles per hour).. 73
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CHANDLER and DIEHL, Balloon and Airship Gases.
WARNER, Aerostatics.
BLAKEMORE and PAGON, Pressure Airships.
BURGESS, Airship Design.
U. S. Army Air Corps, TR 1170-295.
Graf
Zeppelin3,700,0007761007.7258,00080Akron6,500,0007851326.0403,000182,00084
APPENDIX A
NOMENCLATURE
(From N.A.C.A.-T.R. 474)
accelerometer â An instrument that measures the accelerations of an aircraft
in a defined direction,
acrobatics â Evolutions voluntarily performed with an aircraft other than
those required for normal flight.
adjustable propeller â See propeller, adjustable.
aerodynamic center, wing section â A point located on or near the chord of
the mean line approximately one-quarter of the chord length aft of the
leading edge and about which the moment coefficient is practically
constant.
aerodynamics â The branch of dynamics that treats of the motion of air and
other gaseous fluids and of the forces acting on solids in motion relative
to such fluids.
aerostatics â The science that treats of the equilibrium of gaseous fluids and
of bodies immersed in them.
aileron â A hinged or movable portion of an airplane wing, the primary func
tion of which is to impress a rolling motion on the airplane. It is usually
part of the trailing edge of a wing.
Prise aileron â An aileron having the nose portion projecting ahead of
the hinge axis, the lower surface being in line with the lower surface of
the wing. When the trailing edge of the aileron is raised, the nose por
tion protrudes below the lower surface of the wing, increasing the drag.
airfoil â Any surface, such as an airplane wing, aileron, or rudder,'designed
to obtain reaction from the air through which it moves.
airfoil profile. â The outline of an airfoil section,
airfoil section â A cross-section of an airfoil parallel to the plane of symmetry
or to a specified reference plane.
airplane â A mechanically driven fixed-wing aircraft, heavier than air, which
is supported by the dynamic reaction of the air against its wings.
canard airplane â A type of airplane having the horizontal stabilizing and
control surfaces in front of the main supporting surfaces.
pusher airplane â An airplane with the propeller or propellers aft of the
main supporting surfaces.
tailless airplane â An airplane in which the devices used to obtain stability
and control are incorporated in the wing,
tractor airplane â An airplane with the propeller or propellers forward
of the main supporting surfaces.
airship â An aerostat provided with a propelling system and with means of
controlling the direction of motion. A dirigible balloon; lighter than the
airship.
365
366 APPENDIX A
non-rigid airship â An airship whose form is maintained by the internal
pressure in the gas bags and ballonets.
rigid airship â An airship whose form is maintained by a rigid struc
ture.
semi-rigid airship â An airship whose shape is maintained by means of
a rigid or jointed keel in conjunction with internal pressure in the gas
containers and ballonets.
air speed â The speed of an aircraft relative to the air.
airspeed head â An instrument which, in combination with a gage, is used
to measure the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. It usually con
sists of a Pitot.static tube or a Pitot-Venturi tube.
airway â An air route along which aids to air navigation, such as landing
fields, beacon lights, radio direction-finding facilities, intermediate fields,
etc., are maintained.
airworthiness â The quality of an aircraft denoting its fitness and safety for
operation in the air under normal flying conditions.
altimeter â An instrument that measures the elevation of an aircraft above a
given datum plane.
altitude:
absolute altitude â The height of an aircraft above the earth.
density altitude â The altitude corresponding to a given density in a
standard atmosphere.
pressure altitude â (1) The altitude corresponding to a given pressure in a
standard atmosphere. (2) The altitude at which the gas bags of an
airship become full,
amphibian â An airplane designed to rise from and alight on either land or
water.
angle:
aileron angle â The angular displacement of an aileron from its neutral
position. It is positive when the trailing edge of the aileron is below the
neutral position.
blade angle â The acute angle between the chord of a section of a propeller
and a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.
dihedral angle â The acute angle between a line perpendicular to the plane
of symmetry and the projection of the wing axis on a plane perpendicular
to the longitudinal axis of the airplane. If the wing axis is not approxi
mately a straight line, the angle is measured from the projection of a line
joining the intersection of the wing axis with the plane of symmetry and
the aerodynamic center of the half-wing on either side of the plane of
symmetry.
downwash angle â The angle through which an air stream is deflected by
any lifting surface. It is measured in a plane parallel to the plane of
symmetry.
drift angle â The horizontal angle between the longitudinal axis of an
aircraft and its path relative to the'ground.
elevator angle â The angular displacement of the elevator from its neutral
position. It is positive when the trailing edge of the elevator is below
the neutral position.

APPENDIX A 367
gliding angle â The angle between the flight path during a glide and a
horizontal axis fixed relative to the air.
zero-lift angle â The angle of attack of an airfoil when its lift is zero,
angle of attack â The acute angle between a reference line in a body and the
line of the relative wind direction projected on a plane containing the
reference line and parallel to the plane of symmetry.
absolute angle of attack â The angle of attack of an airfoil, measured from
the attitude of zero lift.
critical angle of attack â The angle of attack at which the flow about an
airfoil changes abruptly as shown by corresponding abrupt changes in the
lift and drag.
effective angle of attack â See angle of attack for infinite aspect ratio.
induced angle of attack â The difference between the actual angle of attack
and the angle of attack for infinite aspect ratio of an airfoil for the same
lift coefficient.
angle of attack for infinite aspect ratio â The angle of attack at which an
airfoil produces a given lift coefficient in a two-dimensional flow. Also
called " effective angle of attack."
area, equivalent flat-plate â The area of a square flat plate, normal to the
direction of motion, which offers the same amount of resistance to motion
as the body or combination of bodies under consideration,
area, measurement of (performance calculations):
horizontal tail area â The horizontal tail area is measured in the same
manner as the wing area, that is, with no deduction for the area blanketed
by the fuselage, such blanketed area being bounded within the fuselage
by lateral straight lines that connect the intersections of the leading and
trailing edges of the stabilizer with the sides of the fuselage, the fairings
and fillets being ignored.
vertical tail area â The area of the actual outline of the rudder and the fin
projected in the vertical plane, the fairings and fillets being ignored.
wing area â Wing area is measured from the projection of the actual outline
on the plane of the chords, without deduction for area blanketed by fuse
lage or nacelles. That part of the area, so determined, which lies within
the fuselage or nacelles is bounded by two lateral lines that connect the
intersections of the leading and trailing edges with the fuselage or na
celle, ignoring fairings and fillets. For the purpose of calculating area, a
wing is considered to extend without interruption through the fuselage
and nacelles. Unless otherwise stated, wing area always refers to total
area including ailerons.
area, propeller-disk â The total area swept by a propeller; i.e., the area of a
circle having the same diameter as the propeller.
aspect ratio â The ratio of the span to the mean chord of an airfoil; i.e., the
ratio of the square of the span to the total area of an airfoil.
effective aspect ratio â The aspect ratio of an airfoil of elliptical plan
form that, for the same lift coefficient, has the same induced-drag coeffi
cient as the airfoil, or the combination of airfoils, in question,
atmosphere:
standard atmosphere â An arbitrary atmosphere used in comparing the

