Static Longitudinal and Lateral Stability Characteristics at Low Speed of 45 Degree Sweptback-midwing Models Having Wings with an Aspect Ratio of 2, 4, or 6

Results are presented of tests conducted in the Langley stability tunnel to determine the effects of various components and combinations of components on the static longitudinal and lateral stability characteristics at low speed of a series of 45 degree sweptback-midwing-airplane configurations having wings with an aspect ratio of 2, 4, or 6. The tests were made at a dynamic pressure of 24.9 pounds per square foot which corresponds to a Mach number of 0.13 and Reynolds numbers of 1.00 x 10(exp 6), 0.71 x 10 (exp 6), and 0.58 x 10 (exp 6) based on the respective wing mean aerodynamic chords. The angle-of-attack range covered was from -4 degrees to 32 degrees and the sideslip angles used for the lateral-derivative tests were 5 degrees and -5 degrees. An increasing loss in tail contribution to directional stability both with increasing wing aspect ratio and increasing angle of attack was found to be a principal cause of all the complete models becoming directionally unstable in the high angle-of-attack range.