The Spinning of Aeroplanes

Abstract

We should like to preface our essay on the subject of spinning by mentioning the circumstances under which our investigations were carried out and the sources of our information. The Panel of the Aeronautical Research Committee which has been appointed to deal with all questions connected with the stability and control of aeroplanes was requested in 1924 to consider the urgent problems connected with the alarming accidents due to certain machines failing to retover from a spin. After the issue of a preliminary report on the situation by the Panel, the writers of this paper were asked to go into the whole question as far as existing information from full-scale and wind tunnel experiments would permit. We have had ready access to all available data, coming chiefly from Farnborough on the full-scale side, and from the N.P.L. on the model side.