Flight Tests of a Leading-edge Area Suction on a Fighter-type Airplane with a 35 Degree Sweptback Wing

Tests have been made to determine the flight characteristics of an F-86F airplane equipped with a leading-edge area-suction boundary-layer-control system, and to investigate the possible operational limitations imposed on a fighter-type airplane by such an installation. The results of the flight tests are compared with those of full-scale wind-tunnel tests of a similar installation on a model incorporating F-86 wing panels. The basic porous-area distribution tested extended the full length of the wing leading edge. Suction power was provided by a modified turbosupercharger which was driven by air bled from the compressor of the airplane's jet engine.