Purpose This page provides an explanation of how airplanes fly in simple terms, and is meant as a brief introduction to the topic. No attempt will be made to discuss all of the real-life factors involved in flight or the mathematical formulas needed to compute the results of these factors on an airplane in flight. Source The source for this explanation is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s “Beginners’ Guide to Aeronautics” which may be found on the web at http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/bga.html . We consider this to be the most complete, accurate and authoritative source, and we urge students to continue their study of this topic by reviewing those materials that are right for their age and education. The guides contain text, illustrations, experiments, activities, lessons, free software, downloadable movies and cut-outs that can be used to help you understand these complex topics. How Airplanes Fly Airplanes fly because they are able to generate a force called Lift which normally moves the airplane upward. Lift is generated by the forward motion of the airplane through the air. This motion is produced by the Thrust of the engine(s). The figure below is a simple diagram of the four forces acting on an airplane – Thrust, Lift , Drag and Weight. Drag is the force produced by the resistance of the air to the forward motion of the airplane. Swish your hand rapidly side-to-side and you will feel that resistance on your hand. {Cartoon Drawing of an Airplane Flying Illustrating the Four Forces Acting on the Airplane} Weight is the force created by the pull of gravity toward the center of the earth. You will feel the effect of this force if you jump up from the floor. Your weight will force you back down. When the Thrust produced by the engine(s) is greater than the force of Drag, the airplane moves forward. When the forward motion is enough to produce a force of Lift that is greater than the Weight, the airplane moves upward. Content Last Modified on 2/23/2010 3:12:38 PM |
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