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19-455: It was a wire-braced, parasol-wing monoplane with a fixed, tailskid undercarriage. In France it was usually described as "Monoplan R.E.P. à ailes surélevées" (literally monoplane R.E.P. with elevated wings), and also as the "R.E.P. Vision Totale" (R.E.P. Total Vision). The fuselage was constructed of steel tube and was of triangular cross-section, with the apex on the ventral side. The pilot and observer sat in tandem, open cockpits. Lateral control

38-416: A counteracting " servo tab " effect. Once this was fully understood, wing structures were made progressively more rigid, precluding wing warping altogether – and aircraft became far more controllable in the lateral plane. Current technology has allowed scientists to revisit the concept of wing warping (also known as morphing wings). Wing warping was a common feature of early aircraft, including: Several of

57-662: A morphing wing made of cells that will twist to mimic birds. The cells NASA is using to construct the wing are small black modules consisting of carbon fiber. Currently, NASA is focusing on unmanned drones. The appeal of shape-changing wings lies in the gapless and smooth nature of the resulting geometries. In contrast to conventional wings, relying on discrete, moveable parts ( ailerons , flaps , slats ...) to achieve variations of their shape – and hence of their aerodynamic properties – morphing wings attain these geometrical variations with continuous deformations of their outer surface. The absence of discrete curvature changes and of gaps has

76-550: Is a modern-day extension of wing warping in which the aerodynamic shape of the wing is modified under computer control. Research into this field is mainly conducted by NASA such as with the Mission Adaptive Wing (MAW) trialed from 1985 on the General Dynamics–Boeing AFTI/F-111A Aardvark . Many major companies and scientists are working on developing morphing wings. NASA is working to develop

95-411: The "geared spring tab" variant, a pilot is able "to maneuver a vehicle weighing as much as 300,000 pounds flying at an airspeed of 300 miles per hour or more". An anti-servo tab, or anti-balance tab, works in the opposite way to a servo tab. It deploys in the same direction as the control surface, making the movement of the control surface more difficult and requires more force applied to the controls by

114-456: The axis." After Wilbur demonstrated the method, Orville noted, "From this it was apparent that the wings of a machine of the Chanute double-deck type, with the fore-and-aft trussing removed, could be warped in like manner, so that in flying the wings on the right and left sides could be warped so as to present their surfaces to the air at different angles of incidence and thus secure unequal lifts on

133-465: The control force required from the pilot to move the controls. In some large aircraft, the servo tab is the only control that is connected to the pilot's stick or wheel, as in the Bristol Britannia and its Canadian derivatives. The pilot moves the wheel, which moves the servo tab; the servo tab with its mechanical advantage moves the elevator or aileron, which is otherwise free-floating. With

152-409: The control surface. It deflects airflow, generating force on the whole control surface in the desired direction. The tab has a leverage advantage, being located well aft of the control surface hinge line, and thus its airflow deflection moves the control surface in the opposite direction, overcoming the resistance generated by the airflow deflection of the control surface. This has the effect of reducing

171-709: The design, and continued to use the Type N , Britain's Royal Naval Air Service purchased twelve examples. (serial no's 8454–8465). The first of these were delivered in August 1915 and were used during the early stages of the First World War. The RNAS operated from Dunkirk and its main task was the bombing of German airfields to prevent attacks by aircraft on the British fleet. On, October 3, 1915, one of these aircraft, serial 8460 and flown by Flight Lieutenant Erroll Boyd from No.1 Wing ,

190-414: The flight of birds convince me that birds use more positive and energetic methods of regaining equilibrium than that of shifting the center of gravity...they regain their lateral balance...by a torsion of the tips of the wings. If the rear edge of the right wing tip is twisted upward and the left downward the bird becomes an animated windmill and instantly begins to turn, a line from its head to its tail being

209-515: The most common means of achieving lateral control as early as 1911, especially in biplane designs. Monoplane wings of the period were much more flexible, and proved more amenable to wing warping – but even for monoplane designs, ailerons became the norm after 1915. Lateral (roll) control in early aircraft was problematic at best. An overly flexible, involuntarily twisting wing can cause involuntary rolling, but even worse, it can convert attempts at correction, either from wing warping or ailerons, into

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228-468: The movement of the control surfaces . Introduced by the German firm Flettner , servo tabs were formerly known as Flettner tabs . Servo tabs are not true servomechanisms , as they do not employ negative feedback to keep the control surfaces in a desired position; they only provide a mechanical advantage to the pilot. A servo tab, or balance tab, moves in the direction opposite to the desired movement of

247-517: The pilot. This may seem counter-productive, but it is commonly used on aircraft where the controls are too light. The anti-servo tab serves to make the controls feel heavier to the pilot, and also to increase the stability of that control surface. It is also used where the aircraft requires additional stability in that axis of movement . Anti-servo tabs are particularly found on stabilators , which must have some method of decreasing their sensitivity. A servo or anti-servo tab may also function as

266-413: The potential of reducing the shape drag associated to the wing, thus increasing their aerodynamic efficiency. This characteristic makes adaptive wings well-suited to operate at various different operational conditions, as they can optimally adapt their shape and thus minimize the resulting drag. Servo tab A servo tab is a small hinged device installed on an aircraft control surface to assist

285-699: The reproduction planes built for the film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines used the wing warping control systems of the original aircraft – with mixed results. The wing warping of the Avro Triplane proved surprisingly successful, whereas on the reproduction Antoinette, with its very flexible wing, wing warping offered little effective lateral control. Since the original Antoinette-style ailerons would have probably been even less effective, unobtrusive "modern" ailerons were inserted – even with these, lateral control remained very poor. Wing morphing

304-473: The two sides." Birds visibly use wing warping to achieve control. This was a significant influence on early aircraft designers. The Wright brothers were the first group to use warping wings. Their first plane mimicked the bird's flight patterns and wing form. In practice, since most wing warping designs involved flexing of structural members, they were difficult to control and liable to cause structural failure. Ailerons had begun to replace wing warping as

323-501: Was an early system for lateral (roll) control of a fixed-wing aircraft or kite. The technique, used and patented by the Wright brothers , consisted of a system of pulleys and cables to twist the trailing edges of the wings in opposite directions. In many respects, this approach is similar to that used to trim the performance of a paper airplane by curling the paper at the back of its wings. In 1900, Wilbur Wright wrote, "...my observations of

342-403: Was by wing warping , using a complex fan of cables above and below the wings. The upper cables were carried over a pylon of tandem struts, strut braced across the top. Two versions were produced: a single-seater with a 45-kW (60-hp) le Rhône engine, and a two-seater with a 60-kW (80-hp) Gnome engine. It was armed with one machine-gun. While France's Aéronautique Militaire did not purchase

361-731: Was on a bombing mission along the coast of Belgium, when it was hit by anti-aircraft fire. It made a forced landing in the Netherlands in and was interned there. The aircraft was subsequently purchased from the United Kingdom, repaired and entered Dutch military service on November 3, 1915 as LA23 (in 1918 this aircraft was reregistered as REP-3). It was later used for taxiing training. Data from Davilla & Soltan 2002, p.430, General characteristics Performance Armament Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Morane-Saulnier L Wing warping Wing warping

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