"A peculiar phenomena in seaplane landing is observed and reported. The seaplane having executed a normal fast landing at low incidence, a forward movement of the control stick effected an unusual condition in that the seaplane left the water suddenly in an abnormal attitude. The observations describing this phenomena are offered as a warning against possible accident and as a conjectural cause of seaplane landing accidents of a certain kind" (p. 1).

"The assumption is made that a skeleton or cutaway center section is desirable for forward vision and to determine the effect of such mutilation upon performance the following work was done. The airplane used was a Vought VE-7 and in addition to the cutaway center section a system of end plates or fins was installed. Various conditions and combinations were investigated in level flight and in climb" (p. 1).

In order to experimentally study the conditions leading to ice formation on aircraft surfaces, an aircraft was equipped with small auxiliary surfaces and aerodynamic shapes similar to struts, wires, Pitot heads, etc. This airplane was flown at an altitude where a temperature of 32 F was encountered, at such times as cloud formations could be found at the coincident altitude. Here it was discovered that ice formed rapidly in regard to quantity, character, shape, and rapidity of formation.

"The results of an investigation to determine the pressures in the open cockpit of a Vought VE-7 airplane are given. The information has been considered valuable on account of its possible effect upon the operation of instruments, particularly altimeters, due to a variation from the true static pressure which is induced by the passage of the airplane through the air. The observed values are small and the effect upon instruments is inconsiderable" (p. 1).

"This note contains the results of tests to determine the resistance of four sizes of streamline wire. The investigation was conducted in the six-inch wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The tests were made at various velocities and it was found that the resistance of streamline wires was considerably less than that of round wires of equivalent strength. Scale effect was also found since, with an increase of Reynolds Number, a decrease in the resistance coefficient was obtained" (p. 1).

A series of experiments made in the wind tunnel of the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics, New York University, on the effect of tip shields on a horizontal tail surface are described and discussed. It was found that some aerodynamic gain can be obtained by the use of tip shields though it is considered doubtful whether their use would be practical.

Tests were made to determine the effect of fillets between wings and fuselage on the drag and propulsive efficiency of a high-wing cabin monoplane. These tests were made in the 20-foot Propeller Research Tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.

These tables are intended to provide a standard method and to facilitate the calculation of the quantity of "Standard Helium" in high pressure containers. The research data and the formulas used in the preparation of the tables were furnished by the Research Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A special protractor was designed and built with a view towards supplying a simple, inexpensive, practical, portable instrument for making measurements to detect propeller warpage under practically all conditions, without the use of auxiliary equipment, and without having to remove the propeller from the airplane. A detailed description is given of the protractor. Techniques for measuring are described. Directions are given on how to use the protractor to set detachable blade-type propellers on an airplane.

An investigation was conducted to determine the injection lag, duration of injection, and spray start and cut-off characteristics of a fuel injection system operated on an engine and injecting fuel into the atmosphere. The results indicated that for the injection system investigated, the injection lag, in crank degrees, decreased with increase in engine speed for a constant quantity of fuel discharged, but was not affected at constant engine speed by varying the fuel quantity from approximately one-half to full load fuel quantity.

This report is concerned with the importance of the flat-top lift curve as a factor contributing to safety and control at low speed. An analysis of existing airfoil data indicated definite relations between the shape of the lift curve and certain section dimensions. The shape of the lift curve at maximum lift appears to be of sufficient importance to justify additional investigation with the view of developing a section with satisfactory efficiency and moment characteristics.

A brief description is given of different groups of high chromium steels (rustless iron and stainless steels) according to their composition and more generally accepted names. The welding procedure for a given group will be much the same regardless of the slight variations in chemical composition which may exist within a certain group. Information is given for the tensile properties (yield point and ultimate strength) of metal sheets and welds before and after annealing on coupons one and one-half inches wide.

Since aircraft design is tending toward all-metal construction, the strong heat-treatable light aluminum alloy, duralumin (a generic name for a class of heat-treatable alloys containing Cu, Mg, Mn, and Si), is finding increasing application. Doubt has been expressed concerning the reliability and permanence of these materials. Information is given on the effect of corrosion on the tensile properties of 14-gauge sheet duralumin, heat treated by quenching in hot water after being heated for 15 minutes in a fused nitrate bath at 500 to 510 C. Intercrystalline corrosion and practical aspects of intercrystalline embrittlement are discussed with respect to duralumin.

