Table of Contents
How does surface area affect flight?
Lift is directly proportional to the surface area of an object. If you double the surface area you double the lift generated. Most of the lift generated by and airplane is generated by the wings, however all surfaces of the plane will generate lift to some extent.
How do you measure the weight of a wing?
per in.) W = gross weight of airplane W\ = W minus u W2 = non-structural dead weight in wing m = root thickness/tip thickness n = root chord/tip chord Subscript R refers to root of wing Subscript refers T to tip.
How do you calculate weight and balance of an aircraft?
Technique: Weight and balance
- Ascertain from the pilot’s operating handbook the empty weight of the aircraft and determine the weights of people, baggage, and fuel.
- Multiply each weight by the arm—the distance from the reference datum—to find the moment.
- Add all the weights to find the gross weight.
Is surface area proportional to air resistance?
Background Information: The amount of air resistance an object encounters is directly proportional to its surface area and velocity. Terminal velocity, vt, is achieved when the air resistance equals the object’s weight and the object can no longer accelerate.
Does surface area affect air drag?
The total aerodynamic force is equal to the pressure times the surface area around the body. Like the other aerodynamic force, lift, the drag is directly proportional to the area of the object. Doubling the area doubles the drag.
Which unit would you use to measure the weight of a plane?
The empty weight of airplanes can only be given to single-pound precision for one specific airplane. Minute differences in metal sheet thickness, equipment and paint will make sure that there is a difference of many pounds between airplanes of the same type and furnishing.
How do you find the surface area of a wing?
In aerodynamics, the surface area of a wing is calculated by looking at the wing from a top-down view and measuring the area of the wing. This surface area is also known as the planform area. The planform area is an important value when calculating the performance of an airplane.
What is the formula to calculate the weight of an airplane?
L = (1/2) d v 2 s CL. L = Lift, which must equal the airplane’s weight in pounds. d = density of the air. This will change due to altitude.
What happens to the weight of an airplane during a flight?
In flight, the airplane rotates about the center of gravity, but the direction of the weight force always remains toward the center of the earth. During a flight the aircraft burns up its fuel, so the weight of the airplane constantly changes.
How does the weight of an object change with altitude?
Since the gravitational constant ge depends on the square of the distance from the center of the Earth, the weight of an object decreases with altitude. Let’s do a test problem to see how much the weight of a model rocket changes with altitude.
What is the difference between total surface area and wing planform area?
If we choose the total surface area, the computed coefficient has a different value than if we choose the wing planform area, but the lift is the same, and the coefficients are related by the ratio of the areas. This slide shows the projected surface area for two different aircraft.