Air flow on top of a airplane wing

[Quasar44]

I understand that air on top of a wing travels faster than the air on the bottom of the wing ??

This is because air on top has a longer distance to travel

Why is that ??

I assume it’s due to geometry of a wing ??

The air traveling on top has a larger upward trajectory??

 

[Quasar44]

Bernoulli effect is cool

 

[shockedcanadian]

Much to learn in life though this is rather innocuous information as it were hah. Still always hear how rules work.

 

[cnm]

I understand that air on top of a wing travels faster than the air on the bottom of the wing ??

This is because air on top has a longer distance to travel

Why is that ??

I assume it’s due to geometry of a wing ??

The air traveling on top has a larger upward trajectory??

JFC

 

[BackAgain]

Look up “lift”

 

[Quasar44]

Much to learn in life though this is rather innocuous information as it were hah. Still always hear how rules work.

I am fascinated by the basic laws of everyday events

 

[shockedcanadian]

I am fascinated by the basic laws of everyday events

Yes, the world is a place of miracles. If only we as a species could eliminate all of the deadly traits that lead us to commit evil and abuses against one another. If a sophisticated civilization of aliens were observing us from afar, would they really want to interact with such an emotionally primitive peoples?

 

[Dekster]

I understand that air on top of a wing travels faster than the air on the bottom of the wing ??

This is because air on top has a longer distance to travel

Why is that ??

I assume it’s due to geometry of a wing ??

The air traveling on top has a larger upward trajectory??

It is because of the design of the wing. I find ground effect a much more interesting phenomenon, especially in low wing planes. Basically what happens is the vortices on your wingtips start interact with the ground when you are within one wing's distance of the ground and it gets more pronounced the closer you get. It causes the plane to "float" when landing. More interesting is that it also allows a plane to get into the air at a slightly slower speed than it would take to maintain normal flight. If you do that, you have to stay low to the ground and build up sufficient added airspeed to maintain flight or else you will drop back to the ground once you climb out of ground effect.

 

[westwall]

It is because of the design of the wing. I find ground effect a much more interesting phenomenon, especially in low wing planes. Basically what happens is the vortices on your wingtips start interact with the ground when you are within one wing's distance of the ground and it gets more pronounced the closer you get. It causes the plane to "float" when landing. More interesting is that it also allows a plane to get into the air at a slightly slower speed than it would take to maintain normal flight. If you do that, you have to stay low to the ground and build up sufficient added airspeed to maintain flight or else you will drop back to the ground once you climb out of ground effect.

Look up Ekranoplan.

 

[there4eyeM]

"Ground effect" could be very helpful over long ocean flights.

 

[Quasar44]

Yes, the world is a place of miracles. If only we as a species could eliminate all of the deadly traits that lead us to commit evil and abuses against one another. If a sophisticated civilization of aliens were observing us from afar, would they really want to interact with such an emotionally primitive peoples?

They would find us primitive and insufferable

 

[Quasar44]

Much to learn in life though this is rather innocuous information as it were hah. Still always hear how rules work.

You are the first person I have seen here to use
The word innocuous
I had to google it

 

[shockedcanadian]

They would find us primitive and insufferable

This distant civilization would educate their young and tell them "these are the dangers of the universe and the reasons why we stay on ournplanet among our own kind"

 

[SavannahMann]

The shape of the wing is vital. It is curved on the top and flat on the bottom. This as you surmised means that the air on top of the wing has a longer distance to travel.

While we can’t see the air, we can see its effect. This is a video of an aerodynamic stall. That means the plane is going so slowly that the wing no longer provides lift.


Notice the strings start at the back of the wing. They start to wiggle first. The air is becoming decoupled. As the plane continues slowing the effect moves to the forward edge of the wing. This is the visible effect of what is happening.

The rule for this is to lower the nose of the aircraft. That allows the plane to pick up more speed and increase the airflow over the wing. The wing generates more lift, and the plane returns to flying instead of falling.

Sometimes Pilots screw this Flight School 101 technique up. An example is Air France Flight 447.

Air France Flight 447 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The plane was at 35,000 feet and entered a stall. It climbed at first and then stalled. It fell nearly eight miles to impact the water. The situation was easily corrected by simply lowering the nose. The aircraft would have picked up speed and stopped falling, allowing the pilots to regain controlled flight.

While it is not the only such example, it is one most of us heard about.

 

[miketx]

The shape of the wing is vital. It is curved on the top and flat on the bottom. This as you surmised means that the air on top of the wing has a longer distance to travel.

While we can’t see the air, we can see its effect. This is a video of an aerodynamic stall. That means the plane is going so slowly that the wing no longer provides lift.


Notice the strings start at the back of the wing. They start to wiggle first. The air is becoming decoupled. As the plane continues slowing the effect moves to the forward edge of the wing. This is the visible effect of what is happening.

The rule for this is to lower the nose of the aircraft. That allows the plane to pick up more speed and increase the airflow over the wing. The wing generates more lift, and the plane returns to flying instead of falling.

Sometimes Pilots screw this Flight School 101 technique up. An example is Air France Flight 447.

Air France Flight 447 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The plane was at 35,000 feet and entered a stall. It climbed at first and then stalled. It fell nearly eight miles to impact the water. The situation was easily corrected by simply lowering the nose. The aircraft would have picked up speed and stopped falling, allowing the pilots to regain controlled flight.

While it is not the only such example, it is one most of us heard about.

Torque converters have a stall speed also.

 

[AZrailwhale]

"Ground effect" could be very helpful over long ocean flights.

No it wouldn’t because along with increased lift comes increases drag thus using more fuel.

 

[there4eyeM]

Cormorants seem to do pretty well.

 

[Nobody911]

Airplane wings are shaped to make air move faster over the top of the wing. When air moves faster, the pressure of the air decreases. So the pressure on the top of the wing is less than the pressure on the bottom of the wing. The difference in pressure creates a force on the wing that lifts the wing up into the air.

For more details, just hit NASA link down below.

Reference:
Dynamics of Flight – Dynamics of Flight

 

[trevorjohnson83]

I understand that air on top of a wing travels faster than the air on the bottom of the wing ??

This is because air on top has a longer distance to travel

Why is that ??

I assume it’s due to geometry of a wing ??

The air traveling on top has a larger upward trajectory??

I'm not sure for an airplane wing but for a river current when the river runs into a rise in the bed which makes it shallower, the water runs faster over the shallow area. It might be similar.

 

[ReinyDays]

Pressure force ... it's complicated ...