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Wingtip Vortices and Wake Turbulence

Pilot Institute

By far the strongest component of wake turbulence is the swirling air generated at the tips of the aircrafts wings. Key Takeaways Wingtip vortices, not engine exhaust, create the strongest wake turbulence. Wake turbulence can cause severe roll and structural damage to smaller aircraft. How Are Wingtip Vortices Formed?

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Mach Number Explained: What It Is and Why Pilots Use It

Pilot Institute

Why do jet pilots talk about speed in terms of Mach number? Jet aircraft often fly at speeds close to the speed of sound. Making the wing relatively flat on top with a blunter leading edge and more curvature on the bottom gives you a supercritical airfoil. The result is a region of separated, turbulent flow behind the shock.

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Learning Aeronautical Engineering From Historic Aircraft Designs

Vintage Aviation News

From the first days of flying to the evolution of supersonic jets, historic aircraft offer a road map for comprehending the ideas guiding aeronautical engineering. As shown by the Messerschmitt Me 262, the first operational jet fighter in the world, jet propulsion was the most innovative breakthrough of this age.

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Flight Test Files: Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Vintage Aviation News

One of the standout aircraft in Drydens research history is the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, a legendary Navy fighter jet that played a key role in two major research programs at the center. These glove modifications served to smooth the wing surface and alter the airfoil to achieve specific pressure distributions.

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What Is a Variable-Sweep Wing? How Swing Wings Work

Pilot Institute

Aircraft that transform their wing shape mid-flight might sound like something out of a futuristic sci-fi, but they’re actually as old as the jet age itself. Modern jets favor simpler, stealthier fixed-wing designs. This aircraft was an experimental jet fighter with wings that could be adjusted to different sweep angles on the ground.

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The Most Misunderstood Aerodynamic Concepts

Flight Training Central

When he created his principle of differential pressure, he had no thoughts about its future application to the development of airfoils and lift production. With some imagination this looks a bit like the top of an airfoil. In the case of our airfoil, we’ll assume that the fluid is air and that the air is relatively still.