Chapter 2: Aerodynamics Flashcards
The four forces acting on an airplane in flight are
lift, weight, thrust and drag
When are the four forces that act on an airplane in equilibrium?
During unaccelerated flight
What is the relationship of lift, drag, thrust and weight when an airplane is in straight-and-level flight?
Lift equals weight and thrust equals drag
Airplanes climb because of ___?
excess thrust
Lift acts at a ___ degree angle to relative wind.
90 degree
The minimum forward speed of the airplane is called the ___ speed.
stall
You can best determine the proper climb attitude for your airplane by referring to the
airspeed indicator
The chord line is an imaginary line connecting the
leading edge of the wing with the trailing edge
The chord line is used to represent
the general shape of the wing
The definition of chord enables us to understand
the angle the wind meets a wing that may very in size and shape
Relative wind results from the motion of the
airplane through the air
Relative wing is called relative because it
results from the motion of the airplane
Relative wind is ___ and ___ to the airplanes motion
opposite to, equal
Relative wind is ___ which way the airplane’s nose is pointed
independent of
The term “angle of attack” is defined as the angle
between the wing chord line and the relative wind.
An important principle to understand when dealing with angle of attack is that the nose (therefore the wing) can be pointed on an uncle thats ___ the actual climb path
different from
Angle of attack is defined as the angle between the chord line of an airfoil and the
direction of the relative wind
Wings are expressively build to plow through air molecules separating them either above or below while offering little resistance in the ____ horizontal
horizontal
Wind deflected downward by the airfoil creates a/an____movement of the wing
upward
Bernoulli figured out that the father the air flows over a surface, the ___pressure it exerts on that surface
less
Air flowing faster over a curved surfaces causes a slight____ in pressure on that surface
decrease
High velocity airflow over the wing causes a slight decrease in pressure on the wings upper surface. In other words, the pressure on __ of the wing is now __ than the pressure on the bottom of the wing
top, less
Since high pressure always moves toward low pressure, the wing (which just happens to be in the way) is pushed ___.
upward
Because the wing’s shape, even at a very small angle of attack, a cambered wing still adds a slight curve and ___ to the wind.
acceleration.
At a relatively slow speed (such as during takeoff), the wing’s engineered curve into capable of curving or deflecting enough air ___ to produce the necessary lift for flight.
downward.
