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Posted

If the dimples on a golf ball make the ball fly faster for longer, would severe hail damage on a Warrior have the same affect, making it fly faster for longer?

 

Earl Pike

 

 

Posted

Does it make it fly faster, or just helps with it tracking true? (other than getting blown around in the wind currents)

 

 

Posted

I got involved in the aerodynamics of this at one stage:http://www.navy.gov.au/Nulka

 

Dimpled skin gave some useful reduction in drag with higher speed and greater range. Higher cost to produce though.

 

Go through this stuff from NASA - I'm sure all will be explained here somewhere

 

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/index.html

 

eg stuff like this http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/dragsphere.html

 

 

Posted

I saw a myth busters episode where they did it on a car, the increased fuel economy was the gauge... I wasn't really fussed on the way they measured that, but it did show a significant improvement... a reasonable proof of concept experiment I thought.

 

 

Posted

I have heard of some one years ago whose plane copped a dose of hail dimples, quite possibly a Mooney. Anyway, they thought it flew better after the damage and didn't want to get it repaired.

 

 

Posted

One of our site members got severe hail damage to his Sportstar a few years ago (about 5years). Matt, the owner of "Dimples" sold the aircraft to Gregg at Port Macquarie (also a site member) and to this day I believe the aircraft is still called "Dimples"

 

 

Posted

Air gets caught in the little dimples, so you have air flowing smoothly over little pockets of air, instead of air flowing over fabric/paint/aluminium which creates more drag.

 

I have wondered before why someone hasn't done it for aircraft. I suppose cost is an issue, although surely it would be relatively simple to produce pressed dimpled aluminium sheeting?

 

 

Posted

Vg's do the same thing, especially at increased angle of attack. It's to assist boundary layer "maintainance"?. The earlier the flow separates, the larger the turbulent area at the rear of the object, which represents lost energy. An already streamlined shape may not produce the same level of improvement Nev

 

 

Posted
An already streamlined shape may not produce the same level of improvement Nev

Will not. In fact drag will increase either by earlier transition from laminar to turbulent boundary layer or ........ a big subject if we get into what may be done to reduce friction within the boundary layer...and other stuff like http://www.angelfire.com/ks2/janowski/other_aircraft/AG14/Marvelette.html

... but of course, that is not the purpose of dimples on a golf ball.

 

 

Posted

It won't fly faster, but it will fly longer, to get to the same destination.

 

The reason dimples are not used on a plane is that they are good on a ball which may not always be aligned the same way. If the ball was a good streamlined shape it would be better than dimpled, but the sharp bit at the back would get a hell of a hiding from the club.

 

 

Posted
One of our site members got severe hail damage to his Sportstar a few years ago (about 5years). Matt, the owner of "Dimples" sold the aircraft to Gregg at Port Macquarie (also a site member) and to this day I believe the aircraft is still called "Dimples"

Hi. Yes Dimples lives in Kempsey and is used for Flight Training by the owner for Mid Coast Flying. Dimples still has the hail damage and because of the colour it is not easily noticed, the plane flies exceptionally well and has a good cruise speed and respectable fuel burn. Everybody who flies it is impressed and it is treated with love and care being waxed and cleaned regular and kept in perfect condition the small hail dents never put me off. According to Peter the Sportstar agent the Evektor engineers have had a look at it when it was at Avalon years ago and commented it was fine and flew better. This Aircraft also is the first production Sportstar in the world and has just on 1020 hours and has nil faults. It has been a pleasure to own Dimples and pleasure to fly, I would find it hard to part with even though I have another aircraft. Dimples is a good example of a hail damaged aircraft with no structual faults and flies very well if not better.

 

 

  • Like 1
Posted
the effect is not dependent on rotation. It will curve if it rotates nev

My plane only rotates at a high rate when I fly it, straight and level is not my forte'.

 

Earl Pike

 

 

Posted

"the effect is not dependent on rotation. It will curve if it rotates nev"

 

Not true Nev. If it curves it is not rotating about the vertical axis and has been propelled with a blow offset to the trajectory line.

 

 

Posted

I'm only one person of many here. Don't quit the forum because of a few words I have said. I am interested in the facts . You have made a statement refuting something I said. That's fine and your right, but you have the obligation to provide more facts, as I don't accept your statement as it stands., which is my right .Isn't this the way things are discussed?.. Nev

 

 

Posted

Well P4D, we can look at the facts - refer my link to the NASA website in an earlier post - and then consider that

 

a blow offset to the trajectory line

would seem to me to impart a spin around the vertical axis. Spin about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the flight path can create lift which increases the range. Any reason to spin it about the other horizontal axis? Perhaps, but I'm not a golfer.I should add a disclaimer - been years since I've looked at the info at that NASA link and many many years since I've studied the aerodynamics of golf balls so my aging memory may let me down.

 

 

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