Abstract
THE argument for relative efficiency of aeroplane v. auto-gyro as given in my article does not depend on the area of the wings used, and it would seem that Munk can only reach his conclusion by imposing on the aeroplane some disability not shared by the autogyro. The disability is made clear on p. 11 of the report referred to by Major Low, where we find "the aeroplane wing area is not chosen for the ordinary velocity of flight, but for the much smaller velocity used for taking off and landing, and in consequence is much greater than it would need be for ordinary flight alone". This paragraph means that at high speeds an aeroplane cannot use its wings at the best ratio of lift to drag, and this is a well-known phenomenon. The argument as to the advantages and disadvantages of the two types of craft becomes very technical if carried into this stage, and I cannot press my point further here than as one of opinion backed by the knowledge that experiments have not yet demonstrated the capabilities of the auto-gyro to overcome the disadvantage of the aeroplane to which attention has been drawn by Munk.
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BAIRSTOW, L. The Cierva Auto-gyro. Nature 116, 900 (1925). https://doi.org/10.1038/116900b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/116900b0
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