ORIGINAL: Tim Green
ORIGINAL: mjfrederick
Since the plate negated "THE LIFT" by intersecting the airflow, then the airflow is all there is to "THE LIFT". Otherwise, the chopper would have taken off, with the plate attached.
This statement implies that when lift is being generated it ALWAYS results in upward movement. The problem with this "experiment" is that it shows nothing.
First of all - my statement implies nothing of the sort.
Secondly - I'm going to try this one more time ...
Take for instance - you - you're floating in space. You take a rock, and heave it down, towards your feet, missing your feet. What happens to you? We'll, you'll move in a direction opposite of the rock. The momentum of the rock provides the lift, so to speak.
Now - instead of missing your feet, throw that rock into your feet. What happens? For a split second, you'll go in the opposite direction from the rock - until it hits your feet. Then your motion will stop, as the force of the rock hitting your feet counteracts the reaction of your body to the action of throwing the rock.
This is the same as rotor blades throwing down air - if the air misses the plate (like throwing the rock but missing your feet) the chopper lifts. But if the air hits the plate (like the rock hitting your feet) the chopper won't lift.
This ain't rocket science.