Lift And Drag

In the context of aerospace engineering, 'Lift and Drag' are two fundamental concepts that describe the forces acting on an aircraft during flight. 'Lift' is the force that directly opposes the weight of an airplane and holds the airplane in the air. It is generated by the movement of the aircraft through the air and the shape of the aircraft's wings. The wings of an aircraft are designed in a specific shape - flat at the bottom and curved at the top - to create a pressure difference that produces lift. 'Drag', on the other hand, is the force that opposes the motion of the aircraft through the air. There are two types of drag: parasitic drag and induced drag. Parasitic drag is the sum of form drag (resistance due to shape of aircraft), skin friction (resistance due to air friction on aircraft surface), and interference drag (resistance at the intersections of different aircraft parts). Induced drag is related to the generation of lift and increases with the square of the aircraft's speed. Understanding and managing lift and drag is crucial for the design and operation of aircraft.