How does an aeroplane stay at a constant level?

Question

The massive thrust takes it off the ground and makes it go up. If it continued to accelerate it would continue to go up. Once it slows its acceleration, as its heavier than the air, with nothing to propel it upwards, shouldn't it drop? What makes it stay level in the air?

Answer 1

Zikzak is only half correct, the bernoulli effect (the faster air over top of wing causing negative pressure) only works at fairly low speeds i.e gliders and helping take offs, the main method a plane stays up is the angle of the wing and deflection of air the wing makes.



to answer your question, planes stay up at a constant height due to the lift generated being equal to the force of gravity, when plane goes faster more lift, slower less lift. easy as that.

Answer 2

Hi,



This is all to do with the shape of its wings or, more accurately, the shape of the cross section of its wings. The upper part of an airplanes wing is shaped differently to the underside. When the airplane moves forward air moving over the upper surface exerts a lower pressure on the wing than air flowing under the wing. So the airplane is lifted by the greater pressure under the wing. In stable flight the upward lift