Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/06

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Subject: RE: upside-down airplanes (was: [Leica] Optical Question)
From: "Douglas Herr" <telyt@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 07 Mar 2002 03:14:19 +0800

Ernest Nitka wrote:
 
> why is that airplanes can fly upside down - if 
> flying upright caused a vacuum just above the wing 
> creating lift then flying upside down should cause 
> the wing to move down. This has bothered me for 
> near on 2 decades.  I get bothered easily
> 
> ernie
> 
 
The airplane's wing is designed to produce lift efficiently at it's normal angle of attack but it can produce additional lift inefficiently by increasing the angle of attack (until it stalls).  The upside-down airfoil relies on a high angle of attack to produce lift but does so very inefficiently.
 

- -- 


Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com


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Replies: Reply from Greg Locke <locke@straylight.ca> (Re: upside-down airplanes (was: [Leica] Optical Question))
Reply from Rolfe Tessem <rolfe@ldp.com> (RE: upside-down airplanes (was: [Leica] Optical Question))
Reply from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> (Re: upside-down airplanes (was: [Leica] Optical Question))