C-5M wings help AEDC team soar to win AIAA Special Award

Pictured here is AEDC Commander Col. Raymond Toth (far left) and Dr. Bill Baker (2nd from left) presenting the AIAA Special Award to the C-5M AEDC test team who include: (l-r) Calin Schuman, Marvin Sellers, Dr. Don Malloy, John Hopf, 1st Lt. Joshua Coughenour and Lt. Col Leland Davis. Test team members not present at the time of the photo are Capt. John Labouliere, David Yoder, Rolland Heim, Melissa Minter, Darhl Frazier, Sherry Simons, Scott Wieland, Brent Rodgers and Paul Jalbert. (Photo by Rick Goodfriend)

C-5M wings help AEDC team soar to win AIAA Special Award

Published June 3, 2013
By Raquel March
AEDC/PA

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- During the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Tennessee Section annual awards program on May 29, an Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) test team was recognized for their outstanding contributions to the C-5M Super Galaxy winglet upgrade test.

The award recognizes that the government and contractor technical professionals incorporated engineering, research and analysis concepts and procedures to successfully develop, assess and verify technical criterion.

The team performed an aerodynamic test on a C-5M scale model to validate the computational fluid dynamics predicted drag reduction effects of winglets. The winglets - a short, near-vertical projection on the aircraft's wing tip - were expected to improve the aircraft's aerodynamic efficiency and lower fuel consumption.

The team applied statistical analysis techniques to design an efficient test to quantify performance differences. They were also able to implement the Pressure Sensitive Paint testing technique for obtaining requested full model surface pressure data for the customer eliminating the need to install strain gages in the winglets.

The team was cited for results that proved the new winglets improved airflow around the wing tips, providing efficiency by reducing drag, saving fuel and allowing for longer flights.

The C-5 Galaxy, a heavy-logistic transport plane with an unrefueled range of more than 6,000 miles with 261,000 pounds of weight, played a significant role providing transportation for the military buildup in the Middle East prior to the start of the Persian Gulf War.

The plane, which is one of the largest in the world, played a significant role in supporting Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.