A real good site to explain (nearly) everything in aerodynamics! =advanced=

[GL-P]

If you need a description of transonic flow or other exotic things in aerodynamics, I just found a site that really sums it all up but makes it understandable!

https://history.nasa.gov/SP-367/contents.htm

Covers stuff like what is the best sweep for low drag at supersonic speeds and true descriptions of high speed flight!

Very fascinating!!!

 

[bobkrech]

A great find.

It's a good place to start to learn the fundamentals. For folks who want a hardcopy, the entire publication can be downloaded here.

https://techreports.larc.nasa.gov/ltrs/PDF/NASA-75-sp367.pdf

Bob Krech

 

IMO the "Stability and Control" section was lacking in a couple of fundamentals, but overall the whole document seems to be pretty basic yet informative.

 

[Dr.Zooch]

It is real interesting that much of what we were told in training was the way of lift turns out to be WWII B.S. When I was writing my CD ROM on lifting bodies I turned to NASA to refresh myself on lift. Now, I'm an ATP, former airline captain with over two decades in the aviation biz. and a degree in Aero Sci.... and I suddenly found out that stuff that I actually instructed people in was crap. Lift from turning flow really opened my eyes. It is hard to think that there are aviators out there right now teaching the incorrect junk, the FAA is giving tests where the correct answers are the myths and all of them cast aircraft right over your head all the time- happily thinking that they know what they're talking about.

I always say that NASA is the fuel efficent compact car of Gov. agencies- you get the most miles for your tax dollar there.

 

Originally posted by Dr.Zooch
It is real interesting that much of what we were told in training was the way of lift turns out to be WWII B.S. When I was writing my CD ROM on lifting bodies I turned to NASA to refresh myself on lift. Now, I'm an ATP, former airline captain with over two decades in the aviation biz. and a degree in Aero Sci.... and I suddenly found out that stuff that I actually instructed people in was crap. Lift from turning flow really opened my eyes. It is hard to think that there are aviators out there right now teaching the incorrect junk, the FAA is giving tests where the correct answers are the myths and all of them cast aircraft right over your head all the time- happily thinking that they know what they're talking about.

Another way to think about this kind of thing - recall Newton's law "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

Well, what holds an airplane up?

Air.

So the air is pushing on the plane - right?

Which means that the airplane is pushing on the air.....whcih means the airplane is pushing the air down - which means the wing is pushing the air down.

Etc

etc

etc

Also, one has to recall that aero is often taught in terms of a still body and air flowing over the body. Well, this is not the case. In reality, the air is still (mostly) and the aircraft/car/whatever is moving through the air. Things tend to make a little more sense when you think in terms of a bluff body displacing the air - think of when you're driving your car on a cold morning, and you see another car drive through a cloud of water condensation - the "fog" is pushed out of the way by the car, and then sucked back into place.

 

[Chilly]

Originally posted by Dr.Zooch
It is real interesting that much of what we were told in training was the way of lift turns out to be WWII B.S. When I was writing my CD ROM on lifting bodies I turned to NASA to refresh myself on lift. Now, I'm an ATP, former airline captain with over two decades in the aviation biz. and a degree in Aero Sci.... and I suddenly found out that stuff that I actually instructed people in was crap. Lift from turning flow really opened my eyes. It is hard to think that there are aviators out there right now teaching the incorrect junk, the FAA is giving tests where the correct answers are the myths and all of them cast aircraft right over your head all the time- happily thinking that they know what they're talking about.

The inevitable consequence after decades of trying to boil down a complex subject to the lowest common denominator. Thankfully, the engineers who design the airplanes and determine their operating limits usually have a better understanding of things!

There's just so much to know, and so much that has to be remembered for day-to-day operations. I don't know how you *can't* get some concepts confused or downright wrong.

 

[Dr.Zooch]

Man that is some truth there. I've always said that billions of people watch TV, but very few can actually tell you how one works.

 

[SARocketMan]

It's interesting about how the nose cone can be supersonic and the wings are still subsonic giving them less drag.

Alex