Mailing List lml@lancaironline.net Message #14813
From: Paul Nafziger <naf@britevalley.com>
Sender: Marvin Kaye <marv@lancaironline.net>
Subject: RE: [LML] 320 airflow
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 14:32:12 -0400
To: <lml>


<<I have a question for the aero engineers/test pilots on the List.
George, since I'm a test pilot, here's my two cents.>>

<<The airflow over the top of my wings flows inboard, not outboard, or
spanwise as I have been led to believe is the normal case.>>

<<1.  Is this normal for the 320 wing?>> -- This is normal for any wing that
I'm aware of.
<<2.  Is it a good thing, as in less drag?>> -- It's a needed thing when one
gets the proper pressure distribution over the wing.  Winglets or
end-plating the wing or installing fences will reduce it.
<<3.  Do other flyers notice the same phenomena?>>  Probably.
<<4.  Why is this happening if we are to expect spanwise (outward) flow of
air
over the wing?>>  I think of it like this.  The movement of the wing through
the air causes higher pressure on the bottom than on the top.  (I won't
start the argument about why this isn't the mechanism that directly creates
lift, but it doesn't. <g>)  The air "tries" to seek the lower pressure on
the top side of the wing.  One route is around the outer end of the wing,
hence outward spanwise flow on the bottom of the wing, but inward spanwise
on the top.  You should see more spanwise flow at the tip decreasing to
essentially none at the root.

"Are these dumb questions?" -- Of course not.  Questions are how we learn.

Naf
LNC2 N7PN


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