368 APPENDIX A
performance of aircraft. The standard atmosphere in use in the United
States at present represents very nearly the average conditions found at
latitude 40Â° and is completely defined in N.A.C.A. Report 218.
autogiro â A type of rotor plane whose support in the air is chiefly derived
from airfoils rotated about an approximately vertical axis by aerody
namic forces, and in which the fill on opposite sides of the plane of sym
metry is equalized by the vertical oscillation of the blades.
automatic pilot â An automatic control mechanism for keeping an aircraft in
level flight and on a set course. Sometimes called " gyro pilot," " me
chanical pilot," or " robot pilot."
axes of an aircraft â Three fixed lines of reference, usually centroidal and
mutually perpendicular. The horizontal axis in the plane of symmetry is
called the longitudinal axis; the axis perpendicular to this in the plane of
symmetry is called the normal axis; and the third axis perpendicular to
the other two is called the lateral axis. In mathematical discussions, the
first of these axes, drawn from rear to front, is called the X axis; the
second, drawn downward, the Z axis; and the third, running from left
to right, the Y axis.
axis, wing â The locus of the aerodynamic centers of all the wing sec
tions.
balance â A condition of steady flight in which the resultant force and mo
ment on the airplane are zero.
bank â The position of an airplane when its lateral axis is inclined to the
horizontal. A right bank is the position with the lateral axis inclined
downward to the right.
bank â To incline an airplane laterally; i.e., to rotate it about its longi
tudinal axis.
biplane â An airplane with two main supporting surfaces placed one above
the other.
blade element â A portion of a propeller blade contained between the sur
faces of two cylinders coaxial with the propeller cutting the propeller
blades.
blade face â The surface of a propeller blade that corresponds to the lower
surface of an airfoil. Sometimes called " thrust face " or " driving face."
blade section â A cross-section of a propeller blade made at any point by a
plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the propeller and tangent at the
centroid of the section to an arc drawn with the axis of rotation as ite
center.
boundary layer â A layer of fluid, close to the surface of a body placed in a
moving stream, in which the impact pressure is reduced as a result of the
viscosity of the fluid.
camber â The rise of the curve of an airfoil section, usually expressed as the
ratio of the departure of the curve from a straight line joining the ex
tremities of the curve to the length of this straight line. " Upper camber"
refers to the upper surface; " lower camber " to the lower surface; and
" mean camber " to the mean line of the section.
ceiling:
absolute ceiling â The maximum height above sea level at which a given
APPENDIX A 369
airplane would be able to maintain horizontal flight under standard air
conditions.
service ceiling â The height above sea level, under standard air conditions,
at which a given airplane is unable to climb faster than a small specified
rate (100 ft. per min. in the United States and England). This specified
rate may differ in different countries.
cellule (or cell) â In an airplane, the entire structure of the wings and wing
trussing of the whole airplane on one side of the fuselage, or between
fuselages or nacelles if there are more than one.
center of pressure of an airfoil â The point in the chord of an airfoil, pro
longed if necessary, which is at the intersection of the chord and the line
of action of the resultant air force.
center-of-pressure coefficient â The ratio of the distance of the center of
pressure from the leading edge to the chord length.
center section â The central panel of a wing; in the case of a continuous wing
or any wing having no central panel, the limits of the center section are
arbitrarily defined by the location of points of attachment to the cabane
struts or fuselage.
chord â An arbitrary datum line from which the ordinates and angles of an
airfoil are measured. It is usually the straight line tangent to the lower
surface at two points, the straight line joining the ends of the mean line,
or the straight line between the leading and trailing edges.
chord, mean aerodynamic â The chord of an imaginary airfoil which would
have force vectors throughout the flight range identical with those of
the actual wing or wings.
chord length â The length of the projection of the airfoil profile on its chord.
cockpit â An open space in an airplane for the accommodation of pilots or
passengers. When completely enclosed, such a space is usually called
a cabin.
control column â A lever having a rotatable wheel mounted at its upper end
for operating the longitudinal and lateral control surfaces of an airplane.
This type of control is called " wheel control."
controllability â The quality of an aircraft that determines the ease of operat
ing its controls and/or the effectiveness of displacement of the controls
in producing change in its attitude in flight.
decalage â. The difference between the angular settings of the wings of a bi
plane or multiplane. The decalage is measured by the acute angle
between the chords in a plane parallel to the plane of symmetry. The
decalage is considered positive if the upper wing is set at the larger angle.
dive â A steep descent, with or without power, in which the airspeed is greater
than the maximum speed in horizontal flight.
down.wash â The air deflected perpendicular to the direction of motion of an
airfoil.
drag â The component of the total air force on a body parallel to the relative
wind.
Induced drag â That part of the drag induced by the lift;
parasite drag â That portion of the drag of an aircraft exclusive of the
induced drag of the wings.

370 APPENDIX A
profile drag â The difference between the total wing drag and the induced
drag.
profile drag, effective â The difference between the total wing drag and the
induced drag of a wing with the same geometric aspect ratio but ellip-
tically loaded.
drag force or component (stress analysis) â A force or component, in the
drag direction, i.e., parallel to the relative wing.
drag strut â A fore-and-aft compression member of the internal bracing
system of an aircraft.
dynamic pressure â The product \p V, where p is the density of the air
and V is the relative speed of the air.
engine:
compression-ignition engine â A type of engine in which the fuel is sprayed
into the cylinder and ignited by the heat of compression of the air charge.
right-hand engine â An engine whose propeller shaft, to an observer facing
the propeller from the engine end of the shaft, rotates in a clockwise
direction.
supercharged engine â An engine with a compressor for increasing the air
or mixture charge taken into the cylinder beyond that inducted normally
at the existing atmospheric pressure.
engine, dry weight of â The weight of an engine exclusive of fuel, oil, and
liquid coolant.
engine weight per horsepower â The dry weight of an engine divided by the
rated horsepower.
equivalent monoplane â A monoplane wing equivalent as to its lift and drag
properties to any combination of two or more wings.
fairing â An auxiliary member or structure whose primary function is to re
duce the drag of the part to which it is fitted.
fin â A fixed or adjustable airfoil, attached to an aircraft approximately paral
lel to the plane of symmetry, to afford directional stability; for example,
tail fin, skid fin, ete.
fineness ratio â The ratio of the length to the maximum diameter of a stream
line body, as an airship hull.
fishtail â A colloquial term describing the motion made when the tail of an
airplane is swung from side to side to reduce speed in approaching the
ground for a landing.
flap â A hinged or pivoted airfoil forming the rear portion of an airfoil,
used to vary the effective camber.
split flap â A hinged plate forming the rear upper or lower portion of an
airfoil. The lower portion may be deflected downward to give increased
lift and drag; the upper portion may be raised over a portion of the wing
for the purpose of lateral control.
flight path â The flight path of the center of gravity of an aircraft with refer
ence to a frame fixed relative to the air or with reference to the earth.
flow:
laminar flow â A particular type of streamline flow. The term is usually
applied to the flow of a viscous liquid near solid boundaries, when the
flow is not turbulent.

APPENDIX A 371
streamline flow â A fluid flow in which the streamlines, except those very
near a body and in a narrow wake, do not change with time.
turbulent flow â Any part of a fluid flow in which the velocity at a given
point varies more or less rapidly in magnitude and direction with time.
flutter â An oscillation of definite period but unstable character set up in any
part of an aircraft by a momentary disturbance, and maintained by a
combination of the aerodynamic, inertial, and elastic characteristics of
the member itself.
fuselage âThe body, of approximately streamline form, to which the wings
and tail unit of an airplane are attached.
monocoque fuselage â A fuselage construction which relies on the strength
of the skin or shell to carry either the shear or the load due to bending
momenta. Monocoques may be divided into three classes (reinforced
shell, semi-monocoque, and monocoque), and different portions of the
same fuselage may belong to any one of these classes. The reinforced
shell has the skin reinforced by a complete framework of structural
members. The semi-monocoque has the skin reinforced by longerons and
vertical bulkheads, but has no diagonal web members. The monocoque
has as its only reinforcement vertical bulkheads formed of structural
members.
gap âThe distance separating two adjacent wings of a multiplane.
glide â To descend at a normal angle of attack with little or no thrust.
ground loop â An uncontrollable violent turn of an airplane while taxying, or
during the landing or take-off run.
horn â A short lever attached to a control surface of an aircraft, to which
the operating wire or rod is connected.
horsepower of an engine, rated â The average horsepower developed by a
given type of engine at the rated speed when operating at full throttle
or at a specified altitude or manifold pressure.
Immelman turn, normal â A maneuver made by completing the first half of a
normal loop, then, from the inverted position at the top of the loop, half-
rolling the airplane to the level position, thus obtaining a 180Â° change
in direction simultaneously with a gain in altitude.
impact pressure â The pressure acting at the forward stagnation point of a
body, such as a Pitot tube, placed in an air current. Impact pressure
may be measured from an arbitrary datum pressure.
inclinometer â An instrument that measures the attitude of an aircraft with
respect to the horizontal.
induction system, rotary â A carburetor induction system used on radial
engines, in which a rotary fan assists in distributing the fuel charge to the
cylinders.
instability, spiral â A type of instability, inherent in certain airplanes, which
becomes evident when the airplane assumes too great a bank and side
slips; the bank continues to increase and the radius of the turn to decrease.
instrument flying â The art of controlling an aircraft solely by the use of
instruments; sometimes called " blind flying."
Interceptor â A lateral-control device consisting of a small plate placed just
back of a wing slot to spoil the effect of the slot at high angles of attack.
372 APPENDIX A
interference â The aerodynamic influence of two or more bodies on one
another.
landing gear â The understructure which supports the weight of an aircraft
when in contact with the land or water and which usually contains a mech
anism for reducing the shock of landing. Also called " undercarriage."
retractable landing gear â A type of landing gear which may be withdrawn
into the body or wings of an airplane while it is in flight, in order to re
duce the parasite drag.
leading edge â The foremost edge of an airfoil or propeller blade,
level-off â To make the flight path of an airplane horizontal after a climb,
glide, or dive.
lift: dynamic â The component of the total aerodynamic force on a body per
pendicular to the relative wind.
lift/drag ratio â The ratio of the lift to the drag of any body,
load:
full load â Weight empty plus useful load; also called gross weight.
pay .load â That part of the useful load from which revenue is derived, viz.,
passengers and freight.
useful load â The crew and passengers, oil and fuel, ballast other than
emergency, ordnance, and portable equipment.
loading:
power loading â The gross weight of an airplane divided by the rated horse
power of the engine computed for air of standard density, unless otherwise
stated.
span loading â The ratio of the weight of an airplane to its equivalent
monoplane span.
unsymmetrical loading (stress analysis) â A design loading condition for
the wings and connecting members, representing the conditions as in a
roll.
wing loading â The gross weight of an airplane divided by the wing area.
longeron â A principal longitudinal member of the framing of an airplane
fuselage or nacelle, usually continuous across a number of points of
support.
loop â A maneuver executed in such a manner that the airplane follows a
closed curve approximately in a vertical plane.
maneuverability â That quality in an aircraft which determines the rate at
which its altitude and direction of flight can be changed.
mean line (of an airfoil profile) â An intermediate line between the upper and
lower contours of the profile.
mixture control, altitude â A device on the carburetor for regulating the
weight proportions of air and fuel supplied to the engine at different
altitudes.
monoplane â An airplane with but one main supporting surface, sometimes
divided into two parts by the fuselage.
high-wing monoplane â A monoplane in which the wing is located at, or
near, the top of the fuselage.
low-wing monoplane â A monoplane in which the wing is located at, or
near, the bottom of the fuselage.

