CUTTING-EDGE DEVELOPMENTS
AEROINNOVATIONS
A New Way
to Roll
Improving handling and efficiency
LAM AVIATION INC. CLAIMS to have introduced the first
major change in aileron design since the original
implementation of the aileron. The Lam aileron is said to
uncouple the traditional relationship between flaps and
ailerons, allowing wings to be equipped with both flaps
and ailerons of any span, including full span without the
use of spoilers or flaperons. The company said it will also
enable aircraft to use a smaller wing, allowing for higher
cruise speeds, lower fuel consumption, and better ride
comfort through turbulence while also improving slow-speed flight handling.
For more information, visit www.LamAviation.com.
For more information and direct links to all the AeroInnovations stories, visit www.SportAviation.org.
AEROINNOVATIONS highlights developments that have potential to impact the future of aviation. EAA does not necessarily endorse the ideas, products, services, or views stated.
CHINA’S AMPHIBIAN
SEAGULL 300
TEXTRON FLYING
HUMVEE
DRAG-FREE VORTEX
GENERATORS
VARIABLE CANARD
SYSTEM FOR RE-ENTRY
THE SEAGULL 300, China’s first
independently developed
amphibious plane, began test
flights in August. Made by
Shijiazhuang Aircraft Industry
Co. Ltd., the aircraft needs about
600 meters of water or runway
for takeoff and carries up to six
people. The company says the
plane can be used for business
flights, freight transport,
medical aid, and tourism.
TEXTRON’S “FLYING HUMVEE”
entry in the U.S. Defense
Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) Transformer
program is studying the
feasibility of a vertical takeoff
and landing (VTOL), road-
worthy vehicle with a maximum
payload of 1,000 pounds.
The “high-inertia SR/C rotor
system” provides the VTOL
performance, while a JP- 8
fueled turboshaft engine is used
for airborne cruise mode.
GENERAL ELECTRIC GLOBAL
RESEARCH is incorporating
drag-free vortex generators
into aircraft wings using piezo-
electric actuators to generate
propulsion. The “synthetic jets”
integrate smoothly into the
wings without creating drag
and produce air that moves
at 200 meters per second.
The synthetic jets can also be
implemented on large wind
turbines, increasing their
efficiency by 30 percent with no
drag penalty.
THE CANARD CONTROL SYSTEM
developed by the German
Aerospace Center can
automatically adjust the
position and flow conditions
of the re-entry vehicle—in
the same way that the control
surfaces on a plane can be
angled to change its attitude.
Initial ground tests were
successful; the system is
ready for integration into an
experimental sharp-edged
spacecraft for further testing.
