Author Topic: How does the P-51 generate lift? (Read 2309 times)

SunTracker · « **on:** December 27, 2003, 11:09:17 PM »

I was reading about laminar flow wings a few days ago. The website said that a laminar flow wing is symmetrical (top half being the same as bottom half). So this would rule out Bernoulli's Principle of Lift.

So either a laminar wing isnt totally symmetrical, or there is some other factor here.

How does it produce lift?

Found a very neat article on the P-51's wings http://yarchive.net/mil/laminar_flow.html
but it still didn't answer my question.

MetaTron · « **Reply #1 on:** December 27, 2003, 11:11:24 PM »

Angle of attack, incidence, and thrust generally help.

Tyro48 · « **Reply #2 on:** December 28, 2003, 05:15:17 AM »

Mr. B's principal still applies here !

Tyro48 · « **Reply #3 on:** December 28, 2003, 05:27:16 AM »

If you can and are interested get a copy of " Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators " it does a good job of explaining lift.

NAVWEPS 00-80T-80

Patty Wagstaffs plane also has a symetrical wing and flys very well, how the airstream is circulated over the wing is an impotant factor, the chord of the wing where the leadin edge break point is etc. But for a symetrical wing probably the biggist factor is angle of attack.

SunTracker · « **Reply #4 on:** December 28, 2003, 06:59:32 AM »

Ok, so the wing is just tilted upwards to deflect air downwards?

How does a symmetrical wing get air to flow faster over the top and slower over the bottom? That is where I am confused.

Dingbat · « **Reply #5 on:** December 28, 2003, 07:14:09 AM »

http://www.mste.uiuc.edu/davea/aviation/bernoulliPrinciple.html

SunTracker · « **Reply #6 on:** December 28, 2003, 07:26:21 AM »

Thanks. I found the answer guys, its deflection. A symmetrical wing is cambered to reduce drag. Or in the P-51s case, to produce laminar airflow (which didn't really work).

mold · « **Reply #7 on:** December 28, 2003, 08:19:40 AM »

All wings produce lift by the same method-- by pushing air molecules down and thereby pushing themselves up. Even a flat piece of cardboard generates lift, if you hold it at an angle.

SunTracker · « **Reply #8 on:** December 28, 2003, 09:06:15 AM »

Also some wings produce additional lift by have high air pressure on the bottom of the wing, low air pressure on the top.

mold · « **Reply #9 on:** December 28, 2003, 06:15:19 PM »

These are different faces of the same thing. The high pressure on the bottom exists because air is being pushed down, and the air "pushes back". The fundamental principle here is action-reaction, Newton's third law. That is the principle of the wing and the rocket alike.

MetaTron · « **Reply #10 on:** December 28, 2003, 06:35:47 PM »

Actually, it's a decreased pressure area above the wing that forms as a result of forward motion through air. The aircraft doesn't create lift, rather it is sucked into the air. Comforting isn't it?

Toad · « **Reply #11 on:** December 28, 2003, 06:42:24 PM »

Through the huge positive lift generator powered by numerous 115 volt / 400 cycle vortex generators, of course.

mold · « **Reply #12 on:** December 28, 2003, 06:45:20 PM »

It is true that there is a pressure difference between upper and lower surfaces. But this pressure difference is caused by the downward deflection of the air, not the other way around.

MetaTron · « **Reply #13 on:** December 28, 2003, 09:55:35 PM »

Mathman · « **Reply #14 on:** December 28, 2003, 09:59:49 PM »

You guys are all wrong. Its skyhooks. They do it all (well, except Paris Hilton, but I hear they are working on that)