Thin Airfoil and Climb Performance

sisu1a wrote:

If structure does not change the aerodynamics of
a wing, then why are modern hot ships still made of wood, or metal?

When the shift from wood and metal to fiberglass occurred, a huge factor
was cost: it was much cheaper to build a glider to the tolerances
required in molded fiberglass than the other materials, and it retained
the shape better. At that time, you could build a lighter aluminum
glider of the same performance, but it was a constant effort to keep the
airfoil correct. I don't know if this is still true for carbon fiber
versus aluminum; regardless, I think the cost would still favor the
molded construction.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org