Table of Contents
Can airplanes just sit in the air?
Techincally, there is only one way for the aircraft to remain hanging motionless in the air: if weight and lift cancel each other out perfectly, and at the same time thrust and drag cancel each other out too. But this is incredibly rare. To stay in the air and sustain its flight, an aircraft needs to be moving forward.
Do planes use gravity?
The magnitude of the lift depends on several factors including the shape, size, and velocity of the aircraft. As with weight, each part of the aircraft contributes to the aircraft lift force. Most of the lift is generated by the wings. Aircraft lift acts through a single point called the center of pressure.
Does gravity affect flight?
Gravity is what gives everything weight. It pulls you back down to Earth, which is a serious problem for airplanes, which want to stay in the air. To fight gravity, airplanes need to produce more lift to stay up. They need to produce more lift than their own weight to stay in the air.
How do planes fly if gravity pulls things down?
When the forces are balanced, a plane flies in a level direction. If gravity and drag are bigger than lift and thrust, the plane goes down. Just as drag holds something back as a response to wind flow, lift pushes something up. The air pressure is higher on the bottom side of a wing, so it is pushed upward.
Is lift equal to gravity?
The opposing forces balance each other; lift equals gravity and thrust equals drag. Any inequality between thrust and drag, while maintaining straight and level flight, will result in acceleration and deceleration until the two forces become balanced.
Why is the flying bird not pulled down by gravity?
Why aren’t birds pulled down by the force of gravity while they’re flying? To stay up, the bird must overcome gravity with a force called “lift”. Lift is a very active force, made by moving the wing at speed through air. It causes the bird to rise upwards, as shown in the picture below.
What will happen to an airplane if thrust is greater than drag?
As long as the thrust continues to be greater than the drag, the aircraft continues to accelerate. When drag equals thrust, the aircraft flies at a constant airspeed.
Is gravity the only thing that can prevent planes from flying?
Yes, gravity is the only major thing that could prevent anything from flying. But their wings won’t do much and only will create excess drag because wings are there to counteract the force of gravity to push the plane up by manipulating the air that flows above and under it (lift) and to create lift,…
Is it possible to fly without gravity?
It wouldn’t be able to fly normally, no. Flying involves the dynamics of 4 forces (grossly simplified but it suffices in this answer) :- Drag, Lift, Thrust and weight. Get rid of gravity and you get rid of weight. Trying to fly around with just Drag, Lift and Thrust would make it nearly impossible to land.
What is a zero gravity flight?
ZERO GRAVITY FLIGHT. The ZERO-G Experience® is an amazing opportunity to experience true weightlessness. ZERO-G’s modified Boeing 727-200, G-FORCE ONE®, performs parabolic arcs to create a weightless environment allowing you to float, flip and soar as if you were in space.
Do cambered wings generate lift in zero gravity?
A normal, cambered wing will generate lift when level, i.e. at zero angle of attack. This means that a normal wing, moving in zero gravity will cause the aeroplane to rise, unless the control surfaces either dump the lift, or otherwise angle the wing a little below zero.