An Exploratory Investigation of the Effects of a Thin Plastic Film Cover on the Profile Drag of an Aircraft Wing Panel

Abstract

Exploratory wind tunnel tests were conducted on a large chord aircraft wing panel to evaluate the potential for drag reduction resulting from the application of a thin plastic film cover. The tests were conducted at a Mach number of 0.15 over a Reynolds number range from about 7 x 10 to the 6th power to 63 x 10 to the 6th power