Golf balls spins and vibrates while travelling through the air - look at high speed photography. When hitting the ball, it changes shape drastically, and while it return to a sphere, it is still vibrating, getting rid of the excess energy, thus the dimpled surface is not the same as in a static condition in a wind tunnel.

Whilst dimpled wings may work in a wind tunnel, practically it would be difficult to keep a plane clean for optimum performance (air pollution), micro debris deposits i.e. soot, exhaust gas, bugs etc. I don't see a pilot wiping the whole plane clean top and bottom after each flight - becoming "wing wipers" ......[sm=red_smile.gif]

Dimpled wings will push the production cost up a lot - extra manufacturing cost (press dimples in duraluminum sheets, then NDT it for stresses, overlapping sheeting on frame, rivetting sheeting etc.. Investor's money rules everything......

On the other hand, F1 racing car designers have looked at it and discarded it in their 300 km/hr plus carbon fibre cars - closest they come was tossing out the wind screen and making that little lip deflector in front of the driver and directing the exhaust gas directly onto the lower back wing - but that was to create extra downforce, esp at lower speeds. Probably the same for air racing - I've not seen any "gatorback" planes in world cup racing - maybe it is a matter of speed range too....

Some jet fighters had "pores" in the wing through which hot exhaust air is forced but it is limited for various reasons.

Darn, THAT WAS what Tiger Woods trying to do to his Cadillac........trying to put dimples on it...? [sm=spinnyeyes.gif]