Angle Analysis

This is the first applet in AeroNet, the angle of attack analysis. As you learned in the lift section, the angle of attack is one of the factors which goes into lift. But also remember, above a certain value, a high angle of attack can lead to a stall. You'll be able to see that effect here, as the streamlines at the leading edge of the airfoil start to have to rise straight up to move around the airfoil. This condition can lead to a stall.

Also, try angling the airfoil downwards. You'll notice that the streamlines bunch up under the airfoil, causing the plane to lose its lift.

Warning: This applet is computationally intensive. On most modern computers, the time it takes to update after you click is under one-tenth of a second, but on more outdated computers, it may take as much as five seconds. Please don't click again, thinking nothing happened, as the applet is recomputing the streamlines.

Instructions

When the applet loads, you will see an airfoil with many lines around it - the streamlines. The airfoil which appears by default is representative of a modern airfoil. To look at an airfoil representative of that on the Wright Brothers flier, click the "early" button. If you decide you'd prefer to go back to a more modern airfoil, click the "modern" button.

The curved line with two arrows on the right is used to change the angle of attack. Click the up arrow to angle the airfoil up, and the down arrow to lower the angle of attack.