So what I say is, make the surface of
Infinite Span with no width or chord, as they call it. That's
all I require, I assure you, to make me quite perfect and of
infinite service to Miss Efficiency.''
``That's not practical politics,'' said the Surface. ``The
way you talk one would think you were drawing L400 a
year at Westminster, and working up a reputation as an
Aeronautical Expert. I must have some depth and chord
to take my Spars and Ribs, and again, I must have a certain
chord to make it possible for my Camber (that's curvature)
to be just right for the Angle of Incidence. If that's not
right the air won't get a nice uniform compression and
downward acceleration from my underside, and the rarefied
`suction' area over the top of me will not be as even and clean
in effect as it might be. That would spoil the Lift-Drift Ratio
more than you can help it. Just thrust that chalk along, will
you? and the Blackboard will show you what I mean.''
``Well,'' said the Aspect Ratio, ``have it your own way,
though I'm sorry to see a pretty young lady like Efficiency
compromised so early in the game.''
``Look here,'' exclaimed a number of Struts, ``we have
got a brilliant idea for improving the Aspect Ratio,'' and
with that they hopped up on to the Spars. ``Now,'' excitedly,
``place another Surface on top of us. Now do you
see? There is double the Surface, and that being so, the
proportion of Weight to Surface area is halved.
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