PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Couple of interview technical questions
View Single Post
Old 4th July 2005 | 12:02
  #9 (permalink)  
barit1
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 4,581
Likes: 0
From: flyover country USA
...2/3 of the lift from a wing is producted by the top surface
An old-time racer designer told me that he designed his high-winged aircraft with as clean an upper surface (i.e. wing blending into a flat fuselage roof) as possible, because the air velocity is highest there, thus the most potential for drag reduction. He must have done it right, because 70 years ago he won more money than anyone else.

But more to the point: when the wing area is quoted in the spec sheet, do your own math and determine whether or not the center section area (i.e. root chord x fuselage width) is counted in their figures. My own sums are inconclusive; sometimes this center section area seems to be included, and sometimes not.

This is obviously not an answer, but an expanded question.
barit1 is offline