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Pieter1963 (talk | contribs) →Design: clarification |
Pieter1963 (talk | contribs) →Design: clarification, the engine compressor design slows the air to its need, the intake design determines the pressure losses |
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[[File:RAE-Vickers rocket model.png|thumb|left|A M.52 model, around 1945–1954]]
The fuselage of the M.52 was cylindrical and, like the rest of the aircraft, was constructed of high tensile [[steel]] with light alloy covering.<ref name = "wood 30">Wood 1975, p. 30.</ref> The fuselage had a 5 foot diameter with an annular fuel tank around the engine.<ref name = "wood 30"/> The engine was positioned with its [[centre of gravity]] close to that of the airframe and the wings were attached to the main structure just aft of the engine.<ref name = "wood 30"/> The use of a [[Inlet cone|shock cone]] in the nose was another key design choice; the
The M.52 had very thin wings of [[Biconvex optimization|biconvex]] section, first proposed by [[Jakob Ackeret]], since they gave a low level of [[wave drag|drag]]. These wings were so thin that they were known as '[[Gillette (brand)|Gillette]]' wings, named after the brand of [[razor]].<ref name= "Discussion"/> The wing tips were "clipped" to keep them clear of the [[Cone (geometry)|conical]] [[shock wave]] which was generated by the nose of the aircraft. Both wide-[[Chord (aeronautics)|chord]] [[aileron]]s and split-[[Flap (aeronautics)|flap]]s were fitted to the wings.<ref name = "wood 30"/> As a high-speed wing of this shape and size had not been tested before, Miles produced a full-scale wooden model of the wing for aerodynamic testing purposes; other representative portions of the aircraft, such as the tailplane, would be similarly produced and underwent low-speed flight testing.<ref name = "wood 29 30">Wood 1975, pp. 29–30.</ref>
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