Flying wings and wind

[Lon Enloe]

Thanks to the many folks who have posted excellent material on flying wing design. Personally, I've never flown one, and I don't like the looks of them. I much prefer the "theatrical" experience of flying something that looks like an airplane.

One thing, though, has got me seriously considering building a wing--the fact that they come so highly recommended by their users for flying in wind. The thought of having something that would work well in the wind is very appealing.

Before I start such a project, though, I'd like to know if there really is any advantage to flying wings in the wind. Offhand, I can't see why this would necessarily be the case. The biggest problem I have in the wind is catching a gust underneath one wingtip and suddenly finding myself in an unwanted orientation. I don't see how not having a fuselage helps this. It also seems that higher wing loading helps wind penetration--doesn't taking away the weight of the fuse and tail go in the wrong direction? I suppose one could just add more battery mass.

Am I missing something fundamental, or do flyers of wings often just happen to have planes with parameters that are desirable for windy days?

[Sparky Paul]

The "wind under the wing" thing is merely a gust.. the change in airflow at some point on one wing relative to the airflow over the entire plane creates the upset.
Wings aren't any less susceptible to this than conventional planes.
What I see as a wing advantage is the larger airframe (wing area) relative to the conventional wing-tail thing. On ZAGI style planes this difference is amazing..
Performance is well above the conventional plane for speed and aerobatics, but the conventionals have it for endurance.. gliding flight..

[raptor22]

Well wings tend to be fast, maneuverable, and low drag. They also have a low sideways crossection which helps during cross-gusts.

They also tend to be very durable, so you don't have to worry about it too much. but that does not affact how they fly.

If you build a fast, responsive, decently heavy airplane than it can generally fly just as well int he wind as a wing. Flying wings jsut tend to fit the bill REALLY well because of the way they are generally designed.

--Alex