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Beginner's Guide
to Aerodynamics
Altitude and Flight Forces
Activity
If so instructed by your
teacher, print out a worksheet page for these problems.
Activity:
At the Beginner's Guide to Aerodynamics,
access the Forces
on an Airplane page to read about the forces operating on an airplane.
And access the Atmospheric Model
page to learn how flow variables change through the atmosphere.
The points covered will be used in the next step of the activity.
Launch FoilSim
Notice that on the lower right side of the screen the program provides information about the local pressure,
temperature, and density which change with change in altitude.
- Compare and contrast
the following forces on an airplane: weight, lift, thrust, and drag.
- Alter the altitude
of the given airfoil. Enter values in the worksheet table. As the altitude
changes, what happens to the density, pressure, temperature, and lift
quantities?
- Compare the information
obtained about the forces on an airplane with the table information.
What is the implication of the changes in altitude on the forces affecting
the flight of an airplane? Think this through carefully.
On the lower right
side of the FoilSim screen is the Plotter View Panel. Use this
panel in FoilSim for the following questions.
- As the altitude
changes, what happens to the graphs seen in the Plotter View Panel window?
- What are the implications
or importance of the yellow and white line graphs seen in the Plotter View
Panel window? Think carefully.
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