Comment by p_l

2 years ago

Unfortunately, your explanation is entirely wrong... and you're attacking a "lies to children" simplification with your mention of "needs to run longer way around" bit.

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p_l

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avn2109  2 years ago

Well in defense of the GP, the "planes can observably fly upside down" point (and its close cousin the "flat wing cross sections can fly too" point) is a good one, this pokes holes in the usual two-dimensional "the air goes faster on top" themed explanation that omits any discussion of vortex shedding/third-dimensional effects.

  • p_l  2 years ago

    Oh, to be quite honest, I loved trolling my high school teachers with "your explanation fails, here is a real world airfoil, please explain it" and I would draw a symmetrical airfoil or - for extra trolling - a trapezoid one. (At that point I had already flown solo)

    But the same I found myself unable to pass by someone pushing "flat plane at an angle".