Bug HLG

Hi Buggers! Glad to see some life on this site! Some thoughts on airfoils follow. The new Selig and Drela airfoils require very high precision in construction to achieve the drag reductions predicted from those designs, on the order of +/- 0.008 inches. The profile drag of the wing is a small fraction of the induced drag, and the induced drag is necessarily the same for wings with the same lift distribution (~planform). A film covered wing is not a single airfoil and the area between ribs is much closer the the average than the airfoil of the ribs. That means that the ribs must be of an airfoil that promotes overall good performance, not just good performance at the rib. As for a name, how about Junebug, Gnat, Lightingbug, Ladybug or Mayfly? Not quite as good as Bug, but... We could go on forever, just keep it small and very light. Thermals, Ken in Carmichael