The permanence, with respect to corrosion, of light aluminum alloy sheets of the duralumin type, that is, heat-treatable alloys containing Cu, Mg, Mn, and Si is discussed. Alloys of this type are subject to surface corrosion and corrosion of the interior by intercrystalline paths. Results are given of accelerated corrosion tests, tensile tests, the effect on corrosion of various alloying elements and heat treatments, electrical resistance measurements, and X-ray examinations.

As a result of testing, it was determined that control of the rate of quenching and the avoidance of accelerated aging by heating are the only means of modifying duralumin itself so as to minimize the intercrystalline form of corrosive attack. It is so simple a means that it should be adopted even though it may not completely prevent, but only reduce, this form of corrosive attack. By so doing, the need for protection of the surface is less urgent.

Although the corrosion resistance of sheet duralumin can be greatly improved by suitable heat treatment, protection of the surface is still necessary if long life under varied service conditions is to be insured. The coatings used for this purpose may be grouped into three classes: the varnish type of coating, the oxide type produced by a chemical treatment of the surface, and metallic coatings, of which aluminum appears to be the most promising. Since the necessary weather exposure tests are not complete, some of the conclusions regarding the value of various surface coatings are necessarily tentative.

The tests described in this report constitute a preliminary investigation of airfoil boundary layer control, as carried out in the atmospheric wind tunnel of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, from February to August, 1927. Tests were made on a U.S.A. 27 airfoil section with various slot shapes and combinations, and at various amounts of pressure or suction on the slots. The lift of airfoils can be increased by removing or by accelerating the boundary layer. Removing the boundary layer by suction is more economical than to accelerate it by jet action. Gauze-covered suction slots apparently give the best results. When not in operation, all suction slots tested had a detrimental effect upon the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil which was not apparent with the backward-opening pressure slots. Thick, blunt-nose airfoils would seem to give best results with boundary layer control.

This paper is the second of a series of notes, each of which presents the complete results of pressure distribution tests made at Langley Field by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, on wing and tail ribs of the VE-7 and TS airplanes for a particular maneuver of flight. The results for pull-ups are presented in the form of curves which show the variation of pressure distribution, total loads, normal acceleration and center of pressure with respect to time.

Tests were conducted to investigate the possibility of a serious accident arising from unintentional contact with the water in substantially horizontal flight at high speed. Referring to vector diagrams on Figure 2, it will be seen that a very dangerous condition may arise if the float be allowed to come in contact with the water at high speeds as, for example, when flying at high speed just above the water. The initial diving moment due to suction and drag combined may be great enough to cause the seaplane to nose under before the pilot is able to control the motion.

"Biplane cellules using the N.A.C.A.-M6 airfoil section have been tested in the variable density wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Three cellules, differing only in the amount of stagger, were tested at two air densities, corresponding to pressures of one atmosphere and of twenty atmospheres. The range of angle of attack was from -2 degrees to +48 degrees. The effect of stagger on the lift and drag, and on the shielding effect of the upper wing by the lower at high angles of attack was determined" (p. 1).

The purpose of this report is to correlate, bring up to date, and put under a single cover all the information thought to be essential to an understanding of the formulas regarding bearing strength of wood under steel aircraft bolts and washers and other factors influencing fitting design.

This report records observations and recommendations resulting from an inspection trip to representative aircraft manufacturing establishments and repair stations. This inspection was made for the Navy Department and was specifically in reference to gluing practice at the various places visited. The period of the visits was between November 23, 1926 and February 16, 1927.

The tests described in this paper afford a direct comparison of the efficiency and smoothness of flow obtained with propeller fan and multiblade centrifugal fan drives in the same wind tunnel. The propeller fan was found to be superior to the centrifugal fan in that the efficiency was about twice as great, and the flow much smoother.

"This note describes a simple and inexpensive method for determining the deflection of propeller blades under operating loads. Both the centrifugal force and air force loads are applied statically as a number of concentrated loads by means of weights and wires. Two methods of attaching the wires to the propeller blades have been tested, both giving approximately the same deflections. The method is considered useful for studying the deflections of propellers of different shapes under various operating conditions" (p. 1).