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Terrifying

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 zebidee 08 May 2014
"It happens somehow ... magic?!"

youtube.com/watch?v=5HP5Lyxo180&
 Tony the Blade 08 May 2014
In reply to zebidee:

More selective than terrifying I think.
 crayefish 08 May 2014
In reply to zebidee:

To be fair... aero engineers don't *truely* know due to the interconnected phenomena of pressure drop above wings 'sucking the plane up' and momentum change of air flowing over (ie. air is forced down after the wings). Well at least that's what all my aero friends tell me (inclding one who's a professor).

But yeah, the selcted responces (especially flapping) are pretty funny!
 Trangia 08 May 2014
In reply to crayefish:

> To be fair... aero engineers don't *truely* know due to the interconnected phenomena

Really?

It's pretty straightforward

http://www.thaitechnics.com/fly/principle.html

in principle, but I do agree deep stall recovery has proved challenging for some aircraft

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stall_(fluid_mechanics)
In reply to Trangia:

Ah, a 'Lift coefficient' to explain all the magic that isn't easily explained.

IIRC, there are a number of aerodynamic theories to explain lift, all of which produce an approximation.
 Kevster 08 May 2014
In reply to zebidee:

It is magic!
Next you'll tell me Santa doesn't exist.
 Red Rover 08 May 2014
In reply to zebidee:

I was told at school that the shape of the wing makes the air pressure above it lower so the plane feels lift, but how can a plane fly upside down?
 Guy 08 May 2014
In reply to Red Rover:

Angle of attack
 Red Rover 08 May 2014
In reply to Guy:

But isnt that reversed when upside down?
 Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 08 May 2014
In reply to zebidee:

You find it "terrifying" that your average person doesn't know how a plane flies - strange!


Chris

PS They probably didn't show the folks who had a basic grasp of the physics
 Red Rover 08 May 2014
In reply to Timmd:

Thanks that makes sense.
 crayefish 09 May 2014
In reply to Trangia:

Yeah as far as we are all concerned it's simple. But the conservation of momentum changes things and it all gets wierd. Just like with a rocket that goes up because it is ejecting mass down, the same happens with a plane... the air is forced downwards after going over the wing.

Funnily enough on that note... if you have a rocket in space (ie. no gravity and no air resistance), the centre of mass of the rocket and all it's fuel always remains the same. Even if it flew to the edge of the solar system (in a straight line from earth ignoring all planetary and solar gravity), the centre of mass of the rocket and the ejected reaction products would still be where it started off from. I always found that pretty interesting.
 tony 09 May 2014
In reply to zebidee:

I once edited an RE book, in which the authors claimed that it was a miracle that planes could fly. I deleted that particular bit.
OP zebidee 09 May 2014
In reply to Chris Craggs:

Okay
> You find it "terrifying" that your average person doesn't know how a plane flies - strange!

Okay - "terrifying" is probably too strong a word ... "sad" might be a better one.

I mean I get the whole "sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" thing is what's going on here, but winged, flighted aircraft is over 100 year old technology.



 GarethSL 09 May 2014
In reply to zebidee:

Tbf, if someone stopped you in the street when you were thinking about your lunch, your shopping list, where to get coffee or the jam between your toes... Then asked you a pretty technical question, whilst stuffing a camera in your face, I imagine your response would probably be something along similar lines.
 GarethSL 09 May 2014
And just to confirm, not a single phD or postdoc in the department could explain.

Never seen such vacant looks on faces normally filled with such intelligence..

(and yep they're all engineers)
 Mr Lopez 09 May 2014
In reply to crayefish:
> (In reply to Trangia)
>
> Just like with a rocket that goes up because it is ejecting mass down,

Mmmmmhhhh.......
 Ffion Blethyn 09 May 2014
In reply to Mr Lopez:

> Mmmmmhhhh.......

It's true! That must be the way hot air balloons work as well.
In reply to zebidee:

> but winged, flighted aircraft is over 100 year old technology.

And flying creatures a little older...

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