PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Does Aileron setting increase drag ???
View Single Post
Old 28th June 2007 | 07:40
  #2 (permalink)  
Genghis the Engineer
Moderator
30 Countries Visited
25 Anniversary
Veteran: Reserves
 
Joined: Feb 2000
: CPL
Posts: 14,480
Likes: 178
From: UK
I *think* so; I can certainly think of a microlight (the Flightdesign CT) where the ailerons and flaps are reflexed (set trailing edge up) in the cruise to allow the aircraft to fly faster with the same power.

I'm not entirely sure of the theory behind it, but would hazard a guess that by reducing the effective AoA of the outboard section of the wing, you are moving the spanwise lift distribution inboard. This should reduce the induced-drag-inducing formation of wingtip vortices.

I'd hate to try and quantify it without experimental data however.

G
Genghis the Engineer is offline  
Reply