ARC is an internal research and development project addressing the control of the upper and lower surface deformation of a ram-air textile wing when exposed to high loads resulting from extreme flight manoeuvres.



Traditional cross bracing techniques achieve upper surface control by generating span wise tension, but the side effects on aerodynamic surface deformation, variations on local angle of attack and uneven chord wise rib loading make them unfriendly to fly and introduce an inherently unpredictable deployment sequence that requires additional input to correct.

ARC is designed around the concept of carrying the flight loads through an internal membrane acting as an internal skeleton and allowing the outer surfaces to be shaped specifically to fit their aerodynamic requirements and therefore be more lift/drag efficient.

This innovative system has been tested successfully in extreme performance skydiving canopies allowing reducing wing surface area and increasing allowable wing loading substantially.