Hi there
A friend of mine has just done the Principals of Flight paper at Gatwick, one of his questions was:
What effect does sweep back have on directional Stability?
A. Positive
B. Negative
C. None
I cant seem to settle on an answer, probably because I have not reached it yet in my studdies!
Hi There, it has a positive effect on directional stability.
If you try and imagine the aircraft yawing/slipping to the right for instance then then more of the left wing (greater area and linear length) is presented to the airflow and thus more lift is created on that wing. With more lift comes more drag and, as a result that wing reduces speed and the aircraft yaws back towards it's original heading.
Can't think of a better way to explain it - hope it makes some sense.