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Old 08-11-2011 | 11:43 AM
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rhklenke
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Default RE: What is the function of crow?

Good questions.

In that same vein, I've always heard that reflexing the ailerons up acted like "washout" and kept the wing from stalling at a given angle of attack. Thus, does adding crow to the ailerons also reduce the tendency for an aircraft to tip stall? Not that the Kingcat or UB need that as they already have washout built into the wing for that purpose, but if you had a plane that liked to tip stall, would adding crow to the ailerons help avoid tip stalls on approach?

I've always believed that the term crow came from the glider community where they use it all the time to help in spot landings. They deflect all of the surfaces up and down almost 90 degrees so that they can point the nose way down and "lawn dart" onto the spot without skidding across the ground. I also always thought that they got it from the way that a crow can spot land on a dime by spreading its feathers out, creating lots of drag to stop.

Bob