Aviation Fundamentals

Session 1
How Do Airplanes Fly?
 Forces Acting on an Airplane in Flight

LIFT

DRAG THRUST

WEIGHT
 What causes the forces acting on the
airplane?

• Weight – Gravity
• Thrust – Engines
• Lift – Wings and body shape
• Drag – Resistance from air
How does a wing produce lift?

Wing is moving through air in this direction

 Pressure Differential
Caused by air moving faster over top of wing

PTotal = PStatic + PDynamic

PDynamic TOP
PStatic TOP
PTotal

PStatic BOTTOM
PDynamic BOTTOM

PStatic TOP < PStatic BOTTOM PDynamic TOP > PDynamic BOTTOM
 Lift
Caused by net upward force

Pressure acting on a surface produces a force.

 Angle of Attack

Chord

Relative Wind
 Angle of Attack

Relative Wind
 Downwash
Force is required to change the direction of the air
 Lift
Resultant opposite force on wing

Lift Force

Downwash Force
 Lift Equation

Lift = ½ ρ V2 CL A

ρ density of air
V velocity of airflow
CL coefficient of lift
A area of object
 Stall
Angle of attack is so large that wing stops producing sufficient lift

A stall can be induced at

any airspeed, depending on the
effective weight of the airplane.
 Effective Weight
Banking requires added “g” force, increasing effective weight.

Lift to support
airplane effective weight

Lift to support airplane basic weight

 Washout

α
1

α
2

α >α
1 2

Wing root stalls before wingtip

Wing Dihedral
Adds stability in roll
Lift Differential
 Sideslip Effect

α 1
α 2

α >α
1 2

Therefore, additional lift is produced on the lower wing,

and the airplane tends to right itself.
 Changing Lift

Lift = ½ ρ V2 CL A
 Changing Lift

Lift = ½ ρ V2 CL A
 Changing Lift

Lift = ½ ρ V2 CL A

Wing Flap

Change α Change wing

profile
 Changing Lift

Lift = ½ ρ V2 CL A
Wing Flap

Change wing
area
 Basic Flight Controls
Change airplane attitude by changing “lift”

Ailerons

Rudder

Flaps

Elevators
Rudder

Yaw
Ailerons

Roll
Elevators

Pitch
 Drag

Power is required to force the airplane through the air.

 Drag Equation

Drag = ½ ρ V2 CD A

ρ density of air
V velocity of airflow
CL coefficient of drag
A area of object
Sources of Drag

Parasite Drag
(Friction)
 Lift Force

Drag Force

Induced Drag
(Drag due to Lift)
 ERGY
EN

Wave Drag
 Reducing Wave Drag

Greater curvature creates greater speed increase

Fineness
(Length/Width)
•

1 2

Chord 1 Chord 2

Airflow producing lift

Airflow Airflow
Chord 2 > Chord 1
Wing 2 “finer” than Wing 1
Speed increases less over Wing 2

BUT – Lift is less

 Baseline Body Profile

Cross-section area must follow baseline body profile

Area Rule
Area

Length
Area

Length
Pressure 1 Pressure 2

Pressure 1 > Pressure 2

Net backward force (drag)

Base Drag
 Reducing Base Drag

P1 P2

P1 > P2

P1 = P2

P1
P2
Drag Curves
Power Curves
 Spoilers
On large airplanes, used to modify lift and drag
Drag

Aid in Descent
 Weight on Wheels

Drag

Aid in Stopping
Questions?