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Comment by yardie

I thought everyone knew this j/k. Really when I studied the Bernoulli principle in highschool it didn't make a lot of sense to me at the time. If the curvature of a wing was so important then how did objects with no curvature at all gain any lift? For example gliders.

Bernoulli lift only really comes into effect once you have level flight. Then the curvature alone can provide enough lift to support the weight of the plane without inducing drag. The Koanda effect is where ailerons and flaps come into play. The produce additional lift but also contribute more drag. As the angle of attack increases laminar flow drops. Using the authors example, placing a glass in a stream of water redirects the flow, but you'll notice there is a bit that sort of fans out. That is the equivalent of spoiled air. Too much of it and you've lost all laminar airflow, bye bye lift.

Anyways, I'm getting out of my area of expertise. It's been ages since I studied aerospace and my AIAA bible is in my parents' garage.

parent yardie 17 years ago

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