Spinning Flight

Spinning Flight
Author: Ralph D. Lorenz
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2007-02-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0387472894

More frisbees are sold each year than baseballs, basketballs and footballs combined. Yet these familiar flying objects have subtle and clever aerodynamic and gyrodynamic properties which are only recently being documented by wind tunnel and other studies. In common with other rotating bodies discussed in this readily accessible book, they are typically not treated in textbooks of aeronautics and the literature is scattered in a variety of places. This book develops the theme of disc-wings and spinning aerospace vehicles in parallel. Since many of the examples are recreational, anyone who enjoys these activities will likely find it profitable and enjoyable. In addition to spinning objects of various shapes, several exotic manned aircraft with disc planforms have been proposed and a prototypes built – these include a Nazi ‘secret weapon’ and the De Havilland Avrocar, also discussed in the book. Boomerangs represent another category of spinning aerodynamic body whose behavior can only be understood by coupling aerodynamics with gyrodynamics. The narrative, supported by equations and graphs, explains how the shape and throw of a boomerang relates to its trajectory. The natural world presents still other examples, namely the samaras or ‘seed-wings’ of many tree species, which autorotate during their descent, like a helicopter whose engine has failed. The flight performance of these spinning wings directly affects the dispersal and thus the evolutionary competitiveness of the trees concerned. Samara-type configurations are also considered for instrumentation and other payload dispersal applications. In short, the book discusses a range of familiar, connected, but largely undeveloped, topics in an accessible, but complete, manner. From the reviews of the first edition: "In his fascinating book Spinning Flight, Ralph Lorenz provides a rich feast of ... examples of spinning bodies ... . The book is well organized ... . The discussion in the book ... should be accessible to readers with some elementary understanding of aerodynamic principles. For the expert, the book is full of open problems ... . Its scope is extensive ... . In this respect, there may be something for everyone within its attractively designed cover ... ." (H. K. Moffatt, Nature, Vol. 444, December, 2006) "If you liked physics at school, then this book is for you. It concerns itself with flying objects that spin through the air, and even tells you how to impress your friends with the biomechanics of Frisbees. ... there is plenty of information at all levels, and the book has a wealth of detail that only an aerospace engineer like Lorenz could have come up with." (Len Fisher, BBC Focus, February, 2007)

Aircraft Spin Tutorial

Aircraft Spin Tutorial
Author: Dr. Wilbur Hankey
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 20
Release: 2013-10-08
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1491816805

In the past, the computation of aircraft spin conditions required the use of a six degree of freedom program. In this paper a simple procedure was developed by using approximations for predicting spin values. This method required only one force (normal) and one moment (spin about the vertical axis). A simple algebraic equation was derived for the spinning moment in which the roots produced the spin conditions. Three fighter aircraft were analyzed and two stable equilibrium spin points were determined for each aircraft (flat and steep). Comparison with results of previous six degree of freedom analysis showed good agreement with this simple procedure.

Status of Spin Research for Recent Airplane Designs

Status of Spin Research for Recent Airplane Designs
Author: A. I. Neihouse
Publisher:
Total Pages: 60
Release: 1960
Genre: Airplanes
ISBN:

The study is presented in terms of the following major problem areas: interpretation of results of spin-model research, analytical spin studies, techniques involved in obtaining measurements of various parameters in the spin, effectiveness of controls during spin and recoveries, influence of long noses, strakes, and canards on spin and recovery characteristics, and correlation of spin and recovery characteristics for recent airplane and model designs.

Flight Testing

Flight Testing
Author: Steffen Haakon Schrader
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2023-03-06
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3662632187

As spinning is still involved in around 60% of all aircraft accidents (BFU, 1985 and Belcastro, 2009), this aerodynamic phenomenon is still not fully understood. As U.S. and European Certification Specifications do not require recoveries from fully developed spins of Normal Category aeroplanes, certification test flights will not discover aeroplane mass and centre of gravity combinations which may result in unrecoverable spins. This book aims to contribute to a better understanding of the spin phenomenon through investigating the spin regime for normal, utility and aerobatic aircraft, and to explain what happens to the aircraft in terms of the aerodynamics, flight mechanics and the aircraft stability. The approach used is to vary the main geometric parameters such as the centre of gravity position and the aeroplane’s mass across the flight envelope, and to investigate the subsequent effect on the main spin characteristic parameters such as the angle of attack, pitch angle, sideslip angle, rotational rates, and recovery time. First of all, a literature review sums up the range of technical aspects that affect the problem of spinning. It reviews the experimental measurement techniques used, theoretical methods developed and flight test results obtained by previous researchers. The published results have been studied to extract the effect on spinning of aircraft geometry, control surface effectiveness, flight operational parameters and atmospheric effects. Consideration is also made of the influence on human performance of spinning, the current spin regulations and the available training material for pilots. A conventional-geometry, single-engine low-wing aeroplane, the basic trainer Fuji FA-200-160, has been instrumented with a proven digital flight measurement system and 27 spins have been systematically conducted inside and outside the certified flight envelope. The accuracy of the flight measurements is ensured through effective calibration, and the choice of sensors has varied through the study, with earlier sensors suffering from more drift than the current sensors (Belcastro, 2009 and Schrader, 2013). In-flight parameter data collected includes left and right wing α and β-angles, roll-pitch-yaw angles and corresponding rates, all control surface deflections, vertical speeds, altitude losses and the aeroplane’s accelerations in all three directions. Such data have been statistically analysed. The pitch behaviour has been mathematically modelled on the basis of the gathered flight test data. Nine observations have been proposed. These mainly cover the effects of centre of gravity and aircraft mass variations on spin characteristic behaviour. They have all been proven as true through the results of this thesis. The final observation concerns the generalisation of the Fuji results, to the spin behaviour of other aircraft in the same category. These observations can be used to improve flight test programmes, aircraft design processes, flight training materials and hence contribute strongly to better flight safety.

Summary of Spin Technology as Related to Light General-aviation Airplanes

Summary of Spin Technology as Related to Light General-aviation Airplanes
Author: James S. Bowman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 44
Release: 1971
Genre: Airplanes
ISBN:

A summary was made of all NASA (and NACA) research and experience related to the spin and recovery characteristics of light personal-owner-type general-aviation airplanes. Very little of the research deals with light general-aviation airplanes as such, but many of the airplanes and models tested before and during World War II were similar to present-day light general-aviation airplanes with regard to the factors that are important in spinning. The material is based mainly on the results of spin-tunnel tests of free-spinning dynamically scaled models of about 100 different airplane designs and, whenever possible, includes correlation with full-scale spin tests. The research results are discussed in terms of airplane design considerations and the proper use of controls for recovery.

Flight

Flight
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1336
Release: 1921
Genre: Aeronautics
ISBN:

Index of NACA Technical Publications

Index of NACA Technical Publications
Author: United States. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
Publisher:
Total Pages: 448
Release: 1947
Genre: Aeronautics
ISBN: