WingTipRolls

WingTipRolls

Click on the image on at left to download and play a video [276 Kb] of the WingTip being exercised at Chickies Rock Park. The clip starts with the model doing 3 rolls on the vertical down line in just under 2 seconds. The apparent energy retention on the high "G" pullout is evidence of DS at work. Normally such a small, light weight model with such a low aspect ratio would be overwhelmed by the induced drag of such a maneuver and lose all of it's velocity. In this video, however, the model seems to gain speed as it comes out of the dive. This is due to the dive recovery going out onto the plateu or "back side", away from the slope, and actually into a slight headwind. Part of this performance is just plain lucky timing, since turbulence in the area of the pullout may just as easily have snuffed the model into the ground. What is life, after all, without risk? The second climb puts it back through the shear boundary and back into the free stream head wind, giving another burst of airspeed for some more rolling action.

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