APPENDIX A 373
midwing monoplane â A monoplane in which the wing is located approxi
mately midway between the top and bottom of the fuselage,
parasol monoplane â A monoplane in which the wing is above the fuselage.
multiplane â An airplane with two or more main supporting surfaces placed
one above another.
nacelle â An enclosed shelter for personnel or for a power plant. A nacelle
is usually shorter than a fuselage, and does not carry the tail unit.
nose-down â To depress the nose of an airplane in flight.
nose-over â A colloquial expression referring to the accidental turning over
of an airplane on its nose when landing.
oleo gear â A type of oil-damping device that depends on the flow of oil
through an orifice for its shock-absorbing effect in a landing gear.
oscillation:
phugoid oscillation â A long-period oscillation characteristic of the dis
turbed longitudinal motion of an aircraft.
stable oscillation â An oscillation whose amplitude does not increase,
unstable oscillation â An oscillation whose amplitude increases continu
ously until an attitude is reached from which there is no tendency to
return toward the original attitude, the motion becoming a steady
divergence.
over-all length â The distance from the extreme front to the extreme rear of
an aircraft, including the propeller and tail unit.
overhang â (1) One-half the difference in span of any two main supporting
surfaces of an airplane. The overhang is positive when the upper of the
two main supporting surfaces has the larger span. (2) The distance from
the outer strut attachment to the tip of a wing.
overshoot â To fly beyond a designated mark or area, such as a landing field,
while attempting to land on the mark or within the area.
panel (airplane) â A portion of an airplane wing constructed separately from
the rest of the wing to which it is attached.
pitch â An angular displacement about an axis parallel to the lateral axis of
an aircraft.
pitch of a propeller:
effective pitch â The distance an aircraft advances along its flight path for
one revolution of the propeller.
geometrical pitch â The distance an element of a propeller would advance
in one revolution if it were moving along a helix having an angle equal to
its blade angle.
zero-thrust pitch â The distance a propeller would have to advance in
one revolution to give no thrust. Also called " experimental mean pitch.''
pitch ratio (propeller) â The ratio of the pitch to the diameter.
pitot-static tube â A parallel or coaxial combination of a Pitot and a static
tube. The difference between the impact pressure and the static pressure
is a function of the velocity of flow past the tube.
Pitot tube â A cylindrical tube with an open end pointed upstream, used in
measuring impact pressure.
Pitot-Venturi tube â A combination of a Pitot and a Venturi tube.
plane (or hydroplane) â To move through the water at such a speed that the
374 APPENDIX A
support derived is due to hydrodynamic and aerodynamic rather than to
hydrostatic forces.
plan form, developed â The plan of an airfoil as drawn with the chord lines
at each section rotated about the airfoil axis into a plane parallel to the
plane of projection and with the airfoil axis rotated and developed and
projected into the plane of projection,
plan form, projected â The contour as viewed from above.
profile thickness â The maximum distance between the upper and lower
contours of an airfoil, measured perpendicularly to the mean line of the
profile.
propeller â Any device for propelling a craft through a fluid, such as water
or air; especially a device having blades which, when mounted on a
power-driven shaft, produce a thrust by their action on the fluid.
adjustable propeller â A propeller whose blades are so attached to the
hub that the pitch may be changed while the propeller is at rest.
automatic propeller â A propeller whose blades are attached to a mechanism
that automatically sets them at their optimum pitch for various flight
conditions.
controllable propeller â A propeller whose blades are so mounted that
the pitch may be changed while the propeller is rotating.
geared propeller â A propeller driven through gearing, generally at some
speed other than the engine speed.
pusher propeller â A propeller mounted on the rear end of the engine or
propeller shaft.
tractor propeller â A propeller mounted on the forward end of the engine
or propeller shaft.
propeller efficiency â The ratio of the thrust power to the input power of a
propeller.
propeller rake â The mean angle which the line joining the centroids of the
sections of a propeller blade makes with a plane perpendicular to the axis.
propeller root â That part of the propeller blade near the hub.
propeller thrust â The component of the total air force on the propeller which
is parallel to the direction of advance.
propeller thrust, effective â The net driving force developed by a propeller
when mounted on an aircraft, i.e., the actual thrust exerted by the
propeller, as mounted on an airplane, minus any increase in the resistance
of the airplane due to the action of the propeller.
propeller thrust, static â The thrust developed by a propeller when rotating
without translation.
propeller tipping â A protective covering of the blade of a propeller near the
tip.
propulsive efficiency â The ratio of the product of the effective thrust and
flight speed to the actual power input into the propeller as mounted on
the airplane.
pull-out â The maneuver of transition from a dive to horizontal flight.
pull-up â A maneuver, in the vertical plane, in which the airplane is forced
into a short climb, usually from approximately level flight (ef. zoom).
sudden pull-up (or sudden pull-out) (stress analysis) â A loading con-
APPENDIX A 375
dition for the tail surfaces resulting from a sudden application of up-
elevator (cf. dive),
purity (of gas) â The ratio of the partial pressure of the aerostatic gas in the
container to the total pressure of all the contained gases.
range, maximum â The maximum distance a given aircraft can cover under
given conditions, by flying at the economical speed and altitude at all
stages of the flight.
range at maximum speed â The maximum distance a given aircraft can By
at full speed at the altitude for maximum speed under given conditions.
rate-of-climb indicator â An instrument that indicates the rate of ascent or
descent of an aircraft.
Reynolds number â A non-dimensional coefficient used as a measure of the
dynamic scale of a flow. Its usual form is the fraction Vl/v in which V
is the velocity of the fluid, I is a linear dimension of a body in the fluid,
and v is the kinematic viscosity of the fluid (cf. scale effect),
righting or restoring moment â A moment that tends to restore an aircraft
to its previous attitude after any small rotational displacement.
ring cowling â A ring-shaped cowling placed around a radial air-cooled engine
to reduce its drag and improve cooling.
toll â A maneuver in which a complete revolution about the longitudinal
axis is made, the horizontal direction of flight being approximately
maintained.
aileron roll â A roll in which the motion is largely maintained by forces
arising from the displacement of the aileron,
outside roll â A roll executed while flying in the negative angle-of-attack
range.
snap roll â A roll executed by a quick movement of the controls, in which
the motion is largely maintained by autorotational couples on the wings.
rudder â A hinged or movable auxiliary airfoil on an aircraft, the function of
which is to impress a yawing moment on the aircraft.
rudder bar â The foot bar by means of which the control cables leading to
the rudder are operated.
scale effect â The change in any force coefficient, such as the drag coefficient,
due to a change in the value of Reynolds number.
seaplane â An airplane designed to rise from and alight on the water.
sesquiplane â A form of biplane in which the area of one wing is less than half
the area of the other.
sideslipping â Motion of an aircraft relative to the air, in which the lateral
axis is inclined and the airplane has a velocity component along the lateral
axis. When it occurs in connection with a turn, it is ,the opposite of
skidding.
sinking speed â The vertical downward component of velocity that an air
craft would have while descending in still air under given conditions of
equilibrium,
slip â The difference between the geometrical pitch and the effective pitch
of a propeller. Slip may be expressed as a percentage of the mean geo
metrical pitch, or as a linear dimension.
slip function â The ratio of the speed of advance through the undisturbed
376 APPENDIX A
air to the product of the propeller diameter and the number of revolutions
per unit time: V/nD.
slipstream â The current of air driven astern by a propeller.
slot â The nozzle-shaped passage through a wing whose primary object is to
improve the flow conditions at high angles of attack. It is usually near
the leading edge and formed by a main and an auxiliary airfoil,
span â The maximum distance, measured parallel to the lateral axis, from
tip to tip of an airfoil, of an airplane wing inclusive of ailerons, or of a
stabilizer inclusive of elevator.
effective span â The true span of a wing less corrections for tip loss.
speed:
ground speed â The horizontal component of the velocity of an aircraft
relative to the ground.
landing speed â The minimum speed of an airplane at the instant of con
tact with the landing area in a normal landing.
minimum flying speed â The lowest steady speed that can be maintained,
with any throttle setting whatsoever, by an airplane in level flight at
an altitude above the ground greater than the span of the wings.
rated engine speed â The rotative speed of an engine at which its reliability
has been determined for continuous performance.
stalling speed â The speed of an airplane in steady flight at its maximum
coefficient of lift.
take-off speed â The airspeed at which an airplane becomes entirely air
borne.
spin â A maneuver in which an airplane descends along a helical path of large
pitch and small radius while flying at a mean angle of attack greater than
the angle of attack at maximum lift (ff. spiral),
flat spin â A spin in which the longitudinal axis is less than 45Â° from the
horizontal,
inverted spin â A maneuver having the characteristics of a normal spin
except that the airplane is in an inverted attitude.
normal spin â A spin which is continued by reason of the voluntary po
sition of the control surfaces, recovery from which can be effected within
two turns by neutralizing or reversing all the controls. Sometimes
called " controlled spin."
uncontrolled spin â A spin in which the controls are of little or no use
in effecting a recovery.
spinner â A fairing of approximately conical or paraboloidal share, which is
fitted coaxially with the propeller hub and revolves with the propeller.
spiral â A maneuver in which an airplane descends in a helix of small pitch
and large radius, the angle of attack being within the normal range of
flight angles.
split S â A maneuver consisting of a half snap roll followed by a pull-out
to normal flight, thus obtaining a 180Â° change in direction accompanied
by a loss of altitude.
spoiler â A small plate arranged to project above the upper surface of a wing
to disturb the smooth air flow, with consequent loss of lift and increase of
drag.
APPENDIX A 377
stability â That property of a body which causes it, when its equilibrium is
disturbed, to develop forces or moments tending to restore the original
condition.
automatic stability â Stability dependent upon movable control surfaces
automatically operated by mechanical means.
directional stability â Stability with reference to disturbances about the
normal axis of an aircraft, i.e., disturbances which tend to cause yawing,
dynamic stability â That property of an aircraft which causes it, when its
state of steady flight is disturbed, to damp the oscillations set up by the
restoring forces and momenta and gradually return to its original state.
inherent stability â Stability of an aircraft due solely to the disposition
and arrangement of its fixed parts; i.e., that property which causes it,
when disturbed, to return to its normal attitude of flight without the use
of the controls or the interposition of any mechanical device.
lateral stability â Stability with reference to disturbances about the longi
tudinal axis.
longitudinal stability â Stability with reference to disturbances in the plane
of symmetry; i.e., disturbances involving pitching and variation of the
longitudinal and normal velocities.
static stability â That property of an aircraft which causes it, when its
state of steady flight is disturbed, to develop forces and moments tending
to restore its original condition.
stabilizer (airplane) â Any airfoil whose primary function is to increase the
stability of an aircraft. It usually refers to the fixed horizontal surface.
stagger â A term referring to the longitudinal position of the axes of two
wings of an airplane. Stagger of any section is measured by the acute
angle between a line joining the wing axes and a line perpendicular to the
upper wing chord, both lines lying in a plane parallel to the plane of sym
metry. The stagger is positive when the upper wing is in advance of the
lower.
stall â The condition of an airfoil or airplane in which it is operating at an
angle of attack greater than the angle of attack of maximum lift.
static pressure â The force per unit area exerted by a fluid on a surface at
rest relative to the fluid.
streamline â The path of a particle of a fluid, supposedly continuous, com
monly taken relative to a solid body past which the fluid is moving;
generally used only of such flows as are not eddying.
streamline form â The form of a body so shaped that the flow about it tends
to be a streamline flow.
strut â A compression member of a truss frame.
supercharge â To supply an engine with more air or mixture than would be
inducted normally at the prevailing atmospheric pressure. The term
supercharged is generally used to refer to conditions at altitudes where the
pressure in the intake manifold is partly or completely restored to that
existing under normal operation at sea-level.
supercharger â A pump for supplying the engine with a greater weight of air
or mixture than would normally be inducted at the prevailing atmos
pheric pressure.
378 APPENDIX A
centrifugal-type supercharger â A high-speed rotary blower equipped with
one or more multiblade impellers which, through centrifugal action,
compress the air or mixture in the induction system,
positive-driven-type supercharger â A supercharger driven at a fixed ratio
from the engine shaft by gears or other positive means.
Roots-type supercharger â A positive-displacement rotary blower con
sisting of two double-lobed impellers turning in opposite directions on
parallel shafts within a housing, the impellers rolling together except for
a small clearance, meanwhile alternately trapping incoming air or mix
ture in the ends of the housing and sweeping it through to the outlet.
sweepback â The acute angle between a line perpendicular to the plane of
symmetry and the pjan projection of a reference line in the wing.
tachometer â An instrument that measures in revolutions per minute the
rate at which the crankshaft of an engine turns.
tail, airplane â The rear part of an airplane, usually consisting of a group
of stabilizing planes, or fins, to which are attached certain controlling
surfaces such as elevators and rudders; also called " empennage."
tail boom â A spar or outrigger connecting the tail surfaces and the main
supporting surfaces.
tailheavy â The condition of an airplane in which the tail tends to sink when
the longitudinal control is released in any given attitude of normal
flight.
tail skid â A skid for supporting the tail of an airplane on the ground.
take-off â The act of beginning flight in which an airplane is accelerated from
a state of rest to that of normal flight. In a more restricted sense, the
final breaking of contact with the land or water.
taper in plan only â A gradual change (usually a decrease) in the chord
length along the wing span from the root to the tip, with the wing sections
remaining geometrically similar.
taper in thickness ratio only â A gradual change in the thickness ratio along
the wing span with the chord remaining constant.
taxi â To operate an airplane under its own power, either on land or on
water, except as necessarily involved in take-off or landing.
thickness ratio â The ratio of the maximum thickness of an airfoil section to
its chord.
trailing edge â The rearmost edge of an airfoil or of a propeller blade.
turn indicator â An instrument for indicating the existence and approxi
mate magnitude of angular velocity about the normal axis, of an air
craft.
velocity, terminal â The hypothetical maximum speed that an airplane could
attain along a specified straight flight path under given conditions of
weight and propeller operation, if diving an unlimited distance in air of
specified uniform density. If the term is not qualified, a vertical path
angle, normal gross weight, zero thrust, and standard sea-level air
density are assumed.
Venturi tube (or Venturi) â A short tube of varying cross-section. The flow
through the Venturi causes a pressure drop in the smallest section, the
amount of the drop being a function of the velocity of flow.

