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Great description. But then I read the XKCD mentioned in another commend, and started wondering how plains fly upside down then? When inverted the "top" of the
by vvpan 15y ago
Great description. But then I read the XKCD mentioned in another commend, and started wondering how plains fly upside down then? When inverted the "top" of the wing would push the plane down, no?
- yardie 15y agoThats the camber and it depending on the type of wing and airspeed it can play a small role in inducing lift. What's more important is the angle of attack. The leading edge of the wing is grabbing air and pushing it down. Camber helps by creating a low pressure system over the top that sucks the plane up. And finally, the trailing edge helps because you have laminar air leaving the plane at a particular vector, the Koanda effect. All of these contribute to producing lift.
- Nick_C 15y agoPlanes that often fly upside down typically have low camber wings. Some of them have almost symmetrical wings. Those wings have less lift in upright flight than a more highly cambered wing would, so (and for other reasons too) the manufacturers compensate with bigger engines. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra_EA-300 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra_EA-300 and an engineer's question about wing design for aerobatic flight with some good answers: http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=183605 http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=183605