Airflow over an airfoil Flight is one of the most important achievements of mankind. We owe this achievement to the invention of the airfoil and understanding the physics that allow it to lift enormous weights into the sky. All flight is the result of forces acting upon the wings of an airplane that allow it to counteract gravity. Contrary to popular belief, the Bernoulli principle is not responsible for most of the lift generated by …
showed first 75 words of 585 total

showed last 75 words of 585 total
…the force of gravity pulling directly down on the plane. From these vectors the flight of a plane, and what position it needs to be in to stay level can be calculated and understood. This is how airflow affects modern flight. The interaction of air with the wing, and not atmospheric pressure, is the main generator of lift. Drag is the consequence of the physics of liquids and is inseparable from, and important to, lift.