KiraTheCat Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 In sailing, a telltail is a piece of string or yarn hung from the boom to give you an indication of where very light winds are coming from. Some sailboats also have these built into the sails to show you how the air is acting at different points on the sail, greatly facilitating proper trimming of the sails. The same is used in wind tunnels to test wing designs, showing how the air is behaving on the wing's surface. Old WWI aircraft had them as well. But modern aircraft? I would think that at any considerable speed, boundary layer air would negate the usefulness. Case in point, a commercial pilot acquaintance of mine once told of a fly on the nose of his light twin who stayed fixed there throughout the flight, only flying off when they slowed to taxi speed at their destination. It was boundary layer air that held him there. At 2:52, this is shown on the nose, just forward of the windscreen on the F-14. Movie BS, or reality? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68LWuahFmmw&feature=emb_rel_pause Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swordsman422 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 It's real and called a called a yaw string. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmy Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 You’ll find them on sailplanes as well. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] http://www.476vfightergroup.com/content.php High Quality Aviation Photography For Personal Enjoyment And Editorial Use. www.crosswindimages.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaogen Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=271808&highlight=string https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=268159&highlight=string Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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