A place where restoration project-type threads can go to avoid falling off the main page in the WIX hangar. Feel free to start threads on Restoration projects and/or warbird maintenance here. Named in memoriam for Gary Austin, a good friend of the site and known as RetroAviation here. He will be sorely missed.
Wed Sep 05, 2012 5:31 am
...anyone have any suggestions as to why a P-40 has a much thicker elevator airfoil section than it's horiz. stab. airfoil section??
The only thing I can think of is to increase the velocity of the airflow over the elevator??? (Bernoulli's Principle)
Anyone have any idea's?
Jason
Wed Sep 05, 2012 11:47 am
If you have problems with control surface effectiveness, oftentimes you can fix that by making the control surface thicker than the fixed structure. This causes the turbulent airflow ahead of the surface to reattach itself to the control surface.
Mon Sep 10, 2012 4:18 pm
Thanks.. thats very interesting.
Jason
Tue Sep 11, 2012 9:15 am
Same basic reason that Boeing has always cluttered it's jets wings with vortex generators, One 'fun' item I loved to point out to my Douglas GEN-FAM classes using the 'Bakers/Architects/Doctors mistakes' analogy. Don Berlin the designer was reaching into his pocket up to his elbow to try and keep the P-40 up to date.
Sat Sep 15, 2012 11:27 pm
Mustang elevators are the same way. I've heard that having the control surface slightly thicker reduces the chances of flutter.
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