Return-Path: Sender: (Marvin Kaye) To: lml Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2003 08:37:08 -0500 Message-ID: X-Original-Return-Path: Received: from [24.25.227.37] (HELO hawaii.rr.com) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 4.0.3) with ESMTP id 1970084 for lml@lancaironline.net; Fri, 10 Jan 2003 03:16:28 -0500 Received: (apparently) from IIPMOBILE ([24.161.141.153]) by hawaii.rr.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.5.1877.757.75); Thu, 9 Jan 2003 22:16:17 -1000 Reply-To: From: "IIP" X-Original-To: "Lancair Mailing List" Subject: Wing Loading mysteries X-Original-Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 22:17:38 -1000 Organization: IIP X-Original-Message-ID: <00e701c2b880$bedeeac0$6501a8c0@hawaii.rr.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.2627 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 Importance: Normal X-Original-Return-Path: IIP@hawaii.rr.com OK, I give up. After searching the internet and talking to various people, I am totally confused about the simplest of airplane calculations: Wing Loading. So you divide the Gross Weight by the Wing Area and get, say, 35 #/sq.ft...what does that tell you about flight characteristics? And what is the relationship (if any) to the fact that the 98 sq.ft. Lancair IV wing sustained 12,000 lbs. during a static test? Obviously, this gives me some comfort as to when the wing might break, but people are always talking about wing loading wrt performance. Using the static test, I get 122 #/sf. Using a 3,000# GW, I get 30.6 #/sf. Using a 4,000 # GW, I get 40.8#. At 3 G=92s, I get a 4,000# LIV to the static test limit. Does any of this translate to anything other than a structural safety factor? Some pilots seem to toss around wing loading comments like Bernoulli=92s Theory. "High wing loading", "Low wing loading"... compared to what? I seems much more complex than just a structural safety factor. What the hell is it?! Brian Barbata Flunked Out Of Engineering... But Built a IV-P Turbine Anyway