How To Do It: The Myth of the Terraced Airfoil
THERE ARE AS MANY airfoil shapes as there are tax laws. Did you know that each one has two versions? The first is the pure plot of curves generated by wind tunnel tests. The second is the expressed feelings for the flight results after the airfoil/wing/flying machine components are combined. Anyone can begin a myth of airfoil aeronautical achievement. Some years ago, a modeler/aeroalchemist put to paper his observed experience of a tow-launched sailplane that climbs higher than can reasonably be expected. His hypothesis contends that a wondrous modification rectifies the airflow over a wing top surface and augments the generation of lift.
