In this paper, wind tunnel experiments are combined with Computational
Fluid Dynamics (CFD) aiming to analyze the aerodynamics of
realistic fuselage con¦gurations. A development model of the ANSAT
aircraft and an early model of the AKTAI light helicopter were employed.
Both models were tested at the subsonic wind tunnel of KNRTU-KAI
for a range of Reynolds numbers and pitch and yaw angles. The force
balance measurements were complemented by particle image velocimetry
(PIV) investigations for the cases where the experimental force measurements
showed substantial unsteadiness. The CFD results were found to
be in fair agreement with the test data and revealed some §ow separation
at the rear of the fuselages. Once con¦dence on the CFD method was
established, further modi¦cations were introduced to the ANSAT-like
fuselage model to demonstrate drag reduction via small shape changes