Module 8: Basic Aerodynamics – Important
One■Liners
• Aerodynamics is the study of air motion and its interaction with solid bodies like aircraft.
• Lift is the force that acts perpendicular to the relative airflow.
• Drag is the force that opposes the motion of an aircraft through air.
• Thrust is the forward force produced by engines or propellers.
• Weight is the force acting downward due to gravity.
• Bernoulli’s principle states that higher airspeed results in lower pressure.
• Angle of attack is the angle between chord line and relative airflow.
• Stall occurs when angle of attack exceeds the critical limit.
• Center of pressure is the point where aerodynamic forces act on an airfoil.
• Aspect ratio is the ratio of wingspan to mean chord.
• Induced drag is caused by wingtip vortices.
• Parasite drag includes form drag, skin friction drag, and interference drag.
• Laminar flow is smooth airflow with minimal mixing.
• Turbulent flow is irregular airflow with mixing layers.
• Airfoil is the cross■sectional shape of a wing.
• Chord line is an imaginary straight line joining leading and trailing edges.
• Relative wind is airflow opposite to aircraft motion.
• Wing loading is aircraft weight divided by wing area.
• High wing loading results in higher stall speed.
• Ground effect reduces induced drag near the surface.
• Lift coefficient depends on angle of attack and airfoil shape.
• Drag coefficient depends on shape, surface, and airflow conditions.
• Dynamic pressure equals half density times velocity squared.
• Reynolds number determines flow type (laminar or turbulent).
• Mach number is the ratio of aircraft speed to speed of sound.
• Subsonic speed is less than Mach 1.
• Supersonic speed is greater than Mach 1.
• Shock waves form when aircraft exceeds speed of sound.
• Boundary layer is thin air layer close to surface.
• Flow separation causes increased drag and loss of lift.
• Flaps increase lift by increasing wing camber.
• Slats delay stall by improving airflow at high angle of attack.
• Spoilers reduce lift and increase drag.
• Dihedral angle provides lateral stability.
• Washout reduces wingtip stall tendency.
• Static stability is initial tendency to return to equilibrium.
• Dynamic stability is motion behavior over time after disturbance.
• Neutral stability means aircraft stays in new position after disturbance.
• Positive stability means aircraft returns to original position.
• Negative stability means aircraft moves further away after disturbance.
• Trim tabs reduce pilot control force.
• Propeller converts rotational energy into thrust.
• Jet engine produces thrust by expelling high■speed exhaust gases.
• Lift increases with airspeed if other factors remain constant.
• Density altitude affects aircraft performance.
• Higher temperature reduces air density.
• Lower air density reduces lift and engine performance.
• Pressure decreases with altitude.
• True airspeed increases with altitude for same indicated airspeed.
• Indicated airspeed is measured directly from pitot■static system.