Aeromodelling

Generally a flyable aeroplane model is similar to real aircraft. A small aircraft wing will look like the cross-section of the figure below. The shape of the wing is called an AEROFOIL. An aerofoil is a important lift generating device. An aerofoil function is to produce a controllable net aerodynamic force by its motion through the air.

When the aircraft move forward, the air flow over the wing surface to gets a useful reaction to generate lift. The airstream flow around the wing behavior accords with Bernoulli’s Law. The aircraft wings, horizontal tail surfaces (tail plane), vertical tails surfaces (tail fin), propellers and other parts of the control surface of the airplane are shaped as aerofoil.

Below figure, the forward part of an aerofoil is rounded is called the leading edge. The aft part is narrow is tapered is called the trailing edge. An imaginary straight line joins from the extreme of the leading edge to the trialling edges is called the chord line.

The general shapes of the aerofoil section showed below diagram. Those aerofoil shapes used on the aircrafts have been tested and designed for particular purposes.

Flat plates are commonly used in model aircrafts as tail fin, tailplane and control surfaces. The flat plate hold at a small inclined angle to the directional of the air flow, it will generate an aerodynamic force – lift and drag. Some of the low speed aircraft do use basically flat plates in their tailplane surfaces too.

A video about aerodynamics…………