APPENDIX A 379
visibility â The greatest distance at which conspicuous objects can be seen
and identified.
warp â To change the form of a wing by twisting it. Warping was formerly
used to perform the function now performed by ailerons.
wash â The disturbance in the air produced by the passage of an airfoil.
Also called the " wake " in the general case for any solid body.
washin â A warp of an airplane wing giving an increase of the angle of attack
toward the tip.
washout â A warp of an airplane wing giving a decrease of the angle of attack
toward the tip.
weight:
empty weight â The structure, power plant, and fixed equipment of an
aircraft. Included in this fixed equipment are the water in the radiator
and cooling system, all essential instruments and furnishings, fixed
electric wiring for lighting, heating, etc. In the case of an aerostat, it
also includes the amount of ballast that must be carried to assist in mak
ing a safe landing.
fixed power plant weight for a given airplane weight â The weight of the
power plant and its accessories, exclusive of fuel and oil and their tanks.
gross weight (airplane) â The total weight of an airplane when fully
loaded (cf. load, full).
net weight (stress analysis) â The gross weight, less some specific partial
weight. Very often the partial weight is the dead weight of the wings,
but it may be the useful load. The partial weight in question should
always be clearly indicated by the context.
wheel, tail â A wheel used to support the tail of an airplane when on the
ground. It may be steerable or non-steerable, fixed or swiveling.
wind, relative â The velocity of the air with reference to a body in it. It is
usually determined from measurements made at such a distance from
the body that the disturbing effect of the body upon the air is negligible.
window, inspection â A small transparent window fitted in the envelope of a
balloon or airship, or in the wing or fuselage of an airplane, to allow in
spection of the interior.
wind tunnel â An apparatus producing an artificial wind or air stream, in
which objects are placed for investigating the air flow about them and
the aerodynamic forces exerted on them.
wing â A general term applied to the airfoil, or one of the airfoils, designed to
develop a major part of the lift of a heavier-than-air craft.
equivalent wing (stress analysis) â A wing of the same span as the actual
wing, but with the chord at each section reduced in proportion to the
ratio of the average beam load at that section to the average beam load
at the section taken as the standard.
wingheavy, right or left â The condition of an airplane whose right or left
wing tends to sink when the lateral control is released in any given attitude
of normal flight.
wing-over â A maneuver in which the airplane is put into a climbing turn un
til nearly stalled, at which point the nose is allowed to fall while continu
ing the turn, then returned to normal flight from the ensuing dive or
380 APPENDIX A
glide in a direction approximately 180Â° from that at the start of the
evolution.
wing rib â A chord-wise member of the wing structure of an airplane, used to
give the wing section its form and to transmit the load from the fabric
to the spars.
compression wing rib â A heavy rib designed to perform the function of an
ordinary wing rib and also to act as a strut opposing the pull of the wires
in the internal drag truss.
former (or false) wing rib â An incomplete rib, frequently consisting only
of a strip of wood extending from the leading edge to the front spar, which
is used to assist in maintaining the form of the wing where the curvature
of the airfoil section is sharpest.
wing section â A cross-section of a wing parallel to the plane of symmetry or
to a specified reference plane.
wing skid â A skid placed near the wing tip to protect the wing from contact
with the ground.
wing spar â A principal span-wise member of the wing structure of an airplane.
wing-tip rake â A term referring to the shape of the tip of the wing when the
tip edge is sensibly straight in plan but is not parallel to the plane of
symmetry. The amount of rake is measured by the acute angle between
the straight portion of the wing tip and the plane of symmetry. The
rake is positive when the trailing edge is longer than the leading edge.
wire (airplane):
antidrag wire â A wire intended primarily to resist the forces acting for
ward in the chord direction. It is generally enclosed in the wing,
drag wire â A wire intended primarily to resist the forces acting backward
in the chord direction. It is generally enclosed in the wing.
landing wire â A wire or cable which braces the wing against the forces
opposite to the normal direction of the lift.
lift wire â A wire or cable which braces the wings against the lift force;
sometimes called " flying wire."
stagger wire â A wire connecting the upper and lower wings of an airplane
and lying hi a plane substantially parallel to the plane of symmetry;
also called " incidence wire."
wire (airship):
ant"flutter wire â A wire in the plane of the outer cover for local reinforce
ment and for reducing flutter due to variations in air pressure or propeller
wash.
chord wire â A wire joining the vertices of a main transverse frame.
yaw â An angular displacement about an axis parallel to the normal axis of
an aircraft.
zoom â To climb for a short time at an angle greater than the normal climb
ing angle, the airplane being carried upward at the expense of kinetic
energy.
APPENDIX B
ANSWERS TO PROBLEMS
(1) 0.00175 slug per cu. ft.
(2) 0.00166 slug per cu. ft.
(1) 4190 Ib.
(1) a. 79.8 Ib.
b. 15.2 Ib.
C. 81.4 Ib.
d. 81.4 Ib.
(1) 11.9 Ib.
(1) 4,480,000
(2) 5,900,000
(1) 4,570 Ib.
(2) 3,260 Ib.
(3) 1.9Â°
(4) 4.6Â°
(1) 56.9 mi. per hr.
(2) 55.0 mi. per hr.
(3) 418 sq. ft.
(1) 308 Ib.
(2) 449 Ib.
Chap. I, page 3
(3) 0.0659 Ib. per cu. ft.
Chap. II, page 10
(2) 3.8 hp. (3) 2.4 hp.
Chap. II, page 12
(2) 1.2 Ib.
(3) a. 7.7 Ib.
6. 1.1 Ib.
c. 1Â°28'
Chap. II, page 16
(2) 47.6 Ib.
Chap. Ill, page 22
(3) 3,400,000
(4) 1,200 mi. per hr.
Chap. IV, page 32
(5) 8.4Â°
(6) 606 sq. ft.
(7) 6,4201b.
(8) 4,760 Ib.
Chap. IV, page 33
(4) 4.9 Ib. per sq. ft.
(6) 2,7001b.
(6) 69.0 mi. per hr.
Chap. IV, page 35
(3) 237 hp.
(4) 15.4 hp.
(4) 1.8 hp.
(4) a. 125.5 Ib.
b. 11801b.
(5) 2900 Ib.
(3) 6.1 Ib.
(5) 26.6 atmos.
(9) 56.0 mi. per hr.
(10) 65.0 mi. per hr.
(11) 45 Ib. per sq. ft.
(12) 33 Ib. per sq. ft.
(7) 7.4 Ib. per sq. ft.
(8) a. 44.8 mi. per hr.
b. 52.0 mi. per hr.
(6) a. 126 Ib.
6. 21.7 hp.
381
382
APPENDIX B
(1) a. 2,260 Ib.
6. 116Ib.
(2) 866 Ib.
(1) a. 176 Ib., 70.5 hp.
b. 150 Ib., 60.3 hp.
c. 148 Ib., 59.6 hp.
(2) a. 299 Ib., 100 hp.
6. 400 Ib., 133 hp.
c. 548 Ib., 183 hp.
(1) 6. 189 Ib.
c. 250 Ib.
d. 236 Ib.
(1) 40.3 hp.
(2) 350 sq. ft.
(3) 194 Ib.
(4) 5,760 Ib.
(1) 1,480 Ib.
(2) 52 mi. per hr.
(3) 4Â°
(4) a. 4.5Â° 6. 7.8Â°
(6) a. 110.9 Ib.
b. 81.8 Ib.
(1) 66.5 hp.
(2) 102 mi. per hr.
(3) 286 sq. ft.
(2) 7,750 ft-Ib.
Chap. IV, page 37
(3) 2,320 Ib.
(4) 55.8 mi. per hr.
(5) 65.1 mi. per hr.
Chap. IV, page 43
(6) 3,250 Ib.
(7) 2,380 Ib.
(3) a. 259 Ib., 73.0 hp.
6. 259 Ib., 88.4 hp.
(4) a. 96.5 hp.
b. 77.4 hp.
(6) a. -1.5Â°
6. 1.7Â°
Chap. IV, page 46
(2) 6. 169 Ib.
c. 0Â°
Chap. IV, page 60
(6) 244 Ib.
(6) 46.2 hp.
(7) 43.5 hp.
(8) 21.5
Chap. IV, page 66
(6) a. 20.45 Ib. per sq.ft.
b. 15.1 Ib. per sq. ft.
(7) a. 90.9 mi. per hr.
b. 105.3 mi. per hr.
Chap. IV, page 66
(4) a. 15.1 hp.
6. 9.5 hp.
(3) 6. 83 Ib.
c. -1Â°
d. 107 Ib.
(9) a. 11,900 Ib.
6. 909 Ib.
(10) 118 ft. per sec. or
80.4 mi. per hr.
(8) 46.5 mi. per hr.
(9) a. 131 mi. per hr.
6. 152 mi. per hr.
(10) 98.6 sq. ft.
(6) a. 24.25 hp.
6. 15.25 hp.
APPENDIX B
383
(1) 1.4Â°, 0.016
(2) 2.42Â°, 0.0304
(3) 125 Ib.
(4) 35.4 hp.
(1) a. 0.027
6. 25.9
(2) a. 0.0295
b. 24.7
(3) a. 0.036
b. 19.4
(1) 217 Ib.
(2) 212 Ib.
(3) 67 Ib.
(4) 174 Ib.
(1) 0.0452
(2) 0.0372
(1) 0.0657
(2) 0.0974
(1) 4.47
(2) 4.6
Chap. V, page 76
(6) 3.8 hp.
(6) 82 Ib.
(7) 72 Ib.
(8) 9.7 hp.
Chap. V, page 81
(4) a. -0.4Â°
6. 0.015
(6) a. 8.7Â°
6. 0.079
(6) a. 7.3Â°
6. 0.036
Chap. V, page 83
(5) 730 Ib.
(6) 305 Ib.
(7) 294 Ib.
(8) 606 Ib.
Chap. V, page 85
(3) 0.0308
(4) 0.0324
Chap. V, page 89
(3) 0.56
(4) 0.492
(9) a. 88 Ib.
6. 119 Ib.
c. 172 Ib.
(10) a. 268 Ib.
Chap. VI, page 98
(3) 3.9
(4) 3.7
Chap. VI, page 101
(7) a. -0.6Â°
6. 0.028
(8) a. 1.9Â°
6. 0.040
(9) a. 7.3Â°
b. 0.000142
(9) 283 Ib.
(10) 342 Ib.
(6) 0.0375
(5) 0.408
(6) 2.93
(1) 0.384, 0.48 (3) a. 0.154 (4) 0.25
(2) 0.416, 0.493 b. 0.257 (6) 0.293
(1) 3.58
(2) 2.88
(3) 3.98
Chap. VI, page 105

