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Old 11-02-2009, 06:20 AM
Zathros Zathros is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2007
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WIG aircraft because of the altitude they fly in leave virtually no wake turbulencee, like any aircraft in ground effect except the WIG craft are designed with wings that really take advantage of this. They use considerably less fuel than an aircraft of comparable size and can lift far more (if the wings and fuesalage are designed for it). The airflow meets meets the surface after leaving the trailing edge and this is where the reduction of drag comes in. I was able once, to fly a Piper Warrior for 2000 ft. in ground effect and it was quite an experience. You can really throttle down and keep off the ground. You must pay attention to pitch as it is crucial in ground effect. This is because the pressure moves towards the rear of the wing a and causes the plane to act differently than regular flight. In WIG aircraft if the elevator is not big enough they will violently pitch up. This is because the pressure center under the wing moves backward as speed increases, changing the center of gravity. The Russians have turned this into an science and if one were to make an WIG craft NACA airfoils would be useless. WIG aircraft also have to be biased to "Nose down" which is opposite from GA Aircraft which tend to nose up if the controls are left untouched. In WIG craft the severe nose up can be fatal, whereas if you nose down, you glance off the water. The problem with jet engines are if they are not within the operational range of their design they are inefficient. Comparing regular aircraft to WIGs in geoeund effect is Apples to Oranges.
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