How exactly does an airplane work?

Question

I know it has to do with wind pressure, the shape and size of the wings, propulsion etc. but I'm extremely interested. Any help or websites would be appreciated

Answer 1

Hi, In my study of planes (amateur) I came across an individual in the 1950's , I think his name was Kelly Johnson of the USA who designed a FLAT wing jet. It flew perfectly: so one does not ultimately need a wing with  curvature characteristics as long as you have the power. Quote: a barn door can fly with sufficient power.

Answer 2

The lift to overcome the force of gravity is accounted for by the Bernoulli Principle.  In short, the Bernoulli Principle describes the fact that air in motion has a lower internal pressure than stationary air.  Wings are designed so that the flow of air above the wing is faster than the surrounding atmosphere, thus creating a partial vacuum or lift.  Pilots manipulate controls to change the way the air flows over the wings thus allowing for climbs, descents, and turns.

Aircraft designed for sustained inverted flight (fancy pilot blather meaning flying upside down) employ a wing that has a symmetrical cross section so that it is as efficient in either orientation.  This usually leads to compromises in performance such as slow flight.  For example, such aircraft usually have higher landing speeds.

Answer 3

The angle of attack has a lot to due with the amount of lift generated by a wing. Details at the link.

Answer 4

I think it´s much easyer to use a video, here goes one 16 1/2 minutes long, made by dept of tranportation of U.S. gov, I hope you enjoy it!   Esteban   [e-mail]

Answer 5

An airplane flies because the wings produce lift.  They do this by making air on top of the wing go faster and further than the air on the bottom side.  The faster the air goes, the less pressure it puts on the surface next to it.  That means that there is less pressure on the top surface than the bottom.  That difference in pressure is called lift, and it literally pushes the plane up into the sky.

You can demonstrate this with a piece of paper.  Hold it by two corners, and put that edge of the paper up just under your mouth so that the page hangs down across your chin and neck.  Take a deep breath, and blow slowly across the paper.  The paper came up some, right?  Blow harder - it came up more.  

The paper simulates the wing of the airplane.  You just made the air move faster across the top of your "wing".  The air pressure underneath lifted it.  That is how an airplane flies - the rest is just optimizing its shape, functions, etc. so that it is controllable, efficient, and comfortable.

Answer 6

The engine provides forward motion, the wings are shaped to force the air to flow faster over the tops of the wings, this creates a lower pressure below the the wings and causes the aircraft to rise. The elevators control the vertical movement and the rudder controls the directional movement as does the ailerons.