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A further case for variable geometry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2016

W. A. T. ‘Fritz’ Johl
W. A. T. ‘Fritz’ Johl*
Affiliation:
Constantia, South Africa
*
watjohl@iafrica.com
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Abstract

Today, all sailplanes in any particular class look and perform more or less the same. This gives credence to the view that the necessary compromises in design and sailplane technology have reached a limit. Sailplane development is on a sort of plateau. Further, apart from perhaps boundary-layer control (BLC), there appears to be nothing in the foreseeable future that promises any significant improvement in performance. It is the purpose of this paper to, once again, encourage interest in Variable Geometry (VG) and address the controversies which prevailed in abundance during the 1970s and which apparently still survive today.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 116 , Issue 1175 , January 2012 , pp. 23 - 44
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2012 

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References

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