Vortex lift in highly swept conventional wings.

[ThePolishAviator]

Hello,

there is a lot of discussion regarding the inherent aerodynamic advantage of delta wing which is vortex lift, yet I have never encountered a discussion about vortex lift in more conventional wings that simply are highly swept (eg. English Electric Lightning). If the leading edges are very similar and the vortex does not travel very far inboard of the wing then in theory both highly swept deltas and conventional wings should enjoy the advantages of vortex lift.

Am I missing something here or is this indeed the case?

 

[FlyGuy369]

Hello,

there is a lot of discussion regarding the inherent aerodynamic advantage of delta wing which is vortex lift, yet I have never encountered a discussion about vortex lift in more conventional wings that simply are highly swept (eg. English Electric Lightning). If the leading edges are very similar and the vortex does not travel very far inboard of the wing then in theory both highly swept deltas and conventional wings should enjoy the advantages of vortex lift.

Am I missing something here or is this indeed the case?

Hey!

I think the easiest put answer here is that aircraft that use high swept wings (including lifting bodies) all benefit from vortex lift. A good example to add is it is often seen implemented in other ways, like an F/A-18's LERX. You may be valid in your assumption, provided that the chord notch inboard doesn't negate the effect.

 

[riggerrob]

Withold Kasper bragged about vortex lift on his gently swept BKB sailplane. He claimed very low rates of descent at steep angles of attack.
There is video on www.youtube.com of an ultralight Kasper Wing demonstrating the phenomenon.