The Physics of Flight Dan Sullivan

What is flight?  Process by which an object achieves sustained movement through the air by aerodynamically generating lift  Mechanical flight=the use of a machine, called an aircraft, to fly

How does flight occur?  4 important forces to account for while flying: –Thrust: T=v (dm/dt)  Aircraft’s engines generate thrust –Lift  Air passes over/under airfoil (aircraft’s wings) –Drag  Resistance –Weight  Gravity

Forces of Flight, Pt.1  Thrust: Reaction force, generated in aircraft by engines drawing in massive amounts of air.  The air is then compressed inside the engine, and rapidly escapes out of the back of the engine. –Newton’s 2 nd, 3 rd laws

Forces of Flight, Pt.2  Lift: created when air interacts with airfoil (wing) and deflected downward. Force created by the deflection creates equal, opposite upward force (N’s 3 rd ) –At slower speeds, aircraft employ flaps, which increase surface area and lift, and help prevent stalling

Forces of Flight, Pt. 3  Drag: Force that resists the movement of a solid through air –Friction created by plane passing through the air  Weight: gravitational force on object, in this case, an aircraft

How does an aircraft move?  3 Axes of movement –Roll: Ailerons  Controls banking motions of aircraft –Pitch: Elevator  Controls angle of attack (up, down movement) –Yaw: Rudder  Moves plane laterally –When yawing, outside wing has greater lift, causes turn

Bibliography pitch-roll.png pitch-roll.png “The Miracle of Flight”-Stephen Dalton