Wind-Tunnel Tests to Determine Aileron Characteristics of the McDonnell XFD-1 Airplane, TED No. NACA 23102

Tests were performed on a partial span of the wing of a McDonnell XFD-1 airplane to determine a combination of sealed internal balance and spring-tab stiffness for the aileron that would give satisfactory stick-force characteristics for the airplane. Two sealed internal balances were tested in combination with spring tabs of various stiffnesses. One of the combinations was tested at several speeds to determine the variation of stick force with speed. Estimates, based on the results of the tests, indicate that for this airplane any reduction of stick force by use of the spring tab reduces the helix angle pb/2V below the required value of 0.09. The estimates show that, of the configurations tested, the most satisfactory combination for obtaining a stick force of 30 pounds at 300 miles per hour indicated airspeed is a 0.48-chord internal balance in combination with a spring-tab stiffness of 500 pounds per inch. With this combination, a wing-tip helix angle of 0.078 is estimated. Stick-force curves for all configurations show a rapid increase in stick force above approximately 20 deg. total aileron deflection.