/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1377407
>would affecting the shape of airfoil be a layers of tape?
Pretty insignificant i'd say.

>Also how much of an effect would it have if the elevator/rudder had rough surfaces?
Wouldn't change much as said before, perhaps it causes a bit more drag but nothing too serious.

>I doubt a golf ball with dimples can be compared to random wrinkles in the craft
It's a good illustration that shows how a turbulent boundary layer is less prone to separation. This is also relevant for airfoils at low Re, where laminar separation bubbles can affect the performance.
For higher Reynolds numbers this isn't an issue and it's better to keep the boundary layer laminar over a longer section, because a turbulent boundary layer has higher skin friction.
But since this is an RC thread the dimensions and speeds tend to be low, so roughness is actually something you'd want.