384 APPENDIX B
Chap. VI, page 106
(1) 29.4 ft. (6) 99.0 ft. (9) 34.0 ft.
(2) 36.0 ft. (6) 23.1 ft. (10) 38.9 ft.
(3) 38.7 ft. (7) 44.5 ft.
(4) 41.5 ft. (8) 34.9 ft.
Chap. VI, page 109
(1) 112 Ib. (6) 106 Ib. (8) 57.4 Ib.
(2) 114 Ib. (7) 4.5 ft. (9) 166 Ib.
(3) 113 Ib. 2.19 ft. (10) 299 Ib.
(4) lllIb. 7.13ft.
(6) 112 Ib. lllIb.
Chap. VI, page 113
(1) 254 Ib. (2) 255 Ib. (3) 183 Ib.
Chap. VII, page 120
(1) 7.57 Ib. (3) 3.145 Ib. (5) 156 Ib.
(2) 5.25 Ib. (4) 2.082 Ib.
Chap. IX, page 162
(1) 1.07 (6) 1.46 (9) 1.22
(2) 1.29 (6) 1.85 (10) 1.85
(3) 0.87 (7) 1.55
(4) 0.90 (8) 1.37
Chap. IX, page 168
(1) 1.32, 8.7 ft., 19Â°, 79 per cent. (4) 1.13, 10.1 ft., 15Â°, 76 per cent.
(2) 1.54, 8.05 ft., 23Â°, 82.5 per cent. (6) 1.00, 9.35 ft., 13Â°, 73 per cent.
(3) 1.99, 7.73 ft., 28Â°, 86 per cent.
Chap. IX, page 169
(1) 27Â° (3) 24Â° (6) 21Â°
(2) 24Â° (4) 18Â°
Chap. IX, page 162
(1) 16" (3) 23Â° (5) 26Â°
(2) 21" (4) 22Â°
Chap. X, page 188
(1) 55.3 mi. per hr. (3) 71.2 mi. per hr. (6) 76.3 mi. per hr.
(2) 67.5 mi. per hr. (4) 64.5 mi. per hr.
APPENDIX B
385
(2) 83.8 mi. per hr.
(3) 71,600 ft
(2) 338.6 mi. per hr.
(3) 313 mi. per hr.
(1) 47.6 mi. per hr.
(2) 46.6 mi. per hr.
(1) 104 sq. ft.
(2) 74.8 mi. per hr.
(1) 122 mi. per hr.
(2) 161.5 mi. per hr.
(1) 14,545ft.
(2) 15,650ft.
(1) a. 7.4 HUM.
b. 10.0 min.
(1) a. 2,000 Ib.
b. 2,830 Ib.
c. 672ft.
(1) 1.5
(2) 4.9
(1) 226 ft., 8.6
(2) 554 ft., 8.8
(1) 12.7
Chap. X, page 197
(4) 91.8 mi. per hr.
(6) 418 mi. per hr.
Chap. X, page 198
(6) 496 mi. per hr.
(4) 287 mi. per hr.
(5) 6.47 sq. ft.
Chap. X, page 201
(3) 82.7 mi. per hr.
(4) 50.2 mi. per hr.
Chap. X, page 203
(3) 94.1 mi. per hr.
(4) 53.0 mi. per hr.
Chap. X, page 206
(3) 270 hp.
(4) 190 mi. per hr.
(6) 53.3 mi. per hr.
(6) 43.4 mi. per hr.
Chap. XI, page 216
(5) 169.5 mi. per hr.
(3) 7.6 hp. (6) 500 ft. per min.
(4) 473 ft. per min.
Chap. XI, page 217
(2) 47.8 min.
(4) 23.0 min.
(3) 15.0 min.
Chap. XII, page 223
(5) 10.8 min.
(2) 100 mi. per hr. (4) 89.3Â°, 140,000 Ib.
(3) a. 64.6 hp. (6) a. 92 hp.
b. 70.5 hp.
6. 121 hp.
Chap. XII, page 226
(3) 6.9
(4) 12.2
Chap. XII, page 228
(6) 17.9
(3) 768 ft., 14.6 (5) 202 ft., 6.5
(4) 96 ft., 4.4
Chap. XII, page 230
(3) 11.1 (6) 14.4
(2) 15.3
(4) 17.7
386
APPENDIX B
(1) a. 7.9 ft.
b. 0.9ft.
c. 0.9ft.
(2) a. 7.9 ft.
6. 0.4ft.
c. 0.4ft.
(3) a. 9.2 ft.
b. 0.9ft.
c. 0.6 ft.
(1) a. -10.25Â°
b. 9.75Â°
(1) 5.8Â°
(2) -10.0Â°
(1) 5,670 ft-lb.
Chap. XIV, page 262
(3) -5.6Â°
(4) 7.5Â°
Chap. XIV, page 263
(2) 1,536 ft-Ib.
Chap. XVIn, page 303
Chap. XX, page 336
(1) 106 mi. per hr., 101Â°, 11Â° right.
(2) 172 mi. per hr., 26Â°, 4Â° right.
(3) 133 mi. per hr., 332Â°, 8Â° left.
(1) 15Â°, 137 mi. per hr.
(2) 35Â°, 155 mi. per hr.
Chap. XIV, page 246(4) a. 8.6 ft.6. 0.5ft.c. 0.3 ft.(6) a. 8.8 ft.6. 0.8ft.c. 0.6ft.(6) a. 8.3 ft.b. 0.4 ft.c. 0.3ft.Chap. XIV, page 260(2) a. 0.50Â°6. -9.50Â°(7) a. 7.3 ft6. 0.9ft.(8) a. 7.4 ft.6. 0.4ft.(9) a. 8.4 ft.b. 0.8ft.(10) a. 7.9 ft.6. 0.4ft.(3) 1.25Â°(4) -6.00Â°(6) -9.50Â°
(5) -1.5"
(3) 12,920 ft-Ib.
(1) 55Â°
(2) 200Â°
(3) 270Â°
(4) 328Â°(1) 4,070 mi.
(2) 2,387 mi.(6) 17Â°
(6) 345Â°
(7) 155Â°(8) 27Â°Chap. XX, page 333(3) 5,305 mi.
(4) 2,543 mi.(9) 279Â°
(10) 119Â°(B) 1,885 mi.
(4) 85 mi. per hr., 245Â°, 20Â° left.
(6) 99 mi. per hr., 131Â°, 11Â° right.
Chap. XX, page 336
(4) 143Â°, 120 mi. per hr.
(6) 214Â°, 88 mi. per hr.
(3) 343Â°, 76 mi. per hr.

