Report presenting drag measurements made on a 10-percent-thick wing and 8-percent-thick tail and a 8-percent-thick wing, 6-percent-thick tail version of the X-1 airplane at a variety of Mach numbers. The drag of the thicker wing was found to be much higher than that of the thinner wing. The fuselage was found to cause interference with the wing of both models, making the separation of wing and fuselage drag difficult to determine.

"Flight tests to determine propeller performance have been made of a Curtiss No. 838-102-18 three-blade propeller having trailing-edge extensions on a Republic P-47D-28 airplane in climb and high speed. These tests are a part of a general propeller flight-test program at the Langley Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Results of climb tests indicate that when power is changed from approximately 1475 horsepower at 2550 rpm (roughly normal power) to 2400 horsepower at 2700 rpm (approximately military power) there is a loss in propeller efficiency of 3 percent at an altitude of 7000 feet, and 4 percent at 21,000 feet" (p. 1).

Report presenting a general analysis that allows the rolling motions of an aircraft using a displacement-response, flicker-type automatic pilot to be determined. The system is not ideal for many stabilization problems due to inherent residual oscillations, but it offers a simple and economical solution in situations in which steady state oscillations are not a problem. Results regarding some general remarks, transient and steady states, stabilization boundaries, amplitude equations, and period equations are provided.

Report discussing testing of a model of the pilotless aircraft RM-1 to measure aileron hinge moments in flight in order to determine the reason for loss of roll stabilization at supercritical speeds in flight. The aileron was found to become quickly underbalanced over the full deflection range at supercritical speeds. Information about the general flight behavior, aileron hinge moments, and roll stabilization of the model is provided.

"A flight investigation of a 1/7-scale rocket-powered model of the XF10F Grumman XF10F airplane in the swept-wing configuration has been made. The purpose of this test was to determine the static longitudinal stability, damping in pitch, and longitudinal control effectiveness of the airplane with the center of gravity at 20 percent of the wing mean aerodynamic chord. Only a small amount of data was obtained from the test because, immediately after booster separation at a Mach number of 0.88, the configuration was directionally unstable and diverged in sideslip" (p. 1).

Report presenting a flight test of a supersonic research pilotless aircraft in which large-amplitude aileron oscillations, most likely aileron compressibility flutter, were encountered in the transonic and supersonic speed ranges. Results regarding power-on flight and coasting flight are provided.

"A flight test was made to determine the servoplane effectiveness and stability characteristics of the free-floating horizontal stabilizer to be used on the XF10F airplane. The results of this test indicate that servoplane effectiveness is practically constant through the speed range up to a Mach number of 1.15, and the stabilizer static stability is satisfactory. A loss of damping occurs over a narrow Mach number range near M = 1.0, resulting in dynamic instability of the stabilizer in this narrow range" (p. 1).

"The rocket-propelled-model technique has been applied to the investigation of low-lift buffeting. Results of preliminary tests show that severe buffeting, wing dropping, and normal-force changes occur almost simultaneously near zero lift over a Mach number range near 0.9 on unswept wings 12 percent thick. On unswept wings 7 percent thick, buffeting did not occur; however, mild wing dropping and normal-force changes were experienced" (p. 1).

Report presenting pressure distributions over a prolate spheroid of fineness ratio 6 and over a combination of this body with an NACA 65-010 wing section for a range of Mach numbers. Results regarding wall and sting interference, nature of flow over a model in the transonic region, development of supersonic flow from subsonic flow, and a comparison of experimental and theoretical flow at subsonic stream Mach numbers are provided.

Report presenting an analysis of the effects of compressibility on the pressure coefficients of several bodies of revolution by comparing experimentally determined pressure coefficients with corresponding pressure coefficients calculated by the use of linearized equations of compressible flow. The results indicated that the theoretical methods predict the subsonic pressure-coefficient changes over the central portion of the body but do not predict the pressure-coefficient changes near the nose.

Report presenting some equations that give the interference on the trailing-vortex system of a uniformly loaded finite-span wing in a circular tunnel containing partly open and partly closed walls, with special reference to symmetrical arrangements of the open and closed portions. Methods are given for extending the equations to include tunnel shapes other than circular.

Report presenting drag coefficients during power-off transonic flight for the Bell X-1 airplane with a 10-percent-thick wing over a range of Mach numbers and pressure altitudes. The data was compared to an X-1 with an 8-percent-thick wing and a wind tunnel test with a 10-percent-thick wing. Information about necessary angle of attack, drag-rise Mach number, maximum lift-drag ratio, and drag coefficient at zero lift is provided.

