FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1952
1952 - 0044.PDF
14 FLIGHT, January 4 1952 THE CHANNEL WING "First Change in Basic Design of Aircraft Since the Wright Brothers" Static lift demonstration. The aircraft is tethered, and as may be seen, its wheels are about 12in above the ground. The static lift registered was 1,144/b. THE statement in the subtitle above was made of the Custer channel wing by Mr. C. Gilbert Taylor, vice-president of Taylorcraft, Inc., at the inaugural demon stration of what is known as the channel wing, at Pittsburgh on December 6th. Mr. Taylor has a position in the aviation world such that his opinions are not lightly to be dismissed, and certainly the claims made for this new concept of aircraft design are impressive. The wing, as may be seen from the illustrations, comprises a semi-circular duct of aerofoil section surrounding an engine on the axis of the duct and with an airscrew at the trailing edge. By virtue of the enhanced pressure reduction over the "upper" surface of the wing (i.e. the "inner" surface of the duct) associated with venturi effect, and resulting from the high velocity mass flow induced by the airscrew, it is claimed that the new wing form enables a powerful lifting force to be created by the surface without forward motion. This in turn means that an aircraft equipped with channel wings could, by the creation of vertical lift, rise vertically and hover in mid-air as well as being able to fly at normal speeds. The claims made by the Custer Channel Wing Corpora tion of Hagerstown, Maryland, are to say the least, sweeping. It is stated that the wing in full scale has already demon- Here seen flying at 30 m.p.h. after a take-off of but 45ft, the aircraft has a gross weight of 1,124/b and a "wing" area of 35 sq ft. strated statically an infinite lift coefficient. (This has the appearance of being a technical trick in which the speed of airflow through the duct is disregarded, but, since the machine is at rest, Vs is taken as 0.) It is further stated that, although a "ship" with channel wings can rise or land vertically and can hover as can a helicopter, a "ship" with channel wings can attain forward speeds impossible for a helicopter and in excess of those obtained by any fixed wing aircraft. Indeed, it is further stated in this context that the company's test data indicate "that a properly designed ship with channel wing will attain supersonic speeds and will be able to land at less than normal landing speeds of today without the assistance of flaps, slots, etc." On the score of safety, it is claimed that the channel wing provides complete control in yaw, pitch and roll at low speeds, and that the glide characteristics are comparable with those of conventional aircraft, with the added advantage of slower landings. The company's calculations are stated to show that the range and endurance of aircraft equipped with channel wings will be far superior to those of conventional types, although the actual improvement will depend upon the manner of application of the wing, but the company express the view that it is evident that the unusual efficiency of the channel wing at both high and low speeds will greatly extend the range of the aircraft and will provide more economical operation. Taylorcraft, Inc., of Conway, Pennsylvania, are the first manufacturers to be licensed by the Custer Corporation for the manufacture both of military and private aircraft. The first Taylorcraft type that will be projected on an experi mental basis will be a military aircraft to comply with the (U.S.) Air Force specifications for a liaison aircraft. It will carry a pilot and three fully equipped combat troops, or ten litter patients and one medical attendant. It will have at least five hours' cruising range and be able to land on and take-off from unprepared surfaces. The useful load will exceed 1,000 lb exclusive of the pilot, and the normal cruising speed will be 150 knots or better. A Taylorcraft advertisement shows this aircraft, in which the channel wing is applied to a basically conventional layout.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
