Comparison of wind-tunnel and flight results on a four-propeller tilt-wing configuration
Over the years aerodynamicists have learned to rely heavily on wind-tunnel-model results in predicting the aerodynamic characteristics of conventional aircraft configurations. With the development of V/STOL configurations which have high slipstream deflection angles. such as the four-propeller tilt-wing XC-142A V/STOL aircraft, the reliability of small-scale wind-tunnel-model results in predicting full-scale airplane characteristics needs to be reexamined. Extensive tests have been made by NASA on several sizes of wind-tunnel models of the XC-142A V/STOL configuration and by Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc., on the airplane. These results show that models predict the slow-speed level-flight characteristics very well but that small models underpredict the descent capability of the airplane. Larger scale wind-tunnel models of approximately half size show better agreement with the airplane descent characteristics. It was found from smoke flow studies that small models can also predict the region in which self-generated disturbances will be encountered by tilt-wing configurations in ground proximity.