Microlight » Aircraft Tech Knowledge » Basic Aerodynamic Theory

Leading Edge - edge facing the airstream
Trailing Edge - edge downstream
Chord - straight line joining the leading and trailing edges
Thickness - depth of the aerofoil
Camber - curvature of a line equidistant between upper and lower surfaces.
Angle of Attack - The angle between the Relative Airflow (RAF) and the Chord line.

Lift is the upward force that counteracts gravity, allowing an aircraft to stay in the air.

It's generated by the wings as they move through the air, creating a pressure difference that pushes the wing upwards.

Pilots rely on Indicated Airspeed (IAS) because it directly reflects the aerodynamic forces acting on the aircraft, unlike True Airspeed (TAS).

While air density influences lift, at a constant IAS, the density experienced by the wing remains effectively constant, regardless of altitude.

Using IAS as our speed reference simplifies things because it inherently accounts for air density variations.

So, whether air density increases or decreases, IAS will stay the same.

All aerodynamic forces on the aerofoil may be represented by a single resultant acting through a single point - this point is the centre of pressure.

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