The Physics of Flight

1. The Physics of Flight Dan Sullivan

2. 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 What is flight?

3. 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 How does flight occur?

4. 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 2nd, 3rd laws

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

6. 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 Forces of Flight, Pt. 3

7. 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 How does an aircraft move?

8. Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org www.airliners.net www.jetphotos.net http://www.av8n.com/physics/img48/yaw-pitch-roll.png www.flightlevel350.com “The Miracle of Flight”-Stephen Dalton