Question about wing twist / control reversal
07-06-2017, 02:41 PM
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New Hire
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Joined APC: Jun 2017
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Question about wing twist / control reversal
Hi everyone. Sorry if there's a better spot for this question somewhere else; I wasn't sure where to post and this forum said anything that didn't fit elsewhere, so...
I'm a writer, and have never been a pilot, so I am trying to get some feedback from pilots about a few things. One big thing is wing twist and control reversal. In my novel, which is set in a fantasy dieselpunk setting, I have a secondary character who is trying to build a better airplane and he's running into certain problems. One is wing twist and control reversal.
I want to make sure I understand it, and I would also really appreciate any descriptions of your experiences with if, if you've ever run into it.
So first off, from what I've read, wing twist happens as a result of high speeds that cause air to flow over the wing and push it up when it's actually supposed to be angled more down, a bit like reversing an umbrella. Is that a correct way to understand it?
What I don't really understand is why this then leads to control reversal. Can someone explain, please?
So then the pilot would experience this as though the controls were all backwards. Attempts to bank to the left cause the plane to bank to the right? I imagine this would be a shock, but what I've read about it implies that it is actually also very disorienting. Is there an inner ear or other balance issue at work? I know that under certain conditions, like if you fly into a hurricane, you can lose your sense of direction. Is it a similar experience, and if so, why?
I'm going to have a scene where a main character is watching the engineer and test pilot try out the plane, and there's a problem with wing twist. The main character is on the ground, watching the plane. Would she be able to see what's happening? Would it just look like the pilot is flying erratically?
Bonus question: another problem the engineer is running into is that he's designed propellers that spin at supersonic speeds (like a Stearman) and that causes turbulence for the airplane (I read about this happening). What does that look like from below? What would that feel like for the pilot?
Thank you immensely for any and all replies.
I'm a writer, and have never been a pilot, so I am trying to get some feedback from pilots about a few things. One big thing is wing twist and control reversal. In my novel, which is set in a fantasy dieselpunk setting, I have a secondary character who is trying to build a better airplane and he's running into certain problems. One is wing twist and control reversal.
I want to make sure I understand it, and I would also really appreciate any descriptions of your experiences with if, if you've ever run into it.
So first off, from what I've read, wing twist happens as a result of high speeds that cause air to flow over the wing and push it up when it's actually supposed to be angled more down, a bit like reversing an umbrella. Is that a correct way to understand it?
What I don't really understand is why this then leads to control reversal. Can someone explain, please?
So then the pilot would experience this as though the controls were all backwards. Attempts to bank to the left cause the plane to bank to the right? I imagine this would be a shock, but what I've read about it implies that it is actually also very disorienting. Is there an inner ear or other balance issue at work? I know that under certain conditions, like if you fly into a hurricane, you can lose your sense of direction. Is it a similar experience, and if so, why?
I'm going to have a scene where a main character is watching the engineer and test pilot try out the plane, and there's a problem with wing twist. The main character is on the ground, watching the plane. Would she be able to see what's happening? Would it just look like the pilot is flying erratically?
Bonus question: another problem the engineer is running into is that he's designed propellers that spin at supersonic speeds (like a Stearman) and that causes turbulence for the airplane (I read about this happening). What does that look like from below? What would that feel like for the pilot?
Thank you immensely for any and all replies.
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