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Aileron Reflex

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skier

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2008
Messages
1,079
Location
CT
My biggest issue with light planes (LSAs in particular) is that they bounce around too much in turbulence and make me airsick. And, unfortunately LSAs are limited in wing loading due to the max stall speed requirement. In thinking of a new concept for an LSA aircraft that was less sensitive to turbulence, I proved to myself that turbulence is a direct function of wing loading. No surprise there, we all assume that to be true, but I needed to work out the equations to prove to myself that this wasn't just in my head.

Today on my way home from work, I was wondering if you could achieve a similar result by reflexing the ailerons (my design doesn't have flaps, but they would be considered similarly). Conceptually, picture a plane with flaperons, but instead of having the ailerons go down when the flap handle is pulled, they go upwards (reflex flaperons). After some amount of deflection they will cause that section of wing to generate negative lift (similar to adding extra weight). In this theoretical example, the plane now effectively has a higher wing loading. Having previously convinced myself through some algebra that a higher wing loading reduces an aircraft's response to turbulence, would I be correct to assume that my theoretical airplane with reflex flaperons deployed will now have a lesser response to turbulence?
 
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