"COLIN LAMB" wrote in message ink.net...
If a wing is replaced by a rotating cylinder, with the forward surface
rotating upward, lift will be produced. The local air velocity is high on
top and low on the bottom. This upward force is known as magnus effect.

The information above comes from my helicopter handbook. The theory is used
to explain some helicopter principles, but caused me to wonder more about
it. Has anyone every produced an airplane using the magnus effect? If the
cylinder is rotating faster, I would expect that lift would be increased.
Does anyone know if there have been any writings and/or test aircraft? Not
much use with a glider, for obvious reasons - but the answer would make me a
bit smarter. I was not able to find much on the internet.

Thanks, Colin N12HS

Colin,

I have to find an old book of mine. It has a picture of a boat that
was steam powered but featured no side-wheels, propellers ot masts.
Instead it had two large vertical cylinders which were spun at
different speed or even in opposite directions. The force vectors
created by these cylinders and the fact that there were two of them
made the boat very manouverable; it would even go sideways. Sounds
like what you are describing , just turned by 90°.

Uli Neumann