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What is area rule in aviation?
The area rule says that two airplanes with the same longitudinal cross-sectional area distribution have the same wave drag, independent of how the area is distributed laterally (i.e. in the fuselage or in the wing). Furthermore, to avoid the formation of strong shock waves, this total area distribution must be smooth.
What is the maximum Mach number of the first area ruled aircraft?
The Whitcomb area rule, also called the transonic area rule, is a design procedure used to reduce an aircraft’s drag at transonic speeds which occur between about Mach 0.75 and 1.2.
What is the largest commercial airplane?
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380, which made its first test flight on April 27, 2005, is the largest passenger airliner in the world.
What is rule area?
Note: The area rule states that the more closely the progression of the cross-sectional area of an aircraft’s body from nose to tail matches the progression of the cross-sectional area of an aerodynamically smooth, idealized shape, the less drag will be generated.
What kind of aircraft follows the area rule?
Aircraft designed according to Whitcomb’s area rule (such as the Blackburn Buccaneer and the Northrop F-5) looked odd at the time they were first tested and were dubbed “flying Coke bottles “, but the area rule is effective and came to be an expected part of the appearance of any transonic aircraft.
How is aircraft drag governed by the Whitcomb area rule?
They are Anti-shock bodies. In the transsonic speed range (above about Mach 0.7), aircraft drag is governed by Whitcomb area rule, which basically says that to minimize drag, the aircraft cross-sectional area must change as smoothly as possible, independent of its actual shape. It is somewhat counter-intuitive, but well established.
How is the area of an aircraft determined?
As a result, aircraft have to be carefully arranged so that at the location of the wing, the fuselage is narrowed or “waisted”, so that the total area does not change much. Similar but less pronounced fuselage waisting is used at the location of a bubble canopy and perhaps the tail surfaces.
What’s the difference between a 747 and A380?
On the 747, the cockpit is in the upper level and in the lower there’s equipment (radar, avionics, etc.) But on the A380, the cockpit is in the lower floor and there’s no equipment in the upper floor. So I think it could be technically possible to place some front windows in order to get a pilot-like view.