Aerodynamics of Flight: Four Forces and Wing Principles

Aerodynamics of Flight

Four Forces of Flight

• Lift: upward force opposing weight, created by wing shape and airfoil
• Weight: downward force, opposing lift, resulting from aircraft mass
• Thrust: forward force, opposing drag, generated by propellers or jets
• Drag: backward force, opposing thrust, resulting from air resistance

Wing Aerodynamics

• Airfoil: curved surface of wing, deflecting air downward to create lift
• Cambered: curved upper surface, increasing lift
• Symmetrical: flat upper surface, used for high-speed flight
• Angle of Attack: wing's angle relative to oncoming airflow, affecting lift and drag

Bernoulli's Principle

• Pressure: inversely proportional to airspeed
• Lift: created by lower pressure above wing, higher pressure below

Airfoil Components

• Leading Edge: front of wing, influencing airflow
• Trailing Edge: rear of wing, affecting lift and drag
• Chord Line: imaginary line connecting leading and trailing edges

Wingtip Vortices

• Wingtip Vortices: rotating air masses at wingtips, creating drag
• Winglet: vertical extension at wingtip, reducing vortices and drag

Four Forces of Flight

• Lift is an upward force that opposes weight, created by the wing's shape and airfoil.
• Weight is a downward force that opposes lift, resulting from the aircraft's mass.
• Thrust is a forward force that opposes drag, generated by propellers or jets.
• Drag is a backward force that opposes thrust, resulting from air resistance.

Wing Aerodynamics

• An airfoil is the curved surface of the wing that deflects air downward to create lift.
• A cambered airfoil has a curved upper surface that increases lift.
• A symmetrical airfoil has a flat upper surface, used for high-speed flight.
• The angle of attack is the wing's angle relative to oncoming airflow, affecting lift and drag.

Bernoulli's Principle

• Pressure is inversely proportional to airspeed.
• Lift is created by lower pressure above the wing and higher pressure below.

Airfoil Components

• The leading edge is the front of the wing, influencing airflow.
• The trailing edge is the rear of the wing, affecting lift and drag.
• The chord line is an imaginary line connecting the leading and trailing edges.

Wingtip Vortices

• Wingtip vortices are rotating air masses at the wingtips that create drag.
• A winglet is a vertical extension at the wingtip that reduces vortices and drag.