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Old July 2nd 18, 01:59 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
jfitch
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Default Opinions on NASA lift theory?

On Sunday, July 1, 2018 at 11:17:23 AM UTC-4, George Haeh wrote:
The previous webpage offers the correct mechanism:

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/K-12/airplane/right2.html

Note that in: F = m * dV/dt

F and V are vectors with components in 3 dimensions. Of course the z-axis is of most interest. Drag and vortex effects manifest themselves principally in the x and y axes.

And yes, there's a vast amount of mythology on lift generation in most pilot textbooks.


All of the several valid theories of lift are simply mathematical models, not the reality itself. The Bernoulli mechanism does in fact generate lift, but does not explain or predict it well, so it is best discarded as less than the whole picture. There's lifting line theory, circulation theory, deflection theory - no shortage of models.