2007-06-23 03:19:23 · 5 answers · asked by Van der stone 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
High angle of attacks. Most airfoils are slightly asymmetrical, even in aerobatic planes, but as long as the angle of attack is high enough so that the air has a shorter distance to travel on the bottom than the top, it will work.
2007-06-23 04:27:39 · answer #1 · answered by ajvpb 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The age old question - is it pressure on the bottom or the suction on the top.
Answer - as shown by your question - it's pressure on the bottom (angle of attack).
What the shape of the airfoil on top does is smooth out and reduce what would otherwise be a very turbulent and drag producing area on top.
The asymmetrical airfoils is simply not as efficient upside down because the top (formerly bottom) surface can't keep the airflow attached as well - so it produces more drag than in it's designed position - right side up.
2007-06-26 23:57:54 · answer #2 · answered by Mountain Top 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dependant upon the angle of attack. Lift is still generated based on that factor.
2007-06-23 13:25:27 · answer #3 · answered by Thom 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The same way it gets it's lift when right side up. It is just a little less efficient.
http://www.av8n.com/how/htm/airfoils.html#toc56
2007-06-23 10:32:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
HAHAHA! Which just goes to show you that the simplistic airoil explanations in all the high school physics textbook are all just silly sh--. It's *all * angle of attack, IMO. Bwahahahaa!
2007-06-23 17:09:27 · answer #5 · answered by marko2529 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