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It has to do with air density. Heavy, cold air will generate more lift since it's "thicker" for lack of a better term. Hot air is less dense. This means it ta
by sirk1882 6y ago
It has to do with air density.
Heavy, cold air will generate more lift since it's "thicker" for lack of a better term.
Hot air is less dense. This means it takes more power to move more air.
It's easier to maybe think of the air that you breath as a "liquid" like material comprised of a mix of mostly nitrogen, some oxygen and a little carbon dioxide and other gases. That mix changes with temperature and elevation. Just like the deeper under the ocean that you go, you have more pressure, the lower to the ground you are the more atmospheric pressure you will feel. And the higher that you go, there's less pressure.
- tonyarkles 6y agoA different way to think about it is the Newtonian approach: your wing is accelerating air particles in a downward direction, and the equal-and-opposite reaction is what (partially) generates the lift on the aircraft. Lower density means there’s fewer particles to deflect downwards in a given volume of air. In a similar vein, a rotation of the propellor accelerates air particles rearward, which results in a forward thrust on the aircraft; fewer particles to accelerate means less thrust.