3 ms·
Isn't it because planes are continually falling (because gravity), and this leads to two things: 1) wings increase the surface area pushing down (gravity) on t
by graderjs 5y ago
Isn't it because planes are continually falling (because gravity), and this leads to two things:
1) wings increase the surface area pushing down (gravity) on the air below, which pushes back (air pressure), and
2) as wings are falling toward ground (gravity), they create vortices above the wing, which lowers the pressure, increasing the push up effect of the air below, and
at a certain speed, the vortices are stabilized into low pressure regions above the wings, and in a certain "envelope" region, of speed, plane shape, air pressure, all of these forces are equalized to give you level flight, so long as the dial you turn to get into the envelope region, "speed", keeps up.
That's how I understand it. Happy to hear a physicist / aerospace engineer guide me in how to think about this clearly.
- tomsto 5y agoThis is not how it works, no falling or positive angle of attack is required for an asymmetrical aerofoil. Imagine swinging a bucket of water over your head - the force your arm feels is similar to what the top surface of the wing feels.
- bbojan 5y agoIs that so? I thought that for asymmetric airfoil, zero angle of attack is by definition the angle where it creates no lift. So, tautologically, if it's creating lift a (positive) angle of attack is required.
- tomsto 5y agoFor a symmetric aerofoil, 0 angle of attack is 0 lift. For an asymmetric - there is (some) lift, which comes entirely from the suction side. https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=NACA+6409+airfoil&assumption=%7B%22F%22%2C+%22AirfoilAngleOfAttack%22%2C+%22a%22%7D+-%3E%220%22 https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=NACA+6409+airfoil&assu...
- robotresearcher 5y agoA defining characteristic of a plane is that it is not continuously falling. Falling can’t really be the explanation, since they don’t.