This screen is used to design wings, tails or fuselages for model aircraft. A plan view of half of the wing or tail and end view is plotted in a scrollable window ( wing window).  The wing or tail end view has been simplified to speed up screen redraw. If different airfoil sections are selected for the root and tip chords, only the root chord section will be used for the plotting of each rib section.  Allowing the transition of airfoil sections along the span would reduce the plotting speed of  WING CAD to an unbearable speed. The plot may be increased or decreased in size by clicking on the magnify or reduce buttons in the tool bar running along the bottom of the screen. The plot may also be scrolled up and down or left and right so as to position the plot as required. 


The wing design is input by either using the mouse or by entering the coordinates of the wing or tail through the keyboard. The position of the mouse pointer is shown as a dimension based on the distance from the leading edge point of the root chord of the wing. Coordinates of the wing are entered as pairs, ie; upper coordinate (leading edge) first then lower coordinate (trailing edge). Typically a simple tapered wing will only need two coordinate pairs. One pair for the root of the wing and one pair for the tip of the wing. If you wish to design an elliptical wing , a number of coordinate pairs will need to be entered, with a close distribution of coordinate pairs at the tip to capture the rounded tip shape.

The CADCAD interface provides the capability to select coordinate points with the mouse. Once selected a coordinate pair can be moved about or stretched apart to alter the shape of a wing or tail.

The Windows Calculator can be accessed from this screen to perform scaling calculations as required by clicking on the CALCULATOR button.


Winfoil will can calculate the wing area, aspect ratio, mean aerodynamic chord position and length, 25% mean aerodynamic chord position by selecting the appropriate button on the toolbar. The mean aerodynamic chord position (25%) can be used to determine tail sizes for adequate stability also it can be used as a guide to positioning the centre of gravity for conventional configured aircraft (non-canard). This is very useful for aircraft with swept wings. A safe centre of gravity range is typically 15% to 33% of the Mean Aerodynamic Chord of the wing (Assuming an adequate horizontal tail area has been selected). Positions further aft or forward cannot be confirmed as being safe without a proper stability analysis.


Winfoil can also provide graphs of required tail areas for static stability for conventional configuration aircraft. 


Another new feature is the capability to provide a graph of Reynolds number distribution along the semi span of a wing or tail for a range of selected speeds in air or water. This could highlight problems with sharply tapered wings which could be prone to tip stalling. A checking facility is also provided to verify airfoil selection with aerodynamic data.


Spar design capability is also provided now. An unlimited number of spars can be placed at any position along the chord of a wing or tail.


Tool Bar FunctionsWING_CAD_TOOL_BAR_FUNCTIONS

How To Design a Wing in WING CADHOW_TO_DESIGN_A_WING_IN_WING_CAD


To exit this screen click on the CLOSE button.