The aircraft tag has no wiki summary.
4
votes
0answers
80 views
Why can't supersonic planes “just fly higher” to go faster while maintaining cost?
First post to this site, and I've got at most a high school background in physics - I really appreciate any answer, but I may not be able to follow you if you're too advanced.
I suppose this goes for ...
0
votes
2answers
74 views
Will a helicoper which is hovering inside a closed box move with the box when we move it? [duplicate]
I got this micro helicopter to play with, you know that cheap double bladed ones you can find for $25 or so. Anyway last night I was on bed trying to sleep and I got this idea, what if we put the ...
0
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2answers
56 views
Are the hypotheses of the Bernoulli equation satisfied for a bird or airplane wing at low Mach number?
A previous question by David Zaslavsky was a request for a broad, "how things work" type of explanation of the lift of an airfoil. The answers given there are enlightening, but don't address a more ...
-5
votes
0answers
49 views
Would there be any possibility for anyone to survive when a Boeing 747 crashes to pacific ocean with its normal cruising speed? [closed]
I know no case of anyone surviving when an aircraft of the size of Boeing 747 crashes to ocean with its normal cruising speed, but in physics sense, would there be any possibility of anyone surviving ...
2
votes
1answer
23 views
Application of plasma actuators for flow control of moving objects
I've recently been to a converence on plasma physics were, to my surprise, a lot of presentations were concerned with plasma actuator.
Could someone, preferably in the field, tell me how long people ...
2
votes
2answers
117 views
Whats the anti-torque mechanism in horizontal take-off aircraft?
In most helicopters there is the anti-torque tail rotor to prevent the body from spinning in the opposite direction to the main rotor.
What's the equivalent mechanism in horizontal takeoff single ...
2
votes
5answers
150 views
How does an aeroplane maintain balance during maneuvers?
I understand the principle behind flight, how the lift is generated etc. What I don't understand is when there are maneuvers made where the plane flies such that the wings are in vertical plane, how ...
4
votes
1answer
172 views
Can a hovering helicopter travel half the globe in 12 hours? [duplicate]
Suppose we have a helicopter that is able to stay stationary in flight for extended periods of time. If such a helicopter stayed at point A in the sky for 12 hours straight, would it reach the other ...
0
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2answers
106 views
What mechanisms exist for generating lift on a static object?
What mechanisms exist for generating lift on a static object?
Condition is: Other than propellers
I know that generating lift on a static object in a sense of anti-gravity for e.g. drone is not ...
2
votes
3answers
169 views
Why does an airplane need to climb during a takeoff even if it is in emergency situation?
Right after take-off (which means an airplane already exceeded V1) it is recommended that an airplane keeps climbing even when emergency occurs. Beside worries of crashing into houses and buildings by ...
0
votes
3answers
241 views
Effective angle of attack of a wing
Is the angle of attack of a rectangular wing influenced by the dihedral ($\Gamma$) of the wing? If e.g. a wing exists with $\Gamma$ = 0$^{o}$ it has angle of attack $\alpha$. If the dihedral is set ...
0
votes
1answer
93 views
Propeller modelling
I need a (very) approximate model of a propeller on an aircraft.
My principal question is this: what would the relationship be between:
Propeller rate of rotation
Aircraft speed
Force generated by ...
2
votes
1answer
181 views
How much effect does the Bernoulli effect have on lift?
I understand that the Bernoulli effect is a flawed explanation for the cause of lift, and does not cause much at all, but how much?
Is there any experimental data on the force caused by the ...
2
votes
0answers
102 views
Turboshaft Turbine Mathematical Model
Are there any simplified mathematical models for how two gas coupled turbines (also called a free power turbine) should interact with one another as the speed of the driving turbine changes.
(i.e.) ...
12
votes
3answers
597 views
What causes an aircraft to roll when rudder is applied
When continuous rudder is applied in a typical light aircraft during straight and level flight at "normal" flying speeds and altitudes, the primary effect is that the aircraft will yaw to the left - ...
1
vote
2answers
72 views
Disconnected aileron/surface deflection in terms of speed?
Would a disconnected surface, especially aileron, deflect upwards as you slow down due to increased alpha? I figure out it is more likely to deflect upwards as you increase your airspeed, thus having ...
2
votes
0answers
106 views
Control cable failure and critical flutter speed margin?
