ORIGINAL: buzzard bait
Just to be clear, I ALWAYS round the leading edges of my wings. Wings are beautiful structures and not doing that would feel offensive to me. But the one time I flew a plane without a rounded LE, and then fixed it, I was surprised I couldn't tell the difference when it flew. I'm not saying it would necessarily be true of all types, or under all conditions...I'm reporting what I observed in this one instance. If it meant stripping off the covering and re-covering, on a trainer type, I wouldn't bother. But re-reading the original post, I see that it was not covered at that point, so yes, I agree, round the LE.
Jim
Hello Jim and all readers,
Quoting from the first post ___
<span style="color: #339966">Its flat on the bottom then 90 degrees up the front then about a 30 degree slant across the top.
</span>Unquote.
This shape is not far off from being close to a fully sanded and rounded cross section of a leading edge.
Perhaps few modelers realize that the air separation at the leading edge of a wing takes place NOT at the very leading edge but some distance ahead. Even a nicely sanded and rounded leading edge has a fair part of its curvature just about 90 degrees with the flight trajectory.
Looking at the airfoil countour at the leading edge the forward point of the chord is where the leading edge present a surface that is 90 degrees with the trajectory and that is pretty well true above and below that point for up to 45 degrees above and below that chord point.
It is a gradual change until the flight trajectory line become tangent to the top camber of the airfoil.
So it is not surprising that any effect of a leading edge as described in the first post of this thread is not really noticeable on its flight characteristics.
Anyone claiming a big difference or even any noticeable difference can keep on dreaming or spend a bit more time studying aerodynamics.
One aspect of this hobby is to build beautiful models with full details as a show piece and not fly them.
I build model to fly and fly them. If I crash, and I do at times, there is usually little damage and they get fixed and fly again.
Build it, glue it properly, cover it with tear resistant finish, go fly and enjoy.
Zor.