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Scotty,
What you "think" or "are sure of", in no way proves a fact. Bob gives us something really interesting to think about. A rough skin may make a plane go faster! Remember when we found out that a blunt nose on a submarine made it go faster? No one would have guessed. More new discoveries are made by accident then by over confidence.
I asked a professor once, if there were an experiment proving that electrons exhibited a gravitational force. The professor laughed. Trying to use proof by intimidation. It didn't work. To this day it has never been proven that electrons exhibit a gravitational force. There is a problem with General Relativity and this train of thought. If anyone would like to discuss it, please give me a call.
Back to Bob's point. Does anyone else have figures on rough skin vs smooth?
Sincerely,
Lorn
From: "Scotty G" <WarbirdAeroPress@cox.net>
Bob Smiley wrote:
Does the supersonic fighters have a slick painted surface or a mat finish? Doesn't a slight turbulance or trapped boundary layer of air offer a better surface for flight? What say you air racers and aeronautical engineers?
I think with the jet fighters, you have so much horsepower that the paint doesn't matter much. I'm sure they would see some improvement if they were painted in gloss. On the other hand, with our limited horsepower, we'll almost always see some improvement from a slick surface. (60 lbs of paint! WOW!)
--
Lorn H. 'Feathers' Olsen, MAA, DynaComm, Corp.
248-345-0500, mailto:lorn@dynacomm.ws
LNC2, O-320-D1F, 1,100 hrs, N31161, Y47, SE Michigan
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