JOURNEY IN AERONAUTICAL RESEARCH: A Career at NASA Langley Research Center

Monographs in Aerospace History, Number 12

 

 

List of Figures

 

 

Figure 2.1. Scenes from childhood.
Figure 2.2. My father's steam-powered torpedo boat destroyer after restoration.
Figure 2.3. Our summer cottage at Long Beach, Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Figure 2.4. Scenes in Belmont, Massachusetts.
Figure 2.5. My nonflying scale model airplanes.
Figure 2.6. Vultee YA-19 attack bomber with Pratt and Whitney R-2800 engine installed.
Figure 2.7. Mechanics in the Installation Department of Pratt and Whitney in front of YA-19 airplane.
Figure 2.8. Model glider equipped with phugoid damper.
 
Figure 3.1. Airplanes being tested at the NACA Flight Research Hangar in 1944.

Figure 4.1. Pictures of me with two of the airplanes tested in my first years at the NACA.

Figure 4.2. Vought-Sikorsky XF4U-1 airplane.
Figure 4.3. Curtiss P-40 airplane.
Figure 4.4. Hawker Hurricane airplane.
Figure 4.5. Supermarine Spitfire airplane.
Figure 4.6. North American BT-9B airplane.
Figure 4.7. Lockheed 14H transport airplane, a later model of one of the original 16 airplanes on which Gilruth's flying qualities requirements were based.
Figure 4.8. Grumman XTBF-3 airplane, a torpedo bomber used in the war in the Pacific.
Figure 4.9. Portion of tail area that must be considered ineffective to obtain agreement between calculated and measured variation of rudder angle with sideslip angle (low-wing airplanes).
 
Figure 5.1. Time histories of aileron snaking oscillations as calculated by my theory.

Figure 6.1. Types of control surface aerodynamic balance.

Figure 6.2. Diagramatic sketches of aerodynamically operated servo controls.
Figure 6.3. All-movable horizontal tail installed on Curtiss XP-42 airplane.
Figure 6.4. Comparison of stick forces in rapid pull ups with Curtiss P-40 airplane and Curtiss XP-42 airplane.
Figure 6.5. Diagram of operation of vane-type servo control.
Figure 6.6. Photograph of test model of vane-type servo control.
Figure 6.7. Bell L-39 airplane incorporating experimental swept wing to study low-speed effects of wing sweep.

Figure 7.1. Republic P-47D-30.

Figure 7.2. Mitsubishi 00 airplane, popularly known as the Japanese Zero.
 
Figure 8.1. Yaw chair used for studying ability of human pilots to control lateral oscillations.
Figure 8.2. Drop model of the XS-1 airplane.
Figure 8.3. Flight data from drop test of XS-1 model.
Figure 8.4. Devices made to illustrate the effect on stability during rolling motion of the equality or inequality of stiffness about the pitch and yaw axes.
Figure 8.5. Test airplane as set up for determining moment of inertia and tilt of the principal longitudinal axis of inertia.
 
Figure 9.1. Diagram showing optimal location of mass-balance weight to prevent flutter of spring tab.
Figure 9.2. Schematic diagram of installation of tab balance weight ahead of flap hinge line.
Figure 9.3. Drawing of balance weight installation in B-34 vertical tail.
Figure 9.4. Photograph of balance weight installation in B-34 vertical tail.
Figure 9.5. Amplitude and phase angle of the circulatory lift of elliptical wings.
Figure 9.6. Damping of oscillations of a weathervane computed by finite-span, quasi-static, and two-dimensional theories.

Figure 10.1. Schematic diagram of automatic aileron trim control device.

Figure 11.1. Wing-flow model and test apparatus mounted on P-51 wing.

Figure 11.2. Drawing of semispan model of rectangular wing with full-span flap used in wing-flow tests.
Figure 11.3. Typical data from wing-flow test.
Figure 11.4. Wing-flow model of Vought F7U-1 Cutlass.
Figure 11.5. Full-scale Vought F7U-1 Cutlass.
Figure 11.6. Simple simulator used to demonstrate to pilots the possibility of pilot-induced oscillations caused by characteristics of the power control system.
Figure 11.7. Normal acceleration during formation flights of F4U4B airplane and F9F-3 airplane with alternate positions as lead airplane and following airplane; F4U-4B with and without power controls.

Figure 12.1. Error in harmonic amplitude due to finite length of record for various phase angles of harmonic.

Figure 12.2. Plot of amplitude versus phase angle for waves with various ratios of wavelength to record length.
Figure 12.3. Photograph of F9F-3 airplane showing special instrumentation for turbulence measurements.
Figure 12.4. Power spectrum of gust vertical velocity for wavelengths of I O feet to 60,000 feet.

Figure 13.1. Waterman's airplane incorporating wings attached to fuselage with skewed hinges.

Figure 13.2. Concept for complete alleviation of vertical gusts shown by the theoretical analysis.
Figure 13.3. Two-view drawing of the Beech B-18 test airplane showing the modified control surfaces.
Figure 13.4. Nose boom and angle-of-attack vane installation on Beech B-18 test airplane.
Figure 13.5. Three-quarter rear view of Beech B-18 test airplane showing elevator control split into three segments.
Figure 13.6. Three-quarter rear view of Beech B-18 test airplane showing modified flap system with oppositely deflected inboard segment.
Figure 13.7. Comparison of flights in light turbulence, basic airplane, and gust-alleviated airplane.
Figure 13.8. Comparison of power spectral densities of normal acceleration and pitching velocity for basic airplane and alleviated airplane.
Figure 13.9. Comparison of normal acceleration of basic airplane and alleviated airplane shown on linear scales on two different types of plots.
Figure 13.10. Flight photograph of Rene' Hirsch's first airplane as equipped with larger engines.
Figure 13.11. René Hirsch in front of his Aerospatial Rallye light airplane equipped with gust-alleviation system.

Figure 14.1. Relations between the power spectrum of rolling gusts and the point spectrum of turbulence for various values of the ratio of scale of turbulence to wing span.

Figure 15.1. The BAC-III Transport Airplane.

Figure 15.2. Rolling acceleration and rolling velocity of BAC-111 airplane as determined from voice recorder analysis.
Figure 15.3. Model of damaged BAC-111 used for catapult tests to determine motion following breakup.
Figure 15.4. B-58 Hustler bomber airplane.
Figure 15.5. Beech B-35 Bonanza airplane as tested at Langley.
Figure 15.6. Measured and extrapolated stick force in straightflight as a function of dynamic pressure for Beech B-35 Bonanza airplane.
Figure 15.7. Estimated stick force as a function of indicated airspeed and normal acceleration for Beech B-35 Bonanza airplane. Trim speed 120 miles per hour.
Figure 15.8. Estimated stick force as a function of indicated airspeed and normal acceleration for Beech B-35 Bonanza airplane. Trim speed 145 miles per hour.

Figure 16.1. Vought F8U-1 airplane showing variable-incidence wing in raised position.

Figure 17.1. Sketch of model used to illustrate the use of sweptback rudder horns to offset centering tendency of control springs.

Figure 17.2. Fairchild PT-l9 airplane used for two-control experiments.
Figure 17.3. Sketch of modified directional control system.
Figure 17.4. Sketch of concept for unsuccessful device to apply oscillating moments to an airplane inflight.

Figure 18.1. Organization chart for the Research Department of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in 1944.

Figure 18.2. Instructions to the members of an editorial committee.
Figure 18.3. Certificate of appointment to the NACA Research Advisory Committee on Control, Guidance, and Navigation.

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