Dec 102010
To finish up…
The Martin Astroplane had a long slim shape perfect for low drag at high speed, but terrible for horizontal runway landings at sane speeds. So it was to use variable geometry wings for both takeoff and landings. The wings were unconventional in that they were composed of rigid ribs with a flexible membrane stretched betwee, like the wings of a bat. Aerodynamic properties of such wings are often less than spectacular, but they have the advantage of being relatively light-weight. I’m a little concerned about after takeoff, though… retracting the flexible wing into a small storage space while travelling at high speed seems tricky at best.
One Response to “Martin Astroplane Art: 3”
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If you unlocked the forward swivel point on the wings, the airstream should do most of the work of folding them back for you. That should bring them in to at least the boundary layer.
It would be more likely though that they would be pulled back into the fuselage by some sort of a reel system attached to a strong line mounted on the rear edge of the wing while the front pivot keeps some tension on it.
The reel line would travel through a tube on the rear edge and be attached to the wingtip.