Lift Forces in External Flows — Lesson 3

In nature, we observe that fish can leap out of water and glide using just their fins. These flying fish do this primarily to escape their predators. How do they glide in air? By generating a net upward force on their fins.

Airplanes fly by generating a similar upward force, which is usually referred to as the lift. A drone uses the rotational motion of its blades to fly.

In this lesson, we will discuss the generation of the upward lift force. We will learn how the aerospace industry uses this concept to develop different shapes of wings. We will also explore certain high lift devices that are commonly deployed in large commercial aircraft and understand how they aid in both take-off and landing.

Alternate video link.

Here are the corresponding handouts for this lesson.