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Upsidedown wing and lift generation.

Asked by: 2154 views Aerodynamics, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor, General Aviation, Private Pilot, Student Pilot

If the plane flies upside down, lets say in aerobatic flight,

does it still produce positive lift, and the airflow over the wing still flows faster than that of below the wing assuming the airfoil is cambered.

 

Steve

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1 Answers



  1. Skyfox on Apr 11, 2016

    The answer is yes, if by “positive lift” you mean lift in the direction away from the ground. An airplane flying upside down will still have its nose pointed up towards the sky in order for the wings to have a high enough angle of attack compared to the relative wind to create lift on the airfoil’s bottom surface (which is facing the sky). The vertical component of the thrust vector also helps generate lift in the form of vertical thrust, although a relatively small amount compared to the lift generated by the wings.

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