Testing Stick-built Ribs

On Jul 25, 6:14*pm, Veeduber wrote:
Hi Guys.

Does that title tickle any memory-bones?

Well, let's see if I can tickle them again. *First-off come the ground
rules: The data came from "Handbook of Instruction for Airplane
Designers, Structures Tests" *Air Corps, U.S.Army (Not available to
the public)

...and apparently not available to many Airplane Designers, too. *:-)
(Because nobody could remember seeing the thing.)

Okay, start with the outline of whatever airfoil you're working
with... which tells you right off that this isn't going to be good for
ALL airfoils. *The airfoil used in the Army manual looks suspicious
like the USA-35B, which was used in the Piper Cub... and was the first
thing C.G.Taylor tossed on the rubbish heap when he designed the
Taylorcraft. *However, the Army's test wing was tapered and of
aluminum construction. *It would be interesting to know the history of
this manual since, from all appearances it didn't do the Army Air
Corps much good.

Using whatever outline you're using, starting at the trailing edge,
come forward 10% of the airfoil's chord. *The next section takes 43.8%
of your airfoil's length. *Next comes the main load-bearing section:
27.1% of your airfoil's chord, and finally the leading edge section --
19.1% of the airfoil's chord.

The weight is distributed as follows: 20% is suspended on the leading
edge section, 40% is suspended on the mid-wing section, and 40% is
suspended on the aft-wing section. *You will note that NO LOAD is
placed on the trailing edge of the wing.

The method is a bit unusual (in my opinion) but it matches the

....and right about there the whole damn shootin' match landed in my
lap...
that is, a lap-top HP 'Pavilion' computer flying home to roost on top
of an outboard keyboard that allows me to type those long, complex
words that some folks like to see in their articles and which if you
try typing on an HP product you may as well throw it all out the door
and plug in your S-100 computer and fire up its Hazeltine terminal
because the chances are about 50-50.

Hell, I throught it was World War Three when all it was happened to be
a sixteen pound tom cat attempting to offer an example of his
affections to a three and a half-pound lap-cat who knew I was the only
feller she'd ever seen who put a 16 ga. shell into his cane every
morning and wasn't ABOUT to take any lip from her boy friend.

The moral of this tale is: There's really no limit to what's liable
to come flying through your kitchen door if you're foolish enough to
leave the damn thing open.

-R.S.Hoover

PS -- the truth is, I had no idea that a combination of feline romance
and hi-tek electronics could actually end up SENDING a message when my
best efforts often lead to failure. And that's the truth.