APPENDIX B 387
Chap. XX, page 339
(1) a. 34 mi. per hr. (2) a. 56 mi. per hr. (3) a. 48 mi. per hr.
6. 60Â° b. 155Â° b. 260Â°
c. 14Â° c. 64Â° c. 94Â°
d. 105 mi. per hr. d. 170 mi. per hr. d. 187 mi. per hr.
Chap. XXI, page 361
(1) 1,803 Ib. (3) l,1691b. (5) 1,829 Ib.
(2) 588 Ib. (4) 1,083 Ib.
Chap. XXI, page 365
(1) a. 498 Ib. (2) a. 990 Ib. (3) a. 60 Ib. (4) a. 198 Ib.
b. 498 Ib. b. 990 Ib. 6. 188 Ib. b. 3,560 ft.
c. 990 Ib. c. 40 Ib.
Chap. XXI, page 366
(1) a. 1,423 Ib. (2) a. 1,319 Ib.
6. 73 Ib. 6. 186 Ib.
c. 71b. c. 344 Ib.
d. 25,600 cu. ft. d. 965 Ib.
e. 1,343 Ib. e. 954 Ib.
Chap. XXI, page 369
(1) a. 730 Ib. (3) a. 488 Ib. (6) a. 742 Ib.
6. 734 Ib. 6. 524 Ib. 6. 688 Ib.
(2) a. 1,935 Ib. (4) a. 625 Ib.
6. 1,957 Ib. b. 702 Ib.
Chap. XXI, page 363
(1) 6,099 ft. (2) a. 12,910 Ib. (3) a. 12,435 Ib.
6. 13,463 Ib. b. 586 Ib.

INDEX
Absolute ceiling, 215
Absolute coefficients, 28, 51
Absolute humidity, 321
Acceleration of gravity, standard, 2
Accelerations, 274
in dives, 228-230
in loops, 230-231
in turns, 225-228
Accuracy, 286
Adiabatic changes, 321
Adjustable-pitch propellers, 150
Advection fog, 327
Aerodynamic center of pressure, 60,
93
Aerology, 319-327
Aerostatics, 346-364
Ailerons, 233, 234
balanced, 237
differential, 237
floating, 236
Frise, 238
size of, 238, 239
Air, constituents, 1
standard, 1-3
Air-cooled engines, 127
Airfoils, choice of, 35, 36
definition, 23
stable, 58
symmetrical, 30, 36
thick, 37
unstable, 57, 58
Airplane, angle of attack of, 232
axes, 232
Airplanes, commercial, 281-284
military, 278-281
Airscrew, 136
Airship, 346, 361-368
Airspeed indicators, dynamic, 213,
296-298
true, 299
Akron, 364
Altimeters, 292-296
Altitude, standard, 3
effect on airplane performance,
208-219
effect on engine power, 133, 134
effect on propeller performance,
159-162
effect on wing drag and power,
40-42
Altitude-pressure relation, 3, 294
Aluminum alloys, 276, 277
Amphibian, Severaky, 282,283
Aneroid altimeter, 292-295
Angle of attack of airplane, 232, 233
of flat plate, 12
of wings, 26
correction for aspect ratio, 77-84
effective, 77, 78
for zero lift, 81, 87
geometric, 68
induced, 68, 71, 73, 77, 78, 86
of minimum drag, 30
variation with velocity, 39
with infinite aspect ratio, 69, 88
Angle of bank, 221
Angle of climb, 192
Angle of crab, 334-338
Angle of downwash, 250, 251

