four forces of flight
DESCRIPTION
Four Forces of Flight. Lift Weight Thrust Drag. Source: NASA Glen Research Center. Forces on an Airplane. Lift. Lift is an aerodynamic force Lift must exceed weight for flight Generated by motion of aircraft through air Created by the effects of airflow past wing - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Four Forces of Flight
• Lift• Weight• Thrust• Drag
Source: NASA Glen Research Center
Forces on an Airplane
Lift
• Lift is an aerodynamic force• Lift must exceed weight for flight• Generated by motion of aircraft through air• Created by the effects of airflow past wing• Aircraft lift acts through a single point
called the center of pressure.
Weight
• Weight is not constant– varies with passengers, cargo, fuel load– decreases as fuel is consumed or payload off-
loaded• Direction is constant toward earth’s center• May be assumed concentrated at the center
of gravity
Thrust
• Forward-acting force opposes drag• Direction of thrust depends on design• Propulsion systems produce thrust• Equal to drag in straight, constant speed
flight
Drag
• An aerodynamic force• Resists forward motion• Two broad drag classifications
– Parasite drag: drag created by airplane design– Induced drag: by-product of lift generation
• Acts through the center of pressure
What’s Missing?
CONTROL & PROPULSION
Scientific Method
Think about what the world still needed before controlled flight
could become a reality