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Learning Aeronautical Engineering From Historic Aircraft Designs

Vintage Aviation News

Studying historical aircraft helps students understand the development of flight and learn from early engineers about problems of lift, propulsion, stability, and material constraints. Often touted as the first successful powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer (1903) clearly shows lift, propulsion, and control.

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

Vintage Aviation News

They flew a total of 313 missions, collecting invaluable data on pitch stability, lift, drag, and buffeting in transonic and supersonic flight. The jet- and rocket-powered aircraft exceeded expectations, performing better than predicted in high-speed wind tunnel testsparticularly in drag performance above Mach 0.85.

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Airspeed and Altitude Control Simplified: Tips for Stable Flying

Pilot Institute

The faster an aircraft goes, the more lift it generates. Lift is the upward force that keeps you in the air. If airspeed is too slow, the aircraft could lose lift and stall. Meanwhile, lower altitudes demand that you be extra careful with airspeed to maintain lift and prevent stalls. miles per hour.

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High Wing or Low Wing – Which Trainer Should I Choose?

Flight Training Central

This meant the airplane, if were to carry anything, had to be built from very light materials incapable of providing support for a wing long enough to generate the needed lift. The bi-wing design allows two shorter wings to be braced against one another with a series of struts and wires providing the strength and lifting surface required.

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Flying a Small Plane: Key Insights for Beginners

Pilot's Life Blog

Understanding the Basics of Flight Aerodynamics 101 Flying a small plane revolves around understanding four key forces: lift, thrust, drag, and weight. Lift is generated by the wings as air flows over them, counteracting weight, which pulls the plane downward due to gravity.

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Power-off Stall: Recovery Steps Made Easy

Pilot Institute

This can cause you to lose lift. Remember Bernoulli’s Theorem and how lift is created. The loss of lift causes the aircraft to stall and lose altitude. When the aircraft is in a high-drag configuration, a stall at a low altitude can be quite dangerous. Without a quick reaction, it can lead to a dangerous situation.

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Today in Aviation History: Loss of USS Macon

Vintage Aviation News

Though the German Zeppelins were inflated with hydrogen, which was a more readily available and lighter lifting gas, it was flammable when mixed with oxygen, which doomed many a Zeppelin to a fiery end. While flying high over West Texas, the sun heated and expanded the helium lifting gas, forcing the Macon to rise up.

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