Wind-tunnel testing of VTOL and STOL aircraft

Abstract

The basic concepts of wind-tunnel boundary interference are discussed and the development of the theory for VTOL-STOL aircraft is described. Features affecting the wall interference, such as wake roll-up, configuration differences, recirculation limits, and interference nonuniformity, are discussed. The effects of the level of correction on allowable model size are shown to be amenable to generalized presentation. Finally, experimental confirmation of wind-tunnel interference theory is presented for jet-flap, rotor, and fan-in-wing models