"CWatters" wrote in message
...
:
: "mike regish" wrote in message
: . ..
: I think that the shape of the wing simply allows for a greater range of
: angles of attack. A sheet of plywood would provide lift, but only at a
: very
: precise and small angle of attack.
:
: The airfoil shape allows the wing to
: provide lift through a much larger range of angles of attack.
:
: Well sort of.
:
: Thick wings do tend to operate over a wider range of angles than thin
wings
: but most subsonic wing sections will work from 0 to 10 degrees or more.
It's
: above 12 or 15 degrees that the section becomes more critical.
:
: A conventional wing section with camber can produce +ve lift at zero
degrees
: AOA.
:
: The zero lift angle (the angle at which no lift is produced) is actually
: negative on many conventional sections.

Ever heard of Bernoulli?
Try this demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCcZyW-6-5o
A Tomahawk cruise missile uses its wings as a control surface more
than for lift. Straight and level is useful for the computer programmer.
He thinks that way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19XXTArAGaM