Angus,
FACTS are the Spitfire was able to compensate for the 5lbs wingloading increase. You cannot get around the fact that in the air, the aircraft were seen as having identical turning ability by the RAE test pilots.
The FW-190 series only gained 3 lbs and just as much power as the Spitfire series.
Why is the FW-190A8 such a pig in AH? What is the scientific basis? While it is a common perception that the aircraft gained weight and no power. That is not the case at all.
bozon,
Third, as you can see, at the slower side of the drag curve, what eats your power is the induced drag which is dominant over the viscous drag.
You’re correct that induced drag is the dominant force at low speed. However do not confuse coefficients and force with power.
While the cooefficient of inducued drag will gradually increase the slower the aircraft, the power application is different.http://www.av8n.com/how/htm/4forces.html#fig-coeff-iasThe force of induced drag also rises along with the coefficient.
http://www.av8n.com/how/htm/4forces.html#fig-force-iasHowever the power of induced drag rises very little.
It's power comes on very rapidly like a wall and not a gradual tug that increases. The wall occurs
after CLmax on the backside of the polar at the stall.
In the mushing regime, most of the drag is induced drag. As you go slower and slower, induced drag increases dramatically and parasite drag becomes almost negligible.
http://www.av8n.com/how/htm/4forces.html#fig-power-iasAdditionally, designers have been well aware of the benefits of reducing induced drag and ways to manipulate wing efficiency since the 1930's.
The differences in WWII fighter wing efficiency are imperceptible in the air.A square-tipped rectangular wing is almost as efficient as the elliptic wing.
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Theories_of_Flight/Reducing_Induced_Drag/TH16.htmThe induced drag is a completely seperate subject and should not be the focus of this thread. I suggest a new thread to cover this subject or feel free to PM me. We can discuss it and summerize the results.It is nothing short of a miracle (no kidding), but it is possible to fly with an engine that produce less thrust than your plane weights and manuver with it.
Yes it is and engines have produced less thrust than the weight of the plane for the vast majority of the time man has been using heavier than air flight.
Second, while minimum radius is achieved at CLmax, it doesn't say anything about its value.
It's not talking about a specific plane, it is referring to all aircraft. CLmax will change too with conditions.
You may claim it is weakly dependent on the wings, but it still is.
Nowhere do I claim it is weakly dependant upon wings.
I claim the fundamental relationship is not derived from wings. It is derived from power available to power required.
Even a Glider uses this relationship. It must be towed to altitude where it converts the potential energy it stored during the tow to kinetic energy for flight.
To focus solely on wing loading is incorrect.
Wing loading is nothing more than one of many shortcuts of estimating this relationship.Just as Perkins & Hage state.
It is a fact that a wing loading increase can be overcome with thrust.
All the best,
Crumpp