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Old 10-28-2008 | 07:29 AM
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da Rock
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From: Near Pfafftown NC
Default RE: Angle of incidense affect on flight

Depends on how far each wing is from the center of drag of the whole airplane for one thing. Ignoring that (and we don't have enough room to do otherwise), if you change both equally and compare the change that'd give..............

The AOI basically decides where the fuselage gets pitched. Most of us won't see the difference with the airplane in the air and not close to us. But since the h.tail is greatly influenced, it's going to cause an effect. What will that be? Depends on what it was doing before the change.

The wing(s) airfoils and the gross weight of the airplane and it's speed decide the AOA. The pilot sets the throttle and elevator trim. The wing decides the rest. The fuselage goes along for the ride. Actually. Not literally, but actually.

Change the AOI, go back up and set the same throttle and elevator thrim and you get a different speed. Until you change the elevator trim. Do that and you wind up with the same flight as before (ignoring the difference in efficiency of the h.tail because of it's new "shape" ) because the lift is going to be the same as before. Because the AOA is back to what it was before, and the h.tail is going to be working in agreement as before. It'll just have a different elevator trim.

But the fuselage will have a couple of degrees difference in it's pitch.