Hi Konrad, the Redshift uses a new wing design which concentrates on trying to manage the airflow. This means that I wanted to know pretty much whats happening with any of it when its traveling at competition speeds.
A few things came out of the study.
1. There is no substitute for aspect ratio if you want a fast sailplane.
2. The planform makes a lot more difference than people might think.
3. You don't want moving control surfaces close to the wing tips. YES the further out they go, the more effective they become. But the wingtips are where most of our trouble starts on sailplanes, and the more you disturb them, the greater the chance of that trouble occurring. I wanted to keep them clean.
4. I want the vortices concentrated where I know where they are, and where they can hopefully be controlled by the wing shape and the tip profiles. What I don't want is a ragged shedding of the boundary layer here, there, and everywhere - even if it is quieter.
If the planform works - with the wing getting to high speeds, then the vortices will be there at high pressure and they will be noisy.
The Redshift has a strange kind of noise ONLY at high speed and I call it a "Twistle"
The Redshift makes a very special noise - its quite unlike anything you have heard.
Come along for the flying and bring your ears!
Cheers,
Doc.