On Mon, 9 Jan 2006 15:52:44 UTC, "Ken Kochanski (KK)"
wrote:

: OK, what is the better explanation to give fledgling students. Should
: you say the wing deflects/pushes/thrusts the air down to hold the
: aircraft up ... or should you say the wing/airflow creates a low
: pressure area that sucks the wing/aircraft upwards.

It does both, obviously. Equal and opposite reactions and all that.
Plane gets pushed up, air gets pushed down.

: Like many people, Bernoulli was the initial and only explanation I was
: aware of ... but I now think it is easier and more accurate to explain
: that a wing/airfolil pushes the air downward. Yes, you do have
: pressure differences, but that is just an artifact of the process.
:
: A Bernoulli based explanation seems to create some inconsistencies.

If you think there is a "Bernouilli based explanation" you have been
misinformed.

Ian