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 | | From: | Don Stauffer | | Subject: | Forward swept wings | | Date: | Thu, 20 Jan 2005 16:08:01 -0800 |
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> I recently read that a forward swept wing is aerodynamically better than a
> rear swept wing, provided that aerodynamic divergence can be prevented
> through the use of stiffer materials. However, I found another aero book
> which stated that analytically there is no difference between a forward and
> rear swept wing. From what I understand, the sweep angle reduces the free
> stream Mach number seen by the wing, because the normal component is
> Moo/cos(sweep angle).
>
> My question is, why use a forward swept wing, and how is this
> aerodynamically better assuming the divergence is controlled?
Doesn't the fuselage act as a tip plate without the added structural
weight of a tip plate or tank? Isn't the effect a slightly higher
effective aspect ratio than similar sweptback wings without any tip
treatment?
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