From Introduction: "The general objective of this report is a study of the characteristics of the described form of peak holding control. The control has not yet been used in experimental turbojet-engine study.This study is concerned with only one method of extracting the maximum amount of information from a peak output for the purpose of maintaining that peak. The criteria sought in this control process are: maintenance of peak average output, minimum duration of time in undesirable operation, quickness in response to command to reach peak condition, least amount of excursion in the undesirable region, and type of stability."

Memorandum presenting an investigation of the effects of compressibility on the forces, pitching moments, and surface pressures on a wing-nacelle combination. The leading edge of the wing was swept back 37.25 degrees and the nacelle was a body of revolution with a fineness ratio of 6.5. The effects of compressibility on the surface pressures and on the drag of a body of revolution similar to the nacelle were also determined.

Report presenting an investigation of the closed wind-tunnel phenomenon of choking and the wall-constriction effects in the subsonic Mach number range where supersonic Mach numbers appear using the hydraulic analogy. Application of the results to wind tunnel testing, the subsonic choking phenomena, and effects of the walls are described.

"An investigation has been made at high subsonic speeds of the aerodynamic characteristics in pitch and sideslip of a 1/l4-scale model of the Grumman XF10F airplane with a wing sweepback angle of 42.5. The longitudinal stability characteristics (with the horizontal tail fixed) indicate a pitch-up near the stall; however, this was somewhat alleviated by the addition of fins to the side of the fuselage below the horizontal tail. The original model configuration became directionally unstable for small sideslip angles at Mach numbers above 0.8; however, the instability was eliminated by several different modifications" (p. 1).

"An investigation was made in the Cleveland Altitude wind tunnel to determine the performance of an Aeroproducts H20C-162-X11M2 four-blade propeller on a YP-47M airplane at high blade loadings and high engine powers. The propeller characteristics were obtained for a range of power coefficients from 0.30 to 1.00 at free-stream Mach numbers of 0.40 and 0.50. The results of the force measurements are indicative only of trends in propeller efficiency with changes in power coefficient and advance-diameter ratio because unknown interference effects existed during the investigation" (p. 1).

Report presenting an investigation to obtain the pressure distribution over a sharp-nose body of revolution with a circular-arc profile and fineness ratio 6 at transonic speeds using the NACA wing-flow method. Results regarding the variation of pressure coefficient with Mach number, pressure distributions along the body axis, pressure drag, and effects of interference and horizontal gradient are provided.

Report presenting the design of a two-stage, solid-fuel, rocket-propelled, general research pilotless aircraft suitable for investigating stability and control at supersonic velocities. The flight test investigation is described and information is provided for zero-length launchers and operational flight-test techniques of two-stage rockets. Results regarding launching characteristics and lateral stabilization and control flight tests are provided.

Memorandum presenting a method for calculating the stick-fixed longitudinal stability of a wing-fuselage configuration at subcritical Mach numbers. The method applies to unswept- and swept-wing configurations. The stability parameters estimated by the method show reasonable agreement with the experimental values for the 23 configurations used in the comparison.

Memorandum presenting an approximate subsonic theory developed for the solid blockage interference in circular wind tunnels with walls slotted in the direction of flow. The theory indicated the possibility of obtaining zero blockage interference. Tests in a circular slotted tunnel based on the theory confirmed the theoretical predictions.

Memorandum presenting an investigation made of the effects of store mounting on the buffet, trim, and drag characteristics of fuselage-mounted external stores between Mach numbers of 0.7 and 1.4 by the use of the rocket-propelled-model technique. Results of the tests are presented in the incremental accelerations in the stores due to buffeting, trim normal- and side-force coefficients, tail helix angles, and drag coefficients plotted against Mach number.

Report presenting the results of a limited research program initiated to study the effects of a hot propulsive jet on the longitudinal stability characteristics of a fighter-type airplane configuration. The data was obtained from a rocket-boosted free-flight model investigation over a range of Mach numbers using four models that differed only in the position and size of the horizontal tail. Results regarding the time histories, trim, normal force, pitching moment, aerodynamic-center location, dynamic stability, trim drag, and pressure data are provided.

Memorandum listing NACA reports related to a variety of research topics, including instruments, research equipment, and research techniques.