PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Which Aircraft Can Take Off Without Flaps?
Old 7th Sep 2008, 15:46
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Brian Abraham
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
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Concorde did it for years!
No it didn't. Well not in the manner that's being talked about exactly. On take off and landing the C of G was placed further back than need by means of the fuel trim tanks. This meant the elevons had to put in a nose down pitch moment to counter the rear ward weight shift and in so doing increasing the camber of the wing. Hey presto, you've got flaps without having flaps.

The use of canards on delta wings introduces a destabilising moment which is like wise countered by nose down elevon so once again giving a flap effect.
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