I'm a private pilot, and I have some questions to those who have knowledge of the aeroelastic effects and flutter phenomenon. I would like to talk a little about aerodynamic flutter onset speed and ...
0
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3answers
267 views
Aircraft Level Flight Trajectory
An aircraft climbs to 15000 feet and enters 'level flight' phase. My basic knowledge of physics says that forces on the aircraft at this time are balanced - as seen in this diagram.
...
-4
votes
1answer
85 views
How target locking woks? [closed]
In many aerial war face movies they show that aircraft is locked by missile ,particularly in movie behind enemy line " F/A-18 Hornet" is locked by 2 SAM missile,pliot try to break the lock but ...
2
votes
1answer
289 views
Turning an airplane - coordinated turn and inclinometer (“the ball”)
I'm flying, turning in a stable orbit, i.e. at constant level with a constant angle of bank, at constant airspeed, with a constant radius of turn, as in the picture here (sorry it's my first post, ...
1
vote
1answer
74 views
What makes thrust reversers different from fans on a sailboat?
Why do thrust reversers on jet planes work? By Newton's third law, it seems like the force exerted by pushing air through the nozzle should cancel the force from redirecting the air forwards. The ...
1
vote
1answer
95 views
Is airspeed constant or cyclical when flying model aircraft in windy conditions?
I need help to settle an argument about aeronautics. Particularly model aircraft.
It has been observed by some that when a model airplane flying with the wind turns back into the wind , some ...
4
votes
3answers
225 views
atmospheric phenomenon? What causes condensation trails to converge?
This air plane just caught my eye. Two contrails apparently are flowing backward, slightly off-centered and then ultimately converge, giving the overall shape of a very narrow rhomboid parallelogram, ...
1
vote
2answers
216 views
Extracting acceleration vector from rotated aircraft
Suppose we have an aircraft with accelerometer measuring accelerations along each axis. It is mounted in a way so it is perpendicular to the plane in all axes (that should be obvious). We also have ...
6
votes
3answers
482 views
why aren't there nuclear powered aircraft?
I know this might sound like more of an engineering question that about physics, and it probably is, but bear with me: i'm still not sure if the answer to my question lies in the physics or in the ...
3
votes
3answers
171 views
How to compute the speed necessary for an airplane to fly?
I give some physics lessons to a friend. She asked me a question that I am unable to answer. Could you help me ?
A plane has a weight of $2\times10^6$kg. The surface of the wing is $1200 \text{m}^2$. ...
1
vote
6answers
1k views
What will happen if a plane trys to take off whilst on a treadmill?
So this has puzzled me for many a year... I still am no closer to coming to a conclusion, after many arguments that is. I don't think it can, others 100% think it will.
If you have a plane trying to ...
5
votes
1answer
436 views
Paper plane between two fans - is this possible?
The setup: two fans facing each other, distance around 1m. Both are turned on. In between them, place a simple paper plane and according to this video, it will fly.
...
1
vote
1answer
157 views
Why ballasted gliders fly faster
The fact:
Gliders have ballast tanks that can be filled with water. The addition of ballast increases weight, and this allows the glider to fly at faster airspeeds while maintaining the same glide ...
4
votes
2answers
878 views
What is the optimal design for a paper airplane? (Or, at least, how can you approach it?)
Having only really known two designs for paper airplanes since my days as a child, one which flies about eight feet and another which flies about ten feet, I have always wondered how people manage to ...
5
votes
5answers
562 views
Turning an Airplane. What actually causes the circular motion in a banked (roll) turn?
Basically I'm wondering if this is correct. Which essentially says that you need a torque to get the nose of the craft to turn and that this is provided by the rear tail surfaces.
After trying to ...
2
votes
2answers
254 views
Forces on an airfoil
I'm building an airplane (Super Baby Great Lakes) and I'm wondering something about airfoils. In particular (this plane is fabric covered), I'm wondering about the lifting forces on the main wings. ...
-2
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2answers
157 views
Why does the higher pressure of air underneath an aeroplane wing keep it flying?
With aeroplane flight, the wings are shaped so that the air that goes over the top of the wing has to travel faster than the air that goes below the wing. This means that the air below the wing has ...
3
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2answers
637 views
How much lift does an airplane get from its wings, vs the rest of the airframe?
