Tweet
As I start to think about building the wings I keep thinking about the flaps and ailerons being a different material then the wings, and I was wondering why. I know there is nothing wrong with them being covered in fabric, but I was just curious as to why. Is it because its easier to build and has no effect on their function - is it weight? Just wondering... would it be crazy to cover them in aluminum?
-
-
Phil Johnson covered his in aluminum, then he had to add 20 pounds of balance weight to the ailerons (if I remember correctly) because the aluminum was so much heavier. A structure that was designed from the start to be aluminum could be lighter, though not likely lighter than Bob's setup, but in his case he added an aluminum skin to a structure that is already beefy enough to work without it. He has subsequently replaced the skin with fabric. So in the case of the ailerons, you'd be adding the weight twice- once for the skin, and once for the counterweights. Perhaps this is why many WW2-era planes retained fabric covering on their control surfaces too. The flaps are not balanced, so in that case you'd just be adding the weight once. Except for needing heavier return springs, you'd probably need those. So to answer your question, I don't think I'd call it crazy, but it might be fair to call it ill-advised. -
Unsubstantiated research I have seen indicates that fabric covered control surfaces are also better at resisting flutter which is another reason many high performance WWII planes are that way. Lore has it(told to me when I purchased my Stinson 108) that is one of the reasons Piper purchased Stinson. Stinsons had metal covered control surfaces and Piper wanted the technology plus the design for the Apache.Comment
Comment