Casey Wilson wrote:

"AES" wrote in message
...

some text deleted

So, how does a frisbee fly, anyway? Another of his favorites is just a
10" diameter weighted outer rim filled in with a slightly saggy "cloth
drumhead", which visibly bulges upward 1" or so at the center into a
fair imitation of an airfoil when you throw it. I've always figured the
heavy rim kept the thing spinning and thus semi-rigid, and the forward
motion of the airfoil shape gave the lift.


I'm a proponent of the Bernoulli theory (Stand by with flame deflectors). I
agree with the metal mass providing fly wheel effect and the airfoil for
lift. I'll add to that my theory that gyroscopic precession makes it tilt so
the lift vector turns it. Try changing from backhand to forehand to change
the direction of rotation.

Then how do you explain how well a simple flat disk such as a CD will
fly? It certainly has no airfoil shape.


Matt