Consider a big commercial airliner, like a 727, 747, or a 787.
At cruising altitude, under standard conditions, how much of the lift of the aircraft comes from the wings, and how much from the rest ...
0
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2answers
132 views
Why aren't stratospheric balloons compressing their helium to descent?
I can't find a reference of a working stratospheric balloon mounted with a compressor to control its altitude. Is there a big physical difficulty (such as compressor weight/power ratio, or power ...
1
vote
2answers
525 views
Flying a toy helicopter inside an accelerating train
Scenario:
You ride in a train, you have this helicopter toy. The train is not yet running when you flew your helicopter on a constant altitude (say 1 meter above the train's floor).
Question:
What ...
6
votes
5answers
2k views
Does it take significantly more fuel to fly a heavier airplane?
I was reading in the papers how some-airline-or-the-other increased their prices for extra luggage, citing increased fuel costs.
Now I'm a bit skeptical. Using the (wrong) Bernoulli-effect ...
0
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2answers
348 views
Does “Air caterpillar” exist or even possible?
Air-Elf Aircraft Concept Is Able to Take-off or Land Vertically
Air-Elf aircraft concept is to solve road congestion. The core of the
concept is a new type of wing, “Air Caterpillar”. It can be
...
2
votes
2answers
111 views
How fast can toy helicopters change the turning direction of their propellers?
I saw someone do some tricks with a toy helicopter where he would turn it upside down for a while and it would still stay in the air. I thought it should have crash or at least not fly for very long ...
0
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3answers
279 views
In-flight damage to a supersonic jet
I'm doing some research for a book I'm writing, and, as the title implies, I'm looking to understand what happens when a supersonic jet sustains in-flight damage.
Specifically, what happens to the ...
1
vote
2answers
362 views
What happens when a supersonic airplane flies through a cloud?
What happens when a supersonic airplane flies through a cloud? Will it punch a hole or is it more like a bullet through water (= hole closes immediately after the aircraft has passed)?
Is there some ...
1
vote
3answers
1k views
Could a real-life X-Wing fly in Earth's atmosphere?
From an aerodynamic point of view, could a full-size aircraft of X-Wing design fly in Earth's atmosphere? Assuming you were free to add control surfaces here and there, could the wings in open ...
0
votes
1answer
162 views
Why does aircraft tail not project down from the fuselage? [closed]
Just what the title states; I was browsing photographs and it struck me how aircraft tails typically 'stand' atop the fuselage. A few aircraft (think it dates to the 40s-50s) have a tail that projects ...
1
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0answers
80 views
Practical personal aircraft today? [closed]
Is it possible to build, today, a personal aircraft that not use an impracticable amount of fuel for everyday use? What are the physical concepts that could be used to build it?
2
votes
1answer
448 views
How does a V formation save fuel for the lead plane?
I'm watching an episode of Mythbusters where they show aircraft saving 3-5% fuel when flying in a tight V formation. Interestingly, this also applies for the lead airplane.
How is that possible for ...
4
votes
4answers
980 views
Why do aircraft inner wings lose lift when turning?
first question here, so please be gentle!
I'm reading an entry-level engineering course book and am currently up to discussion of aircraft design.
There's one particular statement that is unclear to ...
7
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4answers
8k views
Does the rotation of the earth dramatically affect airplane flight time?
Say I'm flying from Sydney, to Los Angeles (S2LA), back to Sydney (LA2S).
During S2LA, travelling with the rotation of the earth, would the flight time be longer than LA2S on account of Los Angeles ...
14
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2answers
4k views
How can airplanes fly upside down?
I've read many times, including here on this very site that the commonly known explanation of flight is wrong, and that airplanes can fly because the shape of their wings deflects air down. This makes ...
8
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3answers
676 views
Does my model aircraft propeller beat the sound barrier?
I fly model aircraft. Recently I changed from a "1300kv" motor to a "1500kv" motor. The difference is in speed; the 1300kv can go about 16,400rpm full-throttle and with a fully charged battery and the ...
1
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2answers
438 views
Given a radius and velocity calculate position of an aircraft banking to make a turn in three dimensional space
Suppose an aircraft is moving at a certain fixed altitude above the ground. It follows a path defined by latitude and longitude. Now if we want to define the position of an aircraft at any point in ...
