Colin and Bev wrote: "I would also add that Vne is normally expressed as the speed at which when the airspeed is increased beyond that speed , that the airfoil has the capability to produce loads that exceed the aircraft's ability to with stand "
While this once was true for early aircraft designs, anything designed since the 1920's should not suffer this problem. Simply put, a wing should never designed where the available lift surpasses the spar's ability to hold it. What of the case of wings folding in a spiral dive you ask? In the case of the spiral dive, it is the excessive G forces that lead to structural failure rather that the excessive speed. What would more likely happen in the case where the aircraft has exceeded it s design speed but is still apparently maintaining control effectiveness is a condition known as "mach tuck" where the Cl has moved too far back from the CG and the resultant pitching moment has overridden the horizontals' (not the elevators') ability to maintain pitch control, so the aircraft pitches downward sharply, and the resultant sudden shift in attitude can lead to dramatic structural failure. Cheers. Peter Bancks stranged...@dodo.com.au http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com http://canardaviationforum.dmt.net
