admin (Simon W) Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 I get asked this question lot's. Then I stumbled across this which explains perfectly the answer to the question.... How does a wing work Si? SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_k Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 That's why you need belief in your skills and plenty of passion to go with it. Love it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 Is that from the Pilots Self Help Group handbook? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aljken Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 Apparently the wing pushes air down more on the underside than the top side, forcing it up. I'm not sure how different this is to the air goes faster over the top than bottom causing a pressure difference theory. Either way I guess the wing works and that's all I need to know 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon_dunn Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 15 hours ago, admin (Simon W) said: I get asked this question lot's. Then I stumbled across this which explains perfectly the answer to the question.... How does a wing work Si? SW Substitute 'money' for passion, and 'faith' for belief 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon_dunn Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 In it's simplest form.... Upper edge of aerofoil is longer that the bottom Path that the air takes over the top of the wing is longer than the bottom of the wing Time for the air to travel from the front to the back of the wing is the same- therefore the air taking the top route has to go faster than the air taking the bottom route. As the air on the top route is 'stretched', it's density or pressure is lower than the air on the underside of the wing Air wants to move from areas of high pressure to low pressure- therefore the underside of the wing exerts a 'lifting' force on the wing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 In a similar vein: How an internal combustion engine works: Air is invited into the carburetor, with the promise of free drinks. Air mixes with the drink (fuel) and becomes confused. Confused air is ushered into the cylinder, before it really knows what's happening. Once inside, the doors are closed. Then the wall (piston) starts closing in (as experienced by humans with cider). A lot of confused air is packed into a small space and it only needs a small spark to initiate panic. Air goes absolutely mad and starts kicking out in all directions, pushing the wall (piston) back until finally the doors are opened and the air charges out with a lot of noise. I have another explanation involving entropy, but it goes on a bit and involves cats and buttered toast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsquared Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 23 minutes ago, ptwizz said: In a similar vein: How an internal combustion engine works: Air is invited into the carburetor, with the promise of free drinks. Air mixes with the drink (fuel) and becomes confused. Confused air is ushered into the cylinder, before it really knows what's happening. Once inside, the doors are closed. Then the wall (piston) starts closing in (as experienced by humans with cider). A lot of confused air is packed into a small space and it only needs a small spark to initiate panic. Air goes absolutely mad and starts kicking out in all directions, pushing the wall (piston) back until finally the doors are opened and the air charges out with a lot of noise. I have another explanation involving entropy, but it goes on a bit and involves cats and buttered toast. Love it Pete....please share the cats and buttered toast. If nobody else appreciates it....that's their problem, I know I will. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 And me ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Thomas Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 If you dont have the `belief` .... try hanging two sheets of paper, about an inch (25mm for you non imperialists) apart between two fingers and thumbs , then blow between them . logic says they should be blown outwards from each other by the rushing air , in fact the opposite happens . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Trying to keep this reasonably succinct... As we are all aware, a cat will always land on its feet and buttered toast will always land butter side down on the workshop floor, carpet or cat. So, if one were to attach a slice of well buttered toast, butter side up, to the back of a cat (using a suitably comfortable harness), the universe does not know whether to allow the cat to land on its feet or the toast to land butter side down. Hence, the cat/toast combo hovers a few inches above the ground. I have a photo to support this, but I still can't post images! Using the same principle, we are also aware that a small, expensive engine component, if dropped, will find its way into the tray of used oil, sludge, fag ends etc. This happens even if the tray is on the other side of the workshop, showing that the universe is prepared to reverse entropy just to be awkward. We also know that everything happens more when it is hotter. On a summer morning, just as one is assembling ones paramotor, one drops a small but vital part. As one struggles to find it, the sun warms the day and the part becomes harder to find, until one is a sweating, grounded and agitated wreck. So, we construct an engine with a bath of used oil and sludge at the bottom (sump) and an expensive part at the top (piston). The expensive piston is drawn towards the sump, but this won't turn the motor. Heating the arrangement increases its entropy and allows the universe more energy with which to draw the expensive piston into the oily sump. An arrangement which can burn a convenient liquid fuel to produce cycles of heat and cold causes the force drawing the piston to the sump to rise and fall, turning the engine. Viola! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 18 minutes ago, Mike Thomas said: If you dont have the `belief` .... try hanging two sheets of paper, about an inch (25mm for you non imperialists) apart between two fingers and thumbs , then blow between them . logic says they should be blown outwards from each other by the rushing air , in fact the opposite happens . Mine caught fire - did i do something wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Thanks Pete, it's good to learn these things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hann__ Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 (edited) 7 hours ago, gordon_dunn said: In it's simplest form.... Upper edge of aerofoil is longer that the bottom Path that the air takes over the top of the wing is longer than the bottom of the wing Time for the air to travel from the front to the back of the wing is the same- therefore the air taking the top route has to go faster than the air taking the bottom route. As the air on the top route is 'stretched', it's density or pressure is lower than the air on the underside of the wing Air wants to move from areas of high pressure to low pressure- therefore the underside of the wing exerts a 'lifting' force on the wing. How do `planes fly upside down, then? Edited December 9, 2016 by Hann__ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin (Simon W) Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 Oooo dear...... here we go! Lol SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Inverted flight has to be carried out quickly, before physics notices what you're up to. See also Wile E. Coyote. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodders Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Re: planes flying upside down. Refer back to the original diagram. Flying upside down causes the pilot to question the wisdom of such an endeavour. This translates into increased doubt resulting in turn into increased inverted lift. What I want to know is how 30 odd sq m of slightly crispy fabric can overcome gravity and get me in the air ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi k Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 8 hours ago, Hodders said: What I want to know is how 30 odd sq m of slightly crispy fabric can overcome gravity and get me in the air ! If you think about it you're Not overcoming gravity as without engine or thermals you would not get off the ground, without either we fall back to planet gracefully but when their added we enjoy something called Flight, here endeth my education lesson today . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodders Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Kiwi-K, I take your point. But when I think that each sqm is supporting about 4kg it is pretty cool. The fact that all the kit to get me off the ground fits in the boot of my car is just amazing. It really is the magic flying armchair I always dreamt of as a child ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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