Airplane Pilot's As Physicists

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.

JMO.

mike
"Gatt" wrote in message
...

"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote in message
...
Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Le Chaud Lapin writes:

Even though this (new) thread is not about what causes a wing to lift,
I just wanted to say for the record that I agree with this answer,
that it is both AoA and curvature of the wing.

It's just AOA.

Nope.

There goes my Lapin = MX theory. Apologies to Chaud are probably in
order. (I probably apologize?)

-c

"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.

Colin

JMO.

mike
"Gatt" wrote in message
...

"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote in message
...
Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Le Chaud Lapin writes:

Even though this (new) thread is not about what causes a wing to
lift,
I just wanted to say for the record that I agree with this answer,
that it is both AoA and curvature of the wing.

It's just AOA.

Nope.

There goes my Lapin = MX theory. Apologies to Chaud are probably in
order. (I probably apologize?)

-c

"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

The mad scientist! :-)

Excellent demonstrations. I liked when he held up the boomerang..."whatever
these do"

I used to make boomerangs out of 3/8" plywood. I made them by making each
wing an airfoil shape-the thick part of the airfoil on the outside on one
wing and on the inside of the other. Many commercial boomerangs have a sort
of aileron sanded into the bottom of one wing tip, but you don't need that.
As each wing starts moving forward in its rotation, that wing is moving
faster and provides more lift than the other, giving it an impulse to the
left. As the bottom wing comes around, it now provides more lift and gives
it another push-and so it goes. And the boomerang makes a curving flight
back to you.

mike

"Androcles"

wrote in message
.uk...

"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

On 11 Okt, 22:49, "Androcles" wrote:
"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 providelift, but only at a
: very
: precise and small angle of attack.
:
: The airfoil shape allows the wing to
: provideliftthrough 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 +veliftat zero
degrees
: AOA.
:
: The zeroliftangle (the angle at which noliftis produced) is actually
: negative on many conventional sections.

Ever heard ofBernoulli?
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 forlift. Straight and level is useful for the computer programmer.
He thinks that way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19XXTArAGaM


All aircraft fly due to wings Angle of Attack (AOA).

All new airliners have supercritical wings and these wings have a
almost upper surface.


This web shows the vertical downwash from heavy jets, on landing at
London/Gatwick.

http://www.efluids.com/efluids/galle...plane_page.jsp

There are more of them att http://airteamimages.com/ search London/
Gatwick final

Before these pictures we only had the Cessna Citation flying over the
fog, making downwash grave.

"jon" wrote in message
ups.com...
: On 11 Okt, 22:49, "Androcles" wrote:
: "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 providelift, but only at
a
: : very
: : precise and small angle of attack.
: :
: : The airfoil shape allows the wing to
: : provideliftthrough 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 +veliftat zero
: degrees
: : AOA.
: :
: : The zeroliftangle (the angle at which noliftis produced) is actually
: : negative on many conventional sections.
:
: Ever heard ofBernoulli?
: 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 forlift. Straight and level is useful for the computer programmer.
: He thinks that way.
: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19XXTArAGaM
:
:
: All aircraft fly due to wings Angle of Attack (AOA).

Tell it to a bumble bee (BB).

Androcles writes:

Tell it to a bumble bee (BB).

Bees are not aircraft.

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Androcles writes:

Tell it to a bumble bee (BB).

Bees are not aircraft.


Yes, they are, fjukwit.


They certainly do more flying than you do.

But then, so do pigs.



Bertie

jon wrote in
ups.com:

On 11 Okt, 22:49, "Androcles" wrote:
"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 providelift,
: but only at a
: very
: precise and small angle of attack.
:
: The airfoil shape allows the wing to
: provideliftthrough 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 +veliftat zero
degrees
: AOA.
:
: The zeroliftangle (the angle at which noliftis produced) is
: actually negative on many conventional sections.

Ever heard ofBernoulli?
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 forlift. Straight and level is useful for the computer
programmer. He thinks that way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19XXTArAGaM


All aircraft fly due to wings Angle of Attack (AOA).

All new airliners have supercritical wings and these wings have a
almost upper surface.


This web shows the vertical downwash from heavy jets, on landing at
London/Gatwick.

http://www.efluids.com/efluids/galle...plane_page.jsp

There are more of them att http://airteamimages.com/ search London/
Gatwick final

Before these pictures we only had the Cessna Citation flying over the
fog, making downwash grave.



Nope, not downwash, wake vortices,
and in fact this one nicely shows the low pressure causing fog on the
top of the wing...



http://www.efluids.com/efluids/galle...s/Morris_8.jsp



Bertie