AIRCRAFT AND METHOD OF COUNTERING AERODYNAMIC EFFECTS OF PROPELLER WAKE

摘要

An aircraft is disclosed, the aircraft having a fuselage having a centerline, and a wing extending from the fuselage and having a leading edge and a trailing edge. Additionally, the aircraft includes an engine mounted to the wing and having a rotating output shaft, and a propeller operably coupled to the output shaft and generating a rotating flow field to define a propeller wake when the propeller is rotated by the rotating output shaft. The propeller is located forward of the leading edge of the wing, so the propeller wake flows over the wing forming localized areas of effectively increased angle of attack generating a corresponding increased wing loading, with the wing having corresponding localized areas of reduced chord length to neutralize the otherwise increased wing loading. A method of countering the aerodynamic effects of propeller wake acting on a wing is also disclosed.

主权项

1. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage having a centerline; a wing extending from the fuselage and having a leading edge and a trailing edge; an engine mounted to the wing and having a rotating output shaft; and a propeller operably coupled to the output shaft and configured to generate a rotating flow field to define a propeller wake when the propeller is rotated by the rotating output shaft; wherein the propeller is located forward of the leading edge of the wing such that the propeller wake flows over the wing forming localized areas of effectively increased angle of attack generating a corresponding increased wing loading, with the wing having corresponding localized areas of reduced chord length to neutralize the otherwise increased wing loading, and localized areas of effectively decreased angle of attack generating a corresponding decreased wing loading, with the wing having corresponding localized areas of increased chord length to neutralize the otherwise decreased wing loading.