Drag of Spheroid-Cone Shaped Airship

Drag coefficients of streamlined bodies and complete airships are compared to confirm some general trends. Data obtained from flight testing an electrically powered, helium-filled, dirigible balloon with a spheroid-cone hull form are analyzed. Wind-tunnel tests indicate that placing a cone behind a sphere reduces its drag coefficient by about 50%, but flight-test data suggest the drag coefficient of the spheroid-cone airship is relatively high. The influence of atmospheric turbulence and nonsteady flow effects are discussed.

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