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Tailless Aircraft: How Airplanes Fly Without a Tail

Pilot Institute

Have you ever seen an airplane with no tail and no vertical fin, but with just a sleek wing? They prove that with the right aerodynamic tricks, you dont need a tail to fly. A tailless aircraft may still have a fuselage and a vertical tail (fin and rudder). How does the tail do this? Ever wondered how it stays balanced?

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Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator

Vintage Aviation News

Davis, who had developed a new wing, whose airfoil had a lower drag co-efficiency than other wing designs of the time, and which had already been used on the company’s Model 31/XP4Y Corregidor flying boat. The Davis Wing allowed for higher speeds and added lift at relatively low angles of attack.

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Wingtip Vortices and Wake Turbulence

Pilot Institute

When air flows over the aircraft wing, the shape of the airfoil creates low pressure above the wing and relatively higher pressure below the wing. This is called lift. Wingtip vortices are a byproduct of lift. Once the wing stops producing lift, the vortices dissipate instantly. How Are Wingtip Vortices Formed?

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Mach Number Explained: What It Is and Why Pilots Use It

Pilot Institute

Lift, drag, and handling correlate well with IAS in the lower atmosphere. Making the wing relatively flat on top with a blunter leading edge and more curvature on the bottom gives you a supercritical airfoil. This means the inboard wing loses lift first, while the wingtips might still be lifting.

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The Role of Newton’s Third Law in Aviation

Pilot Institute

Lift is the force that aircraft use to counter gravity. Newton’s Third Law is one of the key laws of physics that explains lift. Lets see what Newtons Third Law is, and why we need it to understand lift. This principle is fundamental in generating lift, thrust, and maneuverability, allowing aircraft to fly.

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A Bristol Bulldog Biplane Fighter is Once Again in the Sky

Vintage Aviation News

Storo lifted the British fighter into the air for the first time on June 28, 2022, from Tillamook Municipal Airport near his home. What you do is you sit up high for takeoff and as you add power and the tail comes up almost immediately, very quickly. At that point, you’re simply looking down the runway, and then it lifts off.

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Is Flying a Helicopter Harder Than Flying a Plane? A Comparative Analysis

Pilot's Life Blog

Aerodynamic Differences Fixed-Wing Aircraft (Airplanes) Airplanes , or fixed-wing aircraft, generate lift through their stationary wings as they move forward. The wings are designed with an airfoil shape, curved on the top and flatter on the bottom, creating a pressure difference when air flows over them.