How do planes fly upside down?

Question

If a planes wing (aerofoil) is designed to produce lift upwards, when planes fly upside down why to are they not forced quickly downwards and crash?

Answer 1

It depends on the aircraft.
Aerobatic aircraft have specially shaped wings (symmetrical) so the air is accelerated over both top and bottom surfaces - this produces low pressure (lift) above and below the wing, so when the aircraft is inverted, the wings are still creating lift.

When a conventional aircraft is upside down (asymmetrical wings), the pilot uses the elevator to pitch the nose of the aircraft up above the horizon so that the thrust from the propellor/jet engine is pushing the aircraft away from the ground.

Answer 2

This is due to the making of the airfoil the aircraft..
old air crafts used to have their airfoils kind of straight which makes it harder to go up and down..
nowadays with their airfoils bent downwards so that the the difference between the air going above the the wing and the below the wing make the change in heights..

so normally when the plane is not banked and moving straight it would automatically go upwards so to make it go straight the pilot has to make the nose a bit heading down..

when upside down the opposite happens and the pilot has to push the other side..
with military planes , jet planes, have it very easy since they have a big power supply that can make it feel the same even if the plane was flipped upside down..

this is a nice good question

Answer 3

There are many types of wings used on aircraft. Two main categories are symmetrical cross section and asymmetrical cross section.

The asymmetrical cross section produces more lift at low speeds and has more drag (resistance to moving forward) The lift generated on one side is greater than the lift generated on the other side, given the same angle of attack (airflow direction)

The symmetrical cross section produces less lift but has less drag and allows high speeds. It produces equal lift on both sides of the wing at 0 degrees angel of attack. It this case, the angle of attack is what determines where lift is created. This airfoil is used on high speed aircraft and missiles.

The asymmetrical wing is unstable when inverted (upside down) Though it can fly upside down, the necessary angle of attack creates too much drag, making sustained inverted flight very difficult if not impossible.

There are many factors which determine the aerodynamics of a wing. Wings are designed to match aircraft weight and engine power. They are often designed to provide a lower center of gravity and be self leveling. This means that when you see one coming at you, the wings look like a wide V. These are designed with a built in 'up' in mind and will not be stable inverted.

;-D The bottom line is angle of attack and thrust. If the engine produces enough thrust, the plane can fly straight up with no help from the wings at all.

Answer 4

On a traditional aircraft it requires the talent of a very skilled pilot.

Stunt planes, on the other hand, have wings designed specially for this purpose. The lift generated by the difference in air pressure under the wing versus on the top surface of the wing can be adjusted slightly using flaps on the front and rear of the wing surface. Any disturbance on the wings surface will change the lift characteristics of the aircraft.

Answer 5

The pilot would roll the aircraft to inverted and keep a bit of down elevator on to keep the nose up. Aircraft that are designed to fly inverted would tend to have symmetrical aerofoils. Any flat surface could be used as a wing its all a matter of speed and angle of attack.

Answer 6

A commercial airliner will ABSOLUTELY be able to fly upside down. The same principles apply for inverted flight as normal flight, however inverted flight is no where near as efficient. The only limiting factor if a plane can fly upside down are the g-forces exhibited on the airframe. If the plane can take the g's, then it will be able to fly upside down.

Answer 7

any plane can fly upside down if it is built strong enough. if a plane flies upside down it has to fly with its nose slightly up. This is to generate positive air pressure under the wing .

Answer 8

Only certain planes can achieve this. An airliner wouldn't be able to generate enough speed. Look at the difference in design between them and the planes that the red arrows use.

Answer 9

It has a lot to-do with the momentum the aircraft is carrying when it turns upside down.

Answer 10

The skill of the pilot comes into it.