The Power-Wing^TM Concept

I have been working on the principles of wing circulation control by blowing over trailing edge flaps since early 1950. As Dean of Engineering at the University of Wichita, I designed the Walter Beech Memorial 7 x 10 Wind Tunnel and supervised testing and research in this facility for over 10 years. We ran extensive and systematic tests, under a contract with the Office of Naval Research, on a wing with blowing flaps. These data are reported in a series of Wichita University technical reports. See References 1 through 3.

I consulted with the Cessna Airplane Co. for over 20 years. One topic was an operations analysis of agricultural aviation. As a part of this work, I developed an airplane with blowing over the flaps for the dual purpose of increasing wing lift coefficients and of dispersing dry materials from the wing. This was the Distributor Wing Agricultural Airplane (DWA). I designed and supervised the construction of an experimental prototype, N361DW. It is shown in the following photo and described in Reference 8. Note the discharge of granular material over the full span of the flap.

Flight tests of this airplane proved the concept of material dispersing and demonstrated unique characteristics of an airplane with blown flaps. Direct lift control was achieved by regulating the power of the blowing engine. An economic downturn in the fertilizer market made it necessary to terminate this project.

My idea of an airplane with blown flaps lay dormant until 1997. The advent of modern technologies, such as improved-production turbine engines, computer-controlled systems, GPS, and others, convinced me that it was possible to design airplanes with a combination of features for unique air transportation missions. This was stimulated by the AGATE and SATS programs of NASA, where studies are being made of systems that will provide air transportation to small communities.

My judgment was that only increasing wing lift coefficients to enable short field operation was not sufficient justification to incorporate blown flaps. Accordingly, I researched other advantages and determined that blown flaps would make gust alleviation possible, achieve direct lift control for modulating approach angles, and increase L/D ratio to provide extended glide distances.

My preliminary analysis indicated that airplanes with these four features would have unique mission capabilities and would have economic value. Accordingly, I approached the Aerospace Engineering Department at Wichita State University and requested that they conduct a preliminary design to determine the feasibility of this approach. A summary of results of the WSU feasibility study is herewith presented. The complete report is listed as Reference 9.