Why don't wings have dimples?

Dancing Fingers wrote:
Hi all,
I always wanted to build my own airplane but the time and money has
eluded me. So I've decided to design and build my own recumbent trike,
with farings. This brings me to my question, if golf balls have
dimples, to help them sail further, why don't wings -- especially for
STOL aircraft? Would putting dimples in my faring reduce my wind
resistance?
Just curious.
Chris

Because wings are'nt supposed to spin, or hook, or slice.
MadDog

"The early bird may often get the worm,
but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese".

Actually, Vortex Generators on wings are a common device for increasing
usable angle of attack, on everything from supercubs to airliners.

The idea is similar to your golfball dimples. Cause turbulence in the air
flowing over the wing, thus allowing it to continue to follow the wing
surface a bit longer.

There is some engineering data in the NACA web library. This was all I found
with a quick search, but there may be more.
http://naca.larc.nasa.gov/reports/19...-rm-e53l15.pdf





"Dancing Fingers" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all,
I always wanted to build my own airplane but the time and money has
eluded me. So I've decided to design and build my own recumbent trike,
with farings. This brings me to my question, if golf balls have
dimples, to help them sail further, why don't wings -- especially for
STOL aircraft? Would putting dimples in my faring reduce my wind
resistance?
Just curious.
Chris

Dancing Fingers wrote:

if golf balls have
dimples, to help them sail further, why don't wings

because birds hav'nt....

--
Pub: http://www.slowfood.fr/france
Philippe Vessaire Ò¿Ó¬

Dancing Fingers wrote:

if golf balls have
dimples, to help them sail further, why don't wings



Philippe Vessaire wrote:

because birds hav'nt....



Dang.

That's a lot of feathers for the fellow to have to glue to his wings.

Daniel

A few years ago someone was marketing a perforated tape to stick on
your propeller leading edges to act as vortex generators, improving
thrust and therefore performance. I have never seen any of this stuff
on a prop, and don't know if it was worthwhile or just another of the
gimmicks to get a poor pilot's money. Anybody else see it?

Dan

wrote in message
oups.com...

A few years ago someone was marketing a perforated tape to stick on
your propeller leading edges to act as vortex generators, improving
thrust and therefore performance. I have never seen any of this stuff
on a prop, and don't know if it was worthwhile or just another of the
gimmicks to get a poor pilot's money. Anybody else see it?

Dan


I remember it, but haven't seen it since and don't recall who made it.

I believe that there was also an article in "Experimenter", now renamed
"Sport Pilot", regarding a gent who had drilled a line of dimples (or
perhaps two) along the low pressure face of both blades of his prop at
approximately the thickest point. He did achieve his goal with regard to
static RPM and cruise RPM, as well as cruise speed for the particular
aircraft. However, IIRC, some baseline data was not recorded and the
article did not include the precise description and placement of the
dimples; with the result that a general inference was not reasonable.

Peter
Where's John Ronz when we need him?

On 12 Jun 2006 06:07:26 -0700, wrote:

if golf balls have
dimples, to help them sail further, why don't wings

Philippe Vessaire wrote:

because birds hav'nt....

Dang.

That's a lot of feathers for the fellow to have to glue to his wings.

"Fortunately, I keep my feathers numbered for just such an emergency."
- Daffy Duck

Ron Wanttaja

In article ,
Ron Wanttaja wrote:

On 12 Jun 2006 06:07:26 -0700, wrote:

if golf balls have
dimples, to help them sail further, why don't wings

Philippe Vessaire wrote:

because birds hav'nt....

Dang.

That's a lot of feathers for the fellow to have to glue to his wings.

"Fortunately, I keep my feathers numbered for just such an emergency."
- Daffy Duck

Foghorn Leghorn.


Ron Wanttaja

In article . com,
"Dancing Fingers" wrote:

Hi all,
I always wanted to build my own airplane but the time and money has
eluded me. So I've decided to design and build my own recumbent trike,
with farings. This brings me to my question, if golf balls have
dimples, to help them sail further, why don't wings -- especially for
STOL aircraft? Would putting dimples in my faring reduce my wind
resistance?
Just curious.
Chris

First of all, golf balls have dimples because in order to create lift
they need to influence the air passing by them with the golf ball's
spin. The dimples help to make the air slow down beneath the ball and
speed up above it; creating downward flow.

Wings produce that downward flow with their shape.

("Alan Baker" wrote)
First of all, golf balls have dimples because in order to create lift they
need to influence the air passing by them with the golf ball's spin. The
dimples help to make the air slow down beneath the ball and speed up above
it; creating downward flow.

Wings produce that downward flow with their shape.


How about a dimpled spinner?

Your choice - slice or draw.


Montblack