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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. Bernoullis principle isnt something pilots think about routinely.

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Wingtip Vortices and Wake Turbulence

Pilot Institute

Pilots avoid vortices by maintaining safe separation and adjusting flight paths. When air flows over the aircraft wing, the shape of the airfoil creates low pressure above the wing and relatively higher pressure below the wing. This horizontal component of lift is called Induced Drag. How Are Wingtip Vortices Formed?

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Flight Test Files: The Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket – Chasing Mach 2

Vintage Aviation News

These stories shine a light on the aircraft and test pilots that pushed the limits of aeronautical knowledge, many of them flying out of the legendary Dryden Flight Research Center (now Armstrong Flight Research Center) at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Research pilot John McKay flew it once in this form on September 17, 1956.

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Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator

Vintage Aviation News

Davis, who had developed a new wing, whose airfoil had a lower drag co-efficiency than other wing designs of the time, and which had already been used on the company’s Model 31/XP4Y Corregidor flying boat. Bill Wheatley, Consolidated’s Chief Test Pilot, co-pilot George Newman, and flight engineers Jack Kline and Bob Keith.

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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. Understanding these concepts will create a smoother and safer pilot. Air traveling faster over the curved upper surface of an airfoil causes lower pressure on the top surface.

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

Vintage Aviation News

The unique cylindrical design of the fuselage allowed for a streamlined profile and reduced drag, increasing the overall efficiency. During these years, he concluded that the inner surface of the venturi tube needed an airfoil shape to achieve the greatest efficiency. Thus, the benefits in engine efficiency were canceled out.

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The No Longer Invisible Angle of Attack: AOA Indicators

Learn to Fly

What can pilots do to prevent this? During your student pilot training you are taught to rely on speed and the 1G stall speed to avoid stalls. An angle of attack (AOA) indicator can determine the aerodynamic health of the airfoil (wing). Without an AOA indicator, the AOA is invisible to pilots.

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