Questions tagged [flight-dynamics]
Flight dynamics is the study of the physics driving the performance, stability, and control of aircraft. It is concerned with how forces acting on the aircraft influence its speed, altitude and attitude with respect to time.
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Why did the B-29 have so much leftward torque at take-off?
In this book, The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes (p. 705), I read:
[Paul Tibbets] eased the brakes [of Enola Gay] at 0245, the four fuel-injected Wright Cyclone engines pounding. “The ...
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Is excess lift or excess power needed for a climb?
As answered in this question, aircraft need excess power - not excess lift - to climb. This is plausible when the aircraft's thrust vector has a vertical component (its nose and engine points upwards),...
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Does a sudden drop of the velocity of the headwind affect the airspeed by lowering it?
I had a discussion about air speeds with one of my instructors recently. He is claiming that there is a sudden drop in the wind velocity as you get closer to the ground (which is absolutely true, due ...
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Why a kite flying at 1000 feet in "figure-of-eight loops" serves to "multiply the pulling effect of the airflow" on the ship to which it is attached?
In CNN's June 30, 2023 Giant kites could pull cargo ships across the ocean – and slash their carbon emissions
“What differentiates it from other wind solutions,” says Bernatets1, “is that the wing is ...
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Does lift equal weight in a climb?
This subject keeps coming up in the discussions and questions such as this one, which asks if lift equals weight in level flight. Good answers there, pointing out that upwards force has many sources. ...
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Why do airplanes usually pitch nose-down in a stall?
Why do airplanes usually pitch nose-down in a fully-developed stall?
I've seen this seemingly-simple question discussed on other aviation forums, but there doesn't seem to be a single agreed-upon ...
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What is the difference between Best Rate of Climb and Maximum Rate of Climb?
Is there a difference between Best Rate of Climb and Maximum Rate of Climb?
From my research, best rate of climb trades ground distance for altitude (i.e. steeper climb, more altitude per unit time)...
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What is a skidding turn (vs slipping turn)?
I am trying to understand the concept of
What qualifies a turn to be skidding or slipping
how we need to give elevator back pressure if we do not want to 'slip' the turn.
While browsing for answer ...
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Can a barrel roll really be executed at a constant 1G?
I see this stated from time to time, for example in an answer to Can large airliners do aerobatics such as loops?
A barrel roll is one thing; they can be performed at constant load factor of 1 G (...
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Can a plane bank without turning?
Can planes bank without turning, and if so, how is it possible?
A plane's wing is designed to naturally create lift; the explanation for that is that the greater speed of the air moving over the wing ...
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What does it mean when an aircraft is statically stable but dynamically unstable?
I am reading this book: "Flight Stability and Automatic Control", second edition, Dr. Robert C. Nelson. In the chapter 2, page 42, the author wrote:
Note that the vehicle can be statically ...
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How do "tip jet" helicopters cancel the torque effect of the main rotor?
Some helicopters use "tip jet" on the rotor blades tips such as the McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry and Hiller YH-32 Hornet.
How do they cancel the rotor torque (often canceled by the tail rotor)?
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Do any airplane designs exist that don't involve a flight surface that provides downforce?
Most aircraft maintain longitudinal stability by balancing three forces:
The down force acting through the center of gravity (CG)
The lifting force acting through the center of lift
The down force ...
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How do elevons work to roll a flying wing?
I have an RC Flying Wing that uses elevons for control. To go up both elevons move upwards and the wing pitches up. Both go down and the wing pitches down. I’m OK with this.
However, if I want to ...
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Does slipping in turns allow higher climb rates?
Sailplanes, among others, use a cotton string to show the sideslip angle. I've often heard that while circling in thermals the cotton string should show a slight slip angle to climb faster. This ...
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