In 1945, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, precursor of NASA and source of much of our knowledge about practical aerodynamics, published a hefty compendium of aerofoil data, NACA Technical Report 824, which later appeared in book form under the title Theory of Wing Sections. The names of the authors,Read More →
Peter Garrison Someone once suggested that if you want to know how you would feel crossing an ocean in a single-engine aeroplane, you should just fly out to sea for a couple of hours and then turn around and come back. There’s something about being out of sight of landRead More →
After 20 years of flying my second homebuilt, preceded by 9 years in my first, I wish I could say that most things that can go wrong already have; but the gods might think me insolent. At this point, however, I can at least say what has worked and whatRead More →
Peter Garrison ‘Hinge moment’ is the technical name for the force required to deflect a control surface. In small, relatively slow aeroplanes hinge moments are not very large; pilots move the controls with ease. But as control surfaces get larger and speeds get higher, hinge moments grow rapidly. Hinge momentsRead More →
Block that Coefficient! I have to admit that when I encounter equations in a book, I usually just skip over them. Often some phrase like, “It may be readily seen that…” precedes them, and so I figure that since plenty of other people must be readily seeing whatever there isRead More →
My son Nick, who was screening a series of classic films for his friends, put on the 1981 Spielberg pulse-pounder, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which came out in the year he was born and therefore stood to him, in terms of the history of film and the decline ofRead More →
Safety in aviation means coming down softly. I once wrote that it would be impossible for a skydiver in a wingsuit to flare and land without a parachute. THE AERODYNAMIC EFFICIENCY of a wingsuit is so low, and its area so small, that even with all the stored energy ofRead More →
Things aren’t always what they seem. One of the pleasures of this job is hearing from readers. Some write to correct my errors or to note my omissions. Some are hostile, though the population recommending my immediate consignment to the infernal fires has for some reason dwindled in recent years.Read More →
You may have noticed, if you follow the adverts in American aviation magazines, a sudden multiplication of the number and variety of angle of attack (AoA) indicators on offer for smaller general aviation aircraft. THIS BURST OF ACTIVITY was triggered by a new FAA policy allowing AoA instrumentation to beRead More →
When climbing, you need some right rudder to keep the ball centred. If you perform a half roll and continue to climb upside-down, which rudder will you have to use to stay coordinated? Why do we need right rudder in a climb, anyway? Is it because of slipstream rotation? The propellerRead More →
