northcave 0 #1 June 30, 2007 Can anyone give me a quick low-down on wing loading,,,, in a practical sense? What is it, how do u work it out and what does it mean literally? I.e what gives a canopy more forward speed? Do some have the ability to stay up and have more forward speed than other or do you simply sacrifice one for the other? Does it have an impact on how easy a canopy is to stall etc. Prizes for the most concise and practical explainations Cheers Tim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baseknut 0 #2 June 30, 2007 http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=wing%20loading&sb=score&mh=25 clickStep into my (sub)terminal Playground Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #3 June 30, 2007 Wingloading is the exit weight (*NOT* bodyweight) of the skydiver divided by the square footage of the canopy. It is *one* variable of canopy performance.Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yurbai 0 #4 July 1, 2007 QuoteWingloading is the exit weight (*NOT* bodyweight) of the skydiver divided by the square footage of the canopy. It is *one* variable of canopy performance. yea, but do you include the weight of the canopy itself? can canopy load itself or 5-7 pounds of material is something we can niglect? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baseknut 0 #5 July 1, 2007 no exit weight includes: you all clothing and shoes and all your gear (container, main, reserve) hope this helps. because it should Step into my (sub)terminal Playground Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 1 #6 July 1, 2007 Technically: exit weight in pounds divided by size of the canopy in square feet. All other things being equal, increasing the wingloading will make the canopy fly the same path faster and stall at a higher speed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,113 #7 July 1, 2007 QuoteQuoteWingloading is the exit weight (*NOT* bodyweight) of the skydiver divided by the square footage of the canopy. It is *one* variable of canopy performance. yea, but do you include the weight of the canopy itself? can canopy load itself or 5-7 pounds of material is something we can niglect? The canopy has to support its own weight in addition to the jumper and all the jumper's other stuff.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
northcave 0 #8 July 2, 2007 what about all the other characteristics of a canopy. How do you work these out or know? I.e. lift, forward speed etc? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,113 #9 July 2, 2007 Quotewhat about all the other characteristics of a canopy. How do you work these out or know? I.e. lift, forward speed etc? In undisturbed straight flight the canopy flies at a speed v that generates lift equal to the weight it has to support. So wingloading = (load/area) is the same as (lift/area). Lift = A*rho*Cd*v^2 where A = area, Cd = lift coefficient (which depends on the airfoil design and aspect ratio of the canopy) and rho = air density. If Cd can be increased by good design, then A can be reduced for the same lift at the same speed. Reducing A while keeping Cd constant requires more speed v to produce the same lift. Changing trim can also affect Cd, most canopies are trimmed to fly hands-off at less than their maximum Cd. You can change trim (and hence speed) in flight by using the risers. When the canopy is stalled, Cd abruptly decreases.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
