l e s s o n forcesactingonanairplane- angelfire（l e s s o n forcesactingonanairplane——angelfire）.doc

LESSON: Forces acting on an airplane OBJECTIVE To develop the students understanding of the 4 forces that act upon an airplane in flight ELEMENTS Lift Airfoils Bernoulli’s Principal Newton’s Law Angle of attack Drag Induced Drag Wingtip Vortices Parasite Drag Thrust Torque Effect Weight Relationship of these 4 elements to an aircraft in flight SCHEDULE 60 Min Total EQUIPMENT Appropriate textbooks Chalkboard chalk Model aircraft Appropriate slides/Visual Aids INSTRUCTORS ACTIONS Discuss lesson objective Introduce the 4 forces Discuss each of the forces individually Describe their relationship to and effect on aircraft in flight Ask pertinent questions to determine students understanding Assign appropriate study material STUDENTS ACTIONS Listen, take notes, ask questions Respond to instructors questions Leave with a framework understanding of the subject COMPLETEION STANDARDS The student should demonstrate adequate understanding of forces acting on an airplane in flight by successfully completing an oral quiz or written exam Introduction Attention/Motivation Sure, you can fly an airplane with out knowing why and airplane is designed the way it is, and how lift or the other forces work. However, a good understanding of the principals of flight can lead to analyzing and predicting the performance of your airplane under different conditions of weight, altitude, etc. Overview This lesson explains the forces that affect all aircraft, shows how each individual force is developed, how they act upon an airplane in flight, and their relationship to each other DEVELOPMENT Airplanes are intended for a specific purpose, from teaching people how to fly to transporting 400 people across the Pacific Ocean. Airplane purpose determines design However, despite the different airplane designs there are four fundamental forces that affect all airplanes in flight The forces are lift, weight, thrust and drag Lift Force exerted primarily by the wings Wings are airfoils, or