Why lift decreases with increase in altitude?

Answer 1

Need to use a bit of math here.

The lift equation is for an airfoil is L=½CLρSV² where

L = Lift produced
CL= Coefficient of Lift, a dimensionless value depending on the shape of the airfoil
ρ = density of the medium (air, here)
S = area of the airfoil
V = velocity of the airfoil in the medium

If you keep everything else constant (CL, V and S) the factor "ρ" alone remains to affect Lift. In fact this is what happens, at altitude density "ρ" decreases and subsequently Lift is decreased.

Answer 2

Lift produced by a given wing configuration is dependent on three things airspeed, angle of attack and air density. Air density decreases with altitude due to the decrease in air pressure.
A barometric altimeter works on this same principle, pressure decrease with altitude

Answer 3

Basically, the thinner the air, the less "stuff" there is to generate lift off of. In the vacuum of space, an airfoil generates zero lift. You get best lift when the air is dry, you're at a low altitude, and it's cold out (all things that effect density).

Answer 4

anybody is close, For a piston engine, there's a specfic gas/air ratio. As you enhance your altitude, rigidity drops. (to that end the comparable reason the temp drops). while hiking, in case you do no longer "lean" out the gas, the gas circulate maintains to be the comparable, however the airpressure interior the engine is decrease, so which you have a "wealthy" air/gas combination. to maintain the comparable ratio, you may lessen the gas circulate to the engine. because of the fact real Airspeed is IAS corrected for rigidity, the airspeed will enhance with decrease rigidity. (bigger altitudes) rapid/Superchargers, shop the rigidity in engine at or very on the brink of sea point rigidity in cruise flight at altitude, to that end the engines produce greater power, because of the air rigidity interior the engine. Jet Engine airplane are greater efficiant at bigger altitudes because of the decrease gas burn, and better TAS becasue of the decrease rigidity, and thanks to the thinner air, they have a decrease drag than that at sea point, even if the engines certainly produce greater thrust at sea point.

Answer 5

Because as u ascend in altitude, the lift decreases

Answer 6

Density in slugs per second.

The thinner the air the less lift per MPH.

Denver at 100 deg F means short fuel and dropping baggage to another flight just to get off the ground. Unheard of at LAX.

Ret. USAF SNCO

Answer 7

lift decreases due to the air's density is less, less oxygen molicules per sq inch. air gets lighter as you increase alttitude,fewer molicules. air gets heavier as you get to sea level, more molecules. less molicules flowing over a wing decreases the lift capacity of a aircraft. when air flows over a aircraft wing it generates a low preasure ontop of the wing, an high preasure underneath. which generates lift, so less air density means a lesser low preasure ontop of the wing so the aircraft has to move faster to generate the same lift when air is more dense.

Answer 8

Because the air gets thinner and the air pressure decreases as u ascend.

Answer 9

it doesn't. as a direct result of increased altitude,
lift is a direct result of angle of attack and thrust.

At the higher altitude:

* the lift is the same (since lift equals weight)
* the lift-to-drag ratio is the same (since it depends on angle of attack)
* the drag is the same (calculated from the previous two items)
* the thrust is the same (since thrust equals drag)
* the indicated airspeed is the same (to produce the same lift at the same angle of attack)
* the true airspeed is greater (because density is lower)
* the power required is greater (since power equals drag times TAS)

This means that any aircraft requires more power to maintain a given CAS at altitude. This applies to propellers, jets, and rockets equally.

Answer 10

Due to the lack of the oxygen content. the higher you go, the more oxygen it takes to keep power and more fuel is used. Just as in HALO jumps. High altitude low oxygen. You use oxygen until your reach 10,000 feet which is normal oxygen levels.