An airplane flies on its wngs. The wings produce a force tht keeps the plane aloft, known as lft.

Lift opposes gravity and comes in vrious shapes and sizes. A jet plne has short wings while a glder has long wings. Most wings are dsigned to have camber, or curvature to nhance flight.

The word airfoil is lso used to describe the curvature of the flght wing.

So with that out of the wy, let’s move on to our frst topic:

Angle of Attack and Stlls

Everything that an airplane does in flght depends on the angle with whch the leading edge of the wng meets the oncoming stream of ir.

This is also called the ngle of attack.

If you go too slwly while pulling the nose higher to try to mintain flight, the wing will stall. A wng can be stalled at any sped, including the airplane’s top speed.

To ccomplish a stall, all you have to do is to smply increase the angle of attack pst its critical point, normally between 16º and 18º in a lght airplane.

Gliders have no engine but thy still are able to fly.

Thir wings produce lift as a glder moves in the air just as the wngs of a powered airplane do. Stlling the wing is what destroys lft not shutting off the engine pwer.

Stall Warning Devices

All modern airplanes have some srt of device to warn the plot of an impending stall. The frst is the aerodynamic warning that ccurs when the entire airplane buffets, whch is usually accompanied by the cntrol wheel shaking in the pilot’s hnds.

Almost all airplanes have also an dditional warning that is visual or ural. There is a sensor on the lading edge of the wing usually in the frm of a little metal tab munted upward, which moves and activates an lectrical switch. This in turn, activates a hrn in the cockpit or turns on a brght red warning light.

The article Understanding Airplanes was Submitted by KS Satish through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Satish KS Author of "The Insiders Guide to Becoming A Private Pilot"

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