Terence Nonweiler (8 February 1925 - 17 December 1999) held a Chair of Aeronautical Engineering at Glasgow University and later became Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. He has been credited with being the pioneer of wave-riding technology. [1] [2] [3] [4]
In January 1957 Nonweiler, and six other enthusiasts (including Beverley Shenstone) met at the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield and formed the Man-Powered Aircraft Committee (later to become the Man-Powered Aircraft Group of the RAeS) with the purposes of reviewing relevant literature, assessing its prospects, and promoting its realisation. [5]
He also developed a family of airfoils, [6] the best-known of which is the GU25-5(11)8 which was the subject of a wind tunnel test by F.H. Kelling in 1968. [7] This airfoil was used as the canard wing section on the Quickie aircraft.
Nonweiler was born on 8 February 1925 in London. He married Patricia Hilda Frances (née Neame) in 1949 and they had four sons and one daughter. [8] He died at his home in Raumati Beach on 17 December 1999 at the age of 74. [3]
Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identifies the aspects of "aeronautical Art, Science and Engineering" and "The profession of Aeronautics ."
A fluid flowing around an object exerts a force on it. Lift is the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction. It contrasts with the drag force, which is the component of the force parallel to the flow direction. Lift conventionally acts in an upward direction in order to counter the force of gravity, but it can act in any direction at right angles to the flow.
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expressed as its lift-to-drag ratio. The lift a wing generates at a given speed and angle of attack can be one to two orders of magnitude greater than the total drag on the wing. A high lift-to-drag ratio requires a significantly smaller thrust to propel the wings through the air at sufficient lift.
A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using wings that generate lift caused by the aircraft's forward airspeed and the shape of the wings. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft, and ornithopters. The wings of a fixed-wing aircraft are not necessarily rigid; kites, hang gliders, variable-sweep wing aircraft and airplanes that use wing morphing are all examples of fixed-wing aircraft.
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