390
INDEX
Archimedes, principle of, 348, 349
Area, equivalent flat plate, 115, 116
swept, 72
wing, 25, 83, 95
Ascension of balloons, 351-355
Aspect ratio, 26, 65, 72, 77-86
biplane, 94, 95, 102, 107
definition, 26
effect on performance, 206, 207
effect on wing characteristics, 77
equivalent monoplane, 94, 95, 102,
107
factor, 86-90, 251, 253
infinite aspect ratio, 69, 71, 79
monoplane, 77-84
of models, 65,82, 111
Astronomic avigation, 339, 340
Atmosphere, standard, 1-3
Atmospheric pressure, 1-3, 321, 322
Atmospheric temperature, 1-3, 320,
321
Attack, angle of (see angle of attack)
Autogiro, 266-269
Automatic slots, 263
Autorotetion, 260, 261
Avigation, 3^8-345
astronomic, 339, 340
radio, 340-345
Avigation instruments, 292-318
Axes, airplane, 232, 233
Balance, lateral, 243, 258
longitudinal, 247-249
Balanced controls, 237, 238
Ballonets, 361, 362
Balloons, free, 319, 346-360
kite, 346, 347
sounding, 320
Balsa, 115
Banking, 220, 221
Bank indicator, 310, 311
Barometric pressure, standard, 2, 321
Beacon, marker, 344
radio, 341-343
Beam component, 90
Bernoulli's principle, 137
Biplane, lift distribution in a, 98-101,
246
mean aerodynamic chord of a, 247
Blade angle, 149, 154-157
Blade element theory, 140-146
Blind landing, 343-345
Body interference, 164
Boeing pursuit airplane, 278,279
Boundary layer, 18
Boyle's law, 2, 348, 349
Brake horsepower, 132, 133
Breene, R. G., 124
BuIb, thermometer, 290, 291
Bungee, 240
Burble, 18, 23, 26, 262
Buys-Ballot's law, 325
C-80 airfoil, 36
Cable, drag of, 118
Camber, 24, 36
Canard type airplane, 233
Capacity altimeter, 295
Captive balloon, 346, 347

INDEX
391
Cloth, 275
Clouds, 326, 327
Coefficients, absolute, 28,51
engineering, 52, 53, 56
flat plate, 12
fuselage drag, 121
induced drag, 70, 72, 73, 77, 79,
107, 116
lift, 28
parasite drag, 115-123
power-speed, 148-151
profile drag, 71, 79
propeller, 146
tail moment, 249, 252, 253, 255
thrust, 146
torque, 146
wing moment, 57-63,254-256
Cold front, 324, 325
Commerce, Dept. of, 66, 88, 90, 126,
168, 169, 286, 320
Commercial airplanes, 281
Compass, induction, 305-307
magnetic-needle, 299-304
magneto, 307
radio, 340, 341, 343
Compensation, compass, 301
Compression ratio, 132
Construction, airplane, 277, 278
Control surfaces, horizontal, 233-239
vertical, 233, 240
Controllable pitch, 150
Convection, 320
Correction, aspect ratio, 77-79, 82-92
compass, 302
drift, 334-339
Course, correction of, 302
great.circle, 333
wind effect on, 334-339
Covering, wing, 275
Cowling, engine, 124, 125
Crab, angle of, 335
Cumulus clouds, 326
Curtiss Tanager, 236
Curved plates, 13-15
Curves, chracteristics (see character
istics)
Cyclogiro, 271
Cyclones, 324, 325
Cylinders, drag of, 117,118
Cylindrical plates, 14-16
Dalton's law, 349
Dead reckoning, 328
Density, standard air, 2, 3, 348
relative, 3, 53, 209
Dep control, 233
Department of Agriculture, 319
Department of Commerce, 66, 88, 90,
126, 168, 169, 286, 320
Deperdessin control, 233
Descent of balloons, 355, 356
Design load, 274
Deviation, magnetic, 300, 301
Diameter of propeller, 154, 158
Diesel engines, 131
Differential ailerons, 238
Dihedral, effect on M.A.C. of, 245
effect on stability, 259

INDEX
Duration of flight, 46, 184-187
Dynamic airspeed indicator, 213, 296
Dynamic pressure, 7
Eddies, 18, 23, 26
Kilucs. leading and trailing, 24
Effect of altitude on airplane per
formance, 208-219
on engine performance, 133, 134
on propeller performance, 159-162
Effect of ground, 33
Effect of power loading, 204, 205
Effect of span loading, 74, 76, 206,
207
Effect of weight, 199
Effect of wing loading, 31, 39, 201-
203,205
Effective angle of attack, 69
Effective dihedral, 260
Effective pitch, 150
Efficacy,44
Efficiency of engines, 132
Efficiency of propellers, 140, 143,
146, 181
Efficiency of wings, 44
Electric thermometers, 292
Elevators, 233, 239, 240, 258
free, 258
Elliptic loading, 71, 72
Energy of air in motion, 6,139
Engine cowling, 124,125
Engines, airplane, 126-135
Engineering coefficients, 52, 53, 56,
77, 110
Envelope, balloon, 346, 348
Equilibrium in dives, 228
Equilibrium in level flight, 247-261
Equilibrium, dynamic, 243
static, 242
Equivalent flat plate, 115, 116
Equivalent monoplane aspect ratio,
94, 95, 102, 107
Equivalent monoplane span, 105
Fabrics, airplane, 275
Factors, aspect ratio, 86-90,251
fuselage drag, 122
load, 274
Munk's span, 107
Prandtl's interference, 94-96, 100
Fairchild monoplane, 282, 293
Fairing, 115, 117
Fin, 233,240
Fineness, 117,119,364
Finger patch, 346
Fittings, drag of, 120
Flaps, 264, 265
Flat plates, 7-12
Flight, gliding, 192-195
level at altitude, 40-42, 208-214
level at sea-level, 31, 34, 171-189
Flight indicators, 314
Floating ailerons, 236
Flow, streamline, 17,18
turbulent, 18
Fog, 327
Force, centrifugal, 220
Forces on airplane, 248
Fowler wing, 265
Free balloon, 346-360

INDEX
393
Gliding angle, 192
Gliding distance, 195
Gottingen 429 airfoil, 267
Gottingen 398 airfoil, 35
Graf Zeppelin airship, 347, 364
Graf Zeppelin instruments, 296, 307
Great circles, 329
Greene, C., 124
Ground effect, 33
Ground speed, 334-339
Gyro, directional, 307-309
Gyro-horizon, 314-316
Gyroplane, 270
Gyroscopic horizon, 314-316
Handley-Page slots, 262
Headings, compass, 302
Hegenberger, A. F., 343
Helium, 2, 348
Herman, F., Ill
High angle of attack, 27
High-lift airfoils, 37
Highs, 325, 326
Horizon, gyroscopic, 314-316
Horizontal tail surface, 319
Horsepower, available, 181-184
brake, 132
definition, 9
minimum, 46, 184-187, 213
required in level flight at altitude,
41
required in level flight at sea-level,
34, 171
required in turns, 223
Humidity, 321
Humidity Indicator, 320
Hydrogen, 2, 348
Ice-Warning Indicator, 292
Impact Pressure, 7, 8
Incidence, angle of, 46,233
Inclinometers, lateral, 310, 311
longitudinal, 311-314
Indicators, airspeed, 296-299
bank, 310, 311
Indicators, drift, 317, 318
flight, 314
humidity, 321
ice-warning, 292
pitch, 311-314
rate-of-climb, 316, 317
turn, 309, 310
Induced angle of attack, 69, 71, 73
Induced drag, Monoplane, 70, 71, 73,
74, 77, 84
Biplane, 97
Induction compass, 305-307
Infinite aspect ratio, 69, 71, 79
Isobars, 322, 325, 326
Isotherms, 321
Instruments, 285-318, 320
Interference, body, 164
Interference factor, Prandtl's, 94, 95,
96, 100
Inverted flight, 228, 229
Inward flow, 67
Joule's law, 349
Kinetic energy, 6, 139
Kite balloons, 346, 347

