Ian R McAndrew
Capitol Technology University, USA
Title: Aerodynamic implications for twin-wing aircraft at high altitudes
Biography
Biography: Ian R McAndrew
Abstract
Twin-wing designs offer many aerodynamic advantages and in particular, lower speeds before stall. As unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are used for more applications they are still limited under international law to be limited for staying within line-of-visual- sight (LOVS). NEXTGEN is investigating if they can be integrated into commercial airspace. This research discusses and demonstrates that a twin-wing design can be used for high altitude flight at lower speeds when piloted as an unmanned aerial vehicle as it removes the problems associated with design constraints. Without a pilot the negative stagger, upper wing off-set towards the front can be changed to a positive stagger, vertically behind the lower wing. Previous research by the authors have shown that under specific angles of attack (AoA), sufficient combined lift is possible for flight above commercial airspace and at low speeds, which allow for low technology power units to still be used. The conclusions show that sufficient lift without major drag additions is a feasible and warrants further detailed investigations.