Inventor Says Wind Tunnel Test Shows Double The Lifting Ability Of Airfoil Wing Designs

We have to approach this with a journalists skepticism, but then the Wright brothers were just a couple of bicycle mechanics in Dayton, Ohio, right?

In a wind tunnel set of experiments searching for a way to provide more lift to a new fire fighting aircraft, inventor Michael C. Longo says he has discovered a new way to create more lift in a typical airfoil design.

"I ran my thought experiment, then built my system for wind tunnel testing and it works far better than I expected," said Mr. Longo. "I was hoping for a 30% improvement in lift but got over 100% improvement. Even more than 100% improvement in lift is achievable," he says, "It all depends of what you want."

Longo claims there are five main benefits to using this new system on current and new aircraft. It increases lift, it decreases drag, it increases speed, it increases fuel economy, and increases the structural integrity in the wing where it is installed. The wind tunnel experiments use a 2-foot by 2-foot fan for the wind tunnel, blowing air at 15 mph, a 16 inch wing span scale wing using the PBY-5a airfoil lifts 40 grams at a 3 degrees angle of attack. Then when the new lifting system was turned on the test wing lifts 90 grams, doubling its lifting ability. Other tests were run to insure the base number and lift numbers remain the same under other conditions and all results say the same thing, a doubling of lift is working with this new invention.

"In the course of designing a new fire-fighting airplane I knew I needed more lift to carry heavy loads of water, so just like Howard Hughes was forced to invent a new use of hydraulics to control the heavy control surfaces on the Spruce Goose, I was forced to figure out a way to increase lift in a conventional airfoil. I say forced due to the requirements I gave myself to design a shortened wingspan plane that can get in and out of small rivers and lakes for its amphibious water pickups, while carrying 18 tons of water," Longo explains.

The inventor says this new lifting system can be fitted to most any airplane for said enhanced flight characteristics. he has fitted it to a radio controlled scale model (pictured above) of his new fire-fighting airplane design. 

Longo says the new wing lifting system could be designed into new airplane designs, or retrofitted on existing aircraft.

FMI: http://www.tryengineering.org/lessons/windtunnels.pdf