394
INDEX
Lift distribution along chord, 27
along span, 65-67, 71
Lift distribution in biplane, 98, 246
Lift of balloons, 349-361
Lift of inclined plates, 11
Lift of wings, 28
Liquid-cooled engines, 127
Load factor, 274
in dives, 228
in loops, 230-231
in turns, 225-228
Loading, power, 204, 205
Loading, span, 74, 76, 206, 207
Loading, wing, 31, 39, 201-203, 205
Locked elevator, 258
Lockheed airplane, 282, 283
Longitude, 329
Longitudinal balance, 247
Longitudinal inclinometer, 311-314
Loops, 230-231
Los Angeles, 364
Low angle of attack, 27
Low-pressure tires, 123, 124
Lows, 323-325
M.
Magnesium, 276
Magnetic compass, 299-307
Magnetic variation, 300
Magneto compass, 307
Maneuverability, 242
Map projections, gnomonic or great-
circle, 331
mercator, 330
polyconic, 330
Maps, 328-333
Maps, weather, 323-325
Materials, 274-277
Maximum ordinate, 24, 36
Maximum speed at sea-level, 184
at altitude, 213
Metals, duralumin, 276, 277
steel, 275, 277
Meteorograph, 320
Meterology, 319-327
Metric units, 51, 52
Micarta propellers, 168
Millibar, 322
Military airplanes, 278
Minimum drag, 30
Minimum fuel consumption, 46,
184-187
Minimum radius of turn, 223-225
Minimum speed at sea-level, 33, 171,
174, 179
Minimum speed at altitude, 213
Model tests, 121
Models, aspect ratio of, 65
correction for biplanes, 111, 112
correction for monoplanes, 82
Moment coefficient, 57-63, 254-257
Moment, diving, 247
pitching, 232, 247
rolling, 232, 238, 239
stalling, 232, 247
tail, 249, 252, 253
thrust, 247, 248
wing, 57-63, 254-256
Momentum, 6
INDEX
395
Observation airplane, 278, 279
Optimum gliding angle, 194
Outward flow, 67
Packard Diesel engine, 131
Paddle-wheel airplane, 271
Parallelogram of velocities, 334
Parasite drag, 44, 115-125, 172, 207
Partial inflation Of balloons, 351-355
Pascal's law, 349
Performance, airplane at sea-level,
171-207
airplane at altitude, 208, 219
effect of power loading on, 204, 205
effect of weight on, 199, 200, 201
effect of wing-loading on, 201, 202,
203
Performance, engine at sea-level, 132,
133
engine at altitude, 133-135
Performance, propeller, 159-165
at altitude, 159, 160
at sea-level, 164, 165
Pitch, adjustable, 150
controllable, 150
effective, 150
experimental mean, 148
geometric, 149
variable, 150
Pitch Indicator, 311-314
Pitch ratio, 149, 150, 154
Pitching moment, 232, 247
Pitot-static tube, 213, 296, 297
Pitot-Venturi tube, 298
Planform, taper in, 84, 244
Plates, curved, 13-16
Plates, flat, 7-12
Plate area, equivalent flat, 115, 116
Polar curves, 47, 80, 196
Polyconic projection, 329, 330
Power, definition, 9
Power, available at sea-level, 181-1S4
available at altitude, 210-213
required by wings, absolute co
efficients, 34
Power, required by wings, engineering
coefficients, 56
required by wings at altitude, 40,
41, 42, 56
required by airplane at sea-level,
171-180
required by airplane at altitude,
208-210
Power-loading, effect on performance,
204, 205
Power-speed coefficient, 148, 151
Prandtl, L., 94, 95, 96, 100
Pressure, atmospheric, 1-3, 321, 322
Pressure, dynamic, 6
Pressure, center of, 57
distribution along chord, 27
distribution along span, 65-67, 71
Pressure gages, 290
Pressure on flat plates, 8
Profile drag, 70, 71, 79
Projections, map, 329-333
Propeller, adjustable, 150
blade angle of, 149, 154, 155

396
INDEX
Radio compass, 343
Radio landing, 343-345
Radius of turn, 221, 223-225
RAF-6, 141
RAF-15 airfoil characteristics, 38
Range, speed for maximum, 184-187
Rate of climb at altitude, 214
at sea-level, 189-192
Rate-of-climb indicators, 316, 317
Ratio, aspect, 65, 72, 77, 79, 80
fineness, 117,119
gap/chord, 99
gap/span, 94-96
L/D, 44, 48, 82, 83, 111, 174
pitch, 149, 150, 154
slenderness, 364
Recovery from dive, 229
Relative humidity, 321
Relative wind, 26, 68
Relative wind, true, 68, 70
Resistance of cables, 118
of cylinders, 117..118
of fittings, 120
of fuselage, 121
of landing-gear, 115, 123, 124
of wheels, 123, 124
Resultant force on wings, 28
Retractable landing gear, 124
Reynolds' number, 19-22
Ring cowling, 124, 125
Rolling moment, 232, 238, 239
Rotary engine, 130
Rotation, 232
Rudder, 233, 240
Scale effect, 21
Semi-elliptic distribution, 71, 72
Sensitivity, 286
Seversky airplane, 282, 283
Sextant observations, 339, 340
Shielding, radio, 340
Sikorsky airplane, 281, 282
Similar flow, 20
Skidding, 220, 221
Skin friction, 18, 117
Slenderness ratio, 304
Sup, 150
Slipping, 221
Slipstream, effect on tail, 240, 241
Slots, 262
Snap roll, 261
Span, apparent, 102,105,106
definition, 25, 83
equivalent monoplane, 102, 105,
106
Span factor, Munk's 102, 105-107
Span loading, 74-76, 206, 207
Speed, ground, 187, 188, 334-339
in dives, 194-196
landing, 33
maximum at altitude, 213
maximum at sea-level, 184
minimum at altitude, 209
minimum at sea-level, 33, 171,174,
179
stalling, 33, 171, 174, 179
take-off, 33
terminal, 196
INDEX
397
Streamlining, 115,117
Strip maps, 302, 330
Structural drag, 115
Structure, 277
Struts, resistance of, 115, 119
Surface, control, balance, 237
horizontal, 233, 239, 240
vertical, 233, 240
Suspension band, 244
Sweepback, effect on M.A.C., 244
Swept area, 72
Symmetrical airfoils, 30, 36
Tabs, 240
Tachometer, centrifugal, 289, 290
chronometric, 287-289
Tail angle, 250, 251
Tail load, 247
Tail moment, 249, 252, 253
Take-off speed, 33
Tanager airplane, 236
Taper, effect on induced drag, 84-
86
effect on M.A.C., 244
Temperature, atmospheric, 2, 320,
321
Terminal speed, 196
Thermometer, 290, 291
Thrust, 45, 138, 142
Time to climb, 216, 217
Tip, wing, vortices, 67, 68, 94
Torque, 144-146
Townend ring, 124
Track, 334-339
Tractor airplane, 127
Trailing edge, 24
Triangle of velocity, 334-336
True airspeed indicator, 299
Tube, Pitot-etatic, 213,296,297
Pitot-Venturi, 298
Tubing, resistance of, 117, 118
Turbulent flow, 18, 117
Turns, 220-226, 232
Turn indicator, 309, 310
Twist, 234, 241
Two-dimensional Sow, 71
Variable density wind tunnel, 21,
93
Variable pitch propeller, 150
Variation, magnetic, 300
Velocity in dives, 194-196
Velocity triangle, 334-336
Velocity variation with angle of at
tack, 39
Vertical banks, 226-228
Vertical tail surfaces, 233, 240
Verville, F., 124
Viscosity of air, 4, 18
Visibility, 99
Vortices, 67, 68, 94
Warm front, 324
Warp, 234, 241
Washin, 241
Washout, 241
Weather Bureau, 319
Weather maps, 323-325
Weight, effect on performance, 199-
201
398
INDEX
Wright biplane, 234, 259
Wright wing, 23
Yaw, 232
Zap flaps, 265
Zeppelin, Graf, 347, 364
Zeppelin, Graf, instruments, 296, 307
Zoom, 192

Elements of Practical Aerodynamics by B. Jones

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Elements of Practical Aerodynamics by B. Jones

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Elements of Practical Aerodynamics by B. Jones

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What is the purpose of the book?

What is the purpose of the book?

What topics does the book cover?

What topics does the book cover?

ELEMENTS OP

BRADLEY JONES, M.S.

Professor of Aeronautics, University of Cincinnati

JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.

LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED

This book or any part thereof mutt not

be reproduced in any form without

the written permission of the publisher.

Printing Composition and Plato Binding

F. Â» GILSON CO. TECHNICAL COMPOSITION CO. STANHOPE BINDERY

BOSTON BOSTON BOSTON

The existence of several excellent works on the subject of

aerodynamics demands that an explanation be offered for the ap

pearance of a new one.

My experience in teaching has convinced me that a book in

tended primarily for the classroom must be, in general, different

in character and scope from books intended for reference by prac

ticing engineers. It is attempted in this textbook to present the

subject matter as simply as possible. In two isolated cases of

summation of forces, it is necessary to introduce the calculus to

prove the correctness of certain statements. If these statements

no mathematical training higher than elementary algebra is needed

for complete understanding of the text.

Although aerodynamics deals with air in motion and aerostatics

with air at rest, a short chapter on aerostatics has been included

because it is believed that students of aerodynamics should be

acquainted with the elements of the sister subject.

Use has been made of data from various publications of the

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the Army and

Navy Designers Handbook. I desire to acknowledge useful

criticisms and suggestions from Professor Harold W. Sibert of

I. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF AIR 1

II. EFFECT OF DEFLECTING AIR STREAMS 6

III. AIR FLOW 17

V. INDUCED DRAG OF MONOPLANES 65

VI. INDUCED DRAG OF BIPLANES. 94

VII. PARASITE DRAG 115

VIII. ENGINES 126

IX. PROPELLERS 136

X. AIRPLANE PERFORMANCE 171

XI. PERFORMANCE AT ALTITUDE 208

XII. TURNS 220

XIII. CONTROL SURFACES 232

XIV. STABILITY 242

XV. AUXILIARY LIFT DEVICES 262

XVI. UNCONVENTIONAL TYPES OF AIRCRAFT 266

XVII. MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION 274

XVIII. INSTRUMENTS 285

XIX. METEOROLOGY 319

XX. AVIGATION 328

XXI. AEROSTATICS 346

APPENDIX A. NOMENCLATURE 365

APPENDIX B. ANSWERS TO PROBLEMS 381

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF AIR

Aerodynamics is the study of the motion of air and of the forces

on solids in motion relative to air.

16.38 in. of mercury and the temperature is â10Â° F.?