Miles M.39B Libellula experimental bomber - photos

[Altair]

Miles M.39B Libellula tandem wing experimental aircraft developed by the British during WWII.






Previously:

Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender fighter aircraft - photos
Short SA.4 Sperrin experimental bomber - photo and video
North American XB-70 Valkyrie strategic bomber - photos
Lockheed Have Blue stealth bomber demonstrator - GIF
McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger II naval stealth bomber - photo

[Toolmaker51]

WWII era, ~80 years ago. Canard? Thought those were far more recent.

[schuylergrace]

WWII era, ~80 years ago. Canard? Thought those were far more recent.

This was a canard, too...

[Toolmaker51]

Nah, Orville boarded backward.........jk.

Recall this being a history topic. Including the graphic overlaying 1st flight at less distance than wingspan of commercial jet.

[mklotz]

Canards were long regarded as inherently destabilizing. It wasn't until the advent of onboard computer control that their advantages could be used safely. The following extract from the Wikipedia article enforces that...

Static canard designs can have complex interactions in airflow between the canard and the main wing, leading to issues with stability and behaviour in the stall. This limits their applicability. The development of fly-by-wire and artificial stability towards the end of the century opened the way for computerized controls to begin turning these complex effects from stability concerns into maneuverability advantages.

[schuylergrace]

Most of the early canards weren't static, though. They were effectively full motion tailplanes moved to the front of the aircraft. By having a canard that can drastically change its angle of attack in relation to the main wing(s), a lot of the interaction between the two wings can be cancelled out. The fixed canards we see today generally cannot do that; although, I believe I've seen one where the entire canard could be trimmed up or down to compensate.

[mklotz]

My understanding is that movable canards are fine for relatively low airspeeds; they worked fine on the various early versions of the Wright flyers. At jet aircraft speeds, however, the pilot can not react quickly enough and so some sort of automated operation is required.

[Toolmaker51]

While no aeronautic designer, reading the airflow characteristics of canards, easily visualized how the effect multiplies at speed, versus reaction time.
Somewhat like riding a 2-wheeler with forks reversed, hairy to say the least.