Anatomy of The Boomerang

Dingle Arm(translation is roughly “deep valley”)- This arm always has the flatter bevel cut (30 degrees on top and referred to as the trailing edge) Dingle means a deep valley.

Lifting Arm- This is the opposite arm to the Dingle has the steeper bevel cut (45 degrees on top and referred to as the leader edge)

Elbow- The point at which both arms meet in the center.

Airfoil- The way in which wind is distributed over the leader edge of each arm that passes over the trailing edge in flight. Thus creating an “airfoil”

• The natural spin of the boomerang twists at right angles, which results in the boomerang’s curving flight pattern(think of an airplane turning in the air).

Gyroscopic Procession- The combination of spin(kinetic energy which is velocity of rotation combined with inertia) and forward motion resulting in low or high inertia, create the uneven lift over the wings(airfoil) as the air flowing over one wing is faster (beveled side) than the other (flat bottom side)Because the center of lift is forward of the center of gravity, another “tipping” force is created allowing the boomerang to lie down during the end of its flight. The fusion of these aerodynamic forces is called “gyroscopic precession.

Lay Over- This is the way in which the Boomerang is tilted when thrown nearly vertically (anywhere from 90 degrees to 60 degrees…or think between 12 and 2 o’ clock) in order to achieve a specific flight, based on the direction and speed of the wind as well as the type of boomerang being thrown.

Dihedral Lift- When the wing tips of the boomerang are given a bend either upward slightly or downward slightly, resulting in either a shorter and higher flight (upward bend) or more elliptical and closer to the ground with further distance (downward bend) flight. * Look up Tips and Tuning for more information.