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Mastering Stalls: How to Recognize, Prevent, and Recover Safely

Flight Training Central

Depending on design, airfoils used in general aviation, stall at angles of attack between 16 to 18 degrees. A wing will always stall at the same angle of attack; however, weight, and bank angle, power setting and load factor may change the speed or the pitch attitude at which the airplane stalls.

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Quiz: Basic Aircraft Aerodynamics

Flight Training Central

As much as it seems sometimes that airplanes fly by magic, it’s important for every pilot to understand at least the basic fundamentals of aerodynamics. The term 'angle of attack' is defined as the angle between the airplane's longitudinal axis and that of the air striking the airfoil. What force makes an airplane turn?

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There’s Something Essential in the Bank

Flying Magazine

“Wing warping,” as this approach was called, was satisfactory for very slow airplanes, but faster ones required more rigidity, and by around 1908 or 1909 the idea had arisen of replacing part of the trailing edge of a wing with a hinged, controllable flap. His invention had been forgotten, however, by the time real airplanes came into being.

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Chord Line in Aviation? What It Is and Why It Is Important

Pilot Institute

Airplane wings vary in shape and size, but all have standard features like the chord line. In general, the chord line is used as an easy-to-understand reference when referring to the properties of a wing or airfoil. Basically, the mean camber line is meant to indicate the midpoint between the top and bottom surfaces of the airfoil.

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The Albree Pigeon-Fraser: The First American Fighter

Vintage Aviation News

Even during his student days, however, Albree was fascinated with airplanes, often to the detriment of his academic studies, and he began to build his own designs. Born in Boston on February 3, 1888, Albree would graduate from Dartmouth College in 1912 after attending courses at Union College and Amherst College.

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What Is Bernoulli’s Principle? A Simple Guide for Pilots

Pilot Institute

Airfoils use this principle, with faster airflow over the top creating lower pressure. If lift were entirely due to Bernoulli, a symmetric airfoil (one with equal curvature on top and bottom) wouldnt generate lift – yet it does when given the right angle of attack. In reality, the wing also uses Newtons third law to create lift.

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Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Stipa-Caproni

Vintage Aviation News

During these years, he concluded that the inner surface of the venturi tube needed an airfoil shape to achieve the greatest efficiency. The duct, as predicted by Stipa, had a profile similar to that of the airfoil, with a fairly small rudder and elevators mounted on the trailing edge of the duct. The Stipa-Caproni in flight.

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