—Since flow separation occurs readily from a highly swept leading edge, but gives rise in general to a steady flow, it is proposed that the rational approach to the aerodynamic design of slender wings is to attempt to control, rather than to suppress, these separations. This leads to the suggestion that the leading edges should be sharp, and that the wing should be shaped so as to make them attachment lines at one attitude (the design attitude) at which classical wing theory can be applied. It is argued, further, that if the leading edge separations are to develop regularly with change of attitude of the wing, separation must occur only from the trailing edge at the design attitude; and the velocity field favourable to boundary layer development without separation forward of the trailing edge is discussed. Subject to the restrictions thus imposed on the design, low drag is sought at the design attitude. This leads to the consideration of a particular class of doubly curved mean surfaces satisfying the leading edge condition, onto which thickness distributions are superposed so as to provide favourable velocity fields together with low drag. A number of examples are considered, using slender thin wing theory for flexibility, to illustrate the manner in which plan form and thickness distributions affect the pressure distribution, and to indicate the relatively high lift/drag ratios which seem feasible. Some consideration is given to the limitations of the theory used and to the further developments which seem desirable.

Of the million acres occupied for farming in New Zealand approximately million acres or 66 per cent are too steep to be cultivated by implements. The productive capacity of much of this country can be improved by oversowing with clovers and grass seed, and the application of superphosphate, but there was little opportunity to do this on an extensive scale other than spreading laboriously by hand until aircraft were used for the purpose.

It has been found that there is a critical height for “sandpaper” type roughness below which no measurable disturbances are introduced into a laminar boundary layer and above which transition is initiated at the roughness. Braslow and Knox have proposed a method of predicting this height, for flow over a flat plate or a cone, using exact solutions of the laminar boundary layer equations combined with a correlation of experimental results in terms of a Reynolds number based on roughness height, k, and local conditions at the top of the elements. A simpler, yet more general, method can be constructed by taking additional advantage of the linearity of the velocity profile near the wall in a laminar boundary layer.

Although a great deal has been said and written in the past eight years or so about engine noise, previous discussion has been very largely concerned with the physical aspects of jet noise and with the possibility of suppressing it by means of special propelling nozzles and ground mufflers. There is however another, and in general a better, way of dealing with jet noise, namely by using engines of low specific thrust, i.e. of low exhaust velocity and one purpose of the paper is to examine the possibilities of such engines. This leads to a consideration of blade noise from fans and turbines for as jet noise is reduced this tends to become the dominant factor. But first of all it is necessary to re-examine the nature of the noise problem.