Aerodynamics Questions
This section includes questions related to the subject of aerodynamics, or the study of forces created by the
motion of air against an object. Among the topics adressed here are the basic forces of lift and drag, principles
of wing design, and the methods used to estimate aerodynamic behavior.
How does a wing work?
What exactly do you mean by angle of attack? Since a wing stalls at
high angles of attack, how is it possible for an airplane to perform a loop or similar maneuver without
stalling?
I would like to know the formula to calculate the lift produced by an airplane's
wing or helicopter's rotor (make the terms as easy to understand as possible).
I have a further question regarding the earlier answer on the lift formula. You use
the same equation for an airplane and a helicopter, but what if the helicopter is in hover? The velocity
in hover is zero, so the lift must also be zero according to this equation.
I read one of your questions dealing with the equation for lift. It was
stated that Sref for a helicopter was based on the area the rotor blades made...
Is there a way to dynamically calculate the lift coefficient? I read
somewhere of a formula for small-cambered wing...
Is there a way to estimate the drag coefficient using Thin Airfoil
Theory? I know that lift coefficient is estimated as 2*pi*alpha, but does Thin Airfoil Theory even
predict a value for the drag coefficient?
I have been trying to prove that the equation for lift is accurate.
What is the lift coefficient for a Boeing 747? How do you calculate the lift coefficient of an aircraft
given values for the other variables? I have tried to work it out but all I have is bad luck.
I found equations for lift and drag for a 2D airfoil as a function of
normal force, axial force, and angle of attack. ... I assumed some values, but the results seem totally
wrong. ... Have I made a glaring omission or is there a physical explanation for this behavior?
Why do we use Mach number as a reference for speed, and not just
simply knots, kph or mph etc.? I know the drag increases around Mach 1, giving the impression once upon a
time that there was a barrier there. Is that the only reason?
I am a 7th grader and have decided to do my science fair project about aerodynamics
in planes. I have searched the internet but have not found very much information. I was wondering if you
can help me.
What is the meaning of the word streamlining?
How can you define aerodynamics and how it is different from streamlining? What is
aerodynamics?
Does the shape of the nose on a rocket affect how high it goes?
What is a vortex generator?
I've seen a small plate wing on the side of Boeing 737-800 engine.
What exactly is the purpose of the small wing?
What is the effect of a notch or sawtooth on the leading edge of a
wing? What are the advantages of these devices for high-speed military and commercial aircraft?
Can you explain why a golf ball has dimples? If dimples reduce drag,
why don't we see this surface feature on other aerodynamic shapes like airplane wings?
I am involved in wind tunnel experiments working with different
shapes. I'd like to know the drag coefficient for a cylinder and a cone with its point facing into the
wind. Are there any simple approximations?
In lift off the elevators, the rear flaps on the tail assembly are
up. This causes the air to follow a longer path on the top of the tail wings creating less air pressure
and lift, right? ...
What is a slat segment for?
I have noticed many times that the flaps at takeoff go down less than
compared to landing even though surely enough the plane is heavier at takeoff. Why would this be so?
Can you explain what adverse aileron yaw is and what factors cause
it?
During a space shuttle launch, they say that the shuttle has reached "max-q." What
does that mean?
What does Max Q mean?
What is meant by the term finite aspect ratio (2D) or infinite aspect
ratio (3D) on an airfoil's coefficient of lift? Is this difference related to the air coming around the
wing at the tip?
I read that airplanes with a wing of high aspect ratio can still fly
at high angles of attack and a wing of a small aspect ration usually stalls at about 16° AoA. If this is
true, then why can the F-14 land on a carrier at high AoA with its wings fully extended? Doesn't fully
extending the wings make a small aspect ratio?
Could you explain the idea behind the raked winglets used on the Boeing
767-400?
I would like to know what the airflow around a bullet in a wind tunnel
would look like. Could you provide any pictures?
Can a pilot hear anything inside the cockpit when breaking the sound
barrier? If traveling faster than the speed of sound, will you hear yourself scream? Can you hear a
person sitting next to you or at the opposite end of the plane? ...
Is it possible for a propeller-driven plane capable of 500 miles an hour to break
the sound barrier in a dive from 35,000 feet or so? If not, why?
Can you explain what "Area Rule" is and what planes were developed
thanks to this theory?
What is purpose of the wing pods on the Airbus A340? What was the
purpose of the large fairings or pods on the wing of the Convair 990? The early jetliners had clean
wings, so why are flap track fairings now the norm?
Is there such a thing as a channel plane?
What is "aircraft icing" and how does it affect an airplane?
I heard that a man jumped from a balloon at the edge of space and
broke the sound barrier during his fall. Who was he and when did this happen?
What exactly is drafting? I'm talking about the term used in car racing.
I remember several years ago I...heard about a plane the Russians
developed and tested that used the ground effect. I've heard that Boeing is making a huge airplane, the
Pelican, that will use "the WIG effect." Do you know anything about these planes?
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