I'm sure it was not intentional on your part, but pressure is not increased under the wing, but more a case of reduced over the wing. Your post seemed to imply the latter.
Also, did you know that the Wright Bros had a wind tunnel? Those guys were not as "shot in the dark" as many people preceive them to have been.
-Q.
Originally posted by NebulaDDS
Ben,
Again, I'm not an airplane expert and really can't say much about the design of particular airplanes. From pictures I've seen of planes, the F-15 appeared to be one whose wings were angled upwards relative to the horizontal fuselage. If you say otherwise, I'll believe you. You've definitely got fact on your side!
However, and this is a big however, the BASIC physics behind flight is simple. I'm talking about getting a stick with wings having air blown at them staying aloft. Parasails, kites, paper airplanes, and even hydrofoils all follow the basic premise of flight. Air blowing against an airfoil with proper angle of attack creates greater pressure underneath than above resulting in lift. Then, make sure that what you want to stay aloft is balanced over the wing, or else it'll tip and pivot the wing with it and upward lift is lost. Is there more to basic flight than this?
What requires engineers is designing an aircraft with certain flight characteristics. Long, thin wings are good for long-distance steady flight, whereas short, thick wings are good for maneuverability. Swept wings are good for speed, etc. etc. Or, in the case of the stealth aircraft (ex: F-117), designing systems that make a plane that would otherwise be completely unstable for flight stable. You think the Wright brothers thought about things like washout and swept wings when trying to get up in the air?
.....come to think of it, wasn't man flying airplanes for many years before rearward swept wings were even introduced?.....let alone foreward swept wings!!!!