Why Airplanes Fly - Voids Above A Planar Sheet

On Thu, 4 Oct 2007 14:36:55 -0700, "Gatt"
wrote:


"Le Chaud Lapin" wrote in message
ups.com...

So yes, I believe this experiment illustrates an important phenomenon
in aerodynamics. It is not the only phenomenon that plays a role, but
it has one, nevertheless. The decriptions of lift that I read in
flight books seem to ignore it.

Subsequently, all the airplanes are falling from the sky.

I recommend building an airplane sometime. The ultimate way to prove your
theory is to be like the Wright Brothers; build it and fly it.

Folks on this forum have logged hundreds of thousands if not millions of
collective hours and all of them have put their asses on the line based on
the aerodynamic principles in books, so you're not going to get much respect
here if you want everybody to do experiments just to discuss to your
otherwise-unproven theories. Some people here have built their own planes,
or engineered airplanes, or maintained them so -their- science is
sufficiently proven. All the discussions and textbooks and usenet theories
in the world aren't worth your first solo flight around the pattern. That
demonstrates that the aerospace engineers proved their wing design and that
the pilots here proved their ability to manipulate that technology. That's
what it takes.

About once a month somebody comes in here and wants to talk about how
aerospace science is all wrong but the thing is, none of 'em ever seems to
have flown an airplane. If you don't do their math for them just the way
they want you to, however, somehow it's all the pilots and plane builders
out here who don't know what they're talking about.

I think your theory would be great put into practice on an experimental
aircraft. I promise you, if you fly it they will come. Best of luck to
you.

-c


I will first admit I haven't done the experiments outlined in Lapin's
posts. I will second admit that airplanes do fly. Thirdly I will
admit there are many very good reference books on "why" airplanes fly.
The key word here is "why". The fact that people can design and build
a machine that flies, means they have mastered the elements of design
that allow an aircraft to fly. It doesn't mean they know "why" it
flies. There are accepted theories, disproved theories, questionable
theories and unproven theories, but they are all theories.

Le Chaud Lapin has posted some experiments that in their present form
exhibit some interesting characteristics. Whether or not these
characteristics can be extrapolated to winged aircraft remains to be
seen. Certainly further, much more complex, testing would have to be
done. However, that fact should not provoke the kind of vitriolic
attacks I've seen in this forum. Just because someone posts something
outside the box of conventional thinking is no reason to attack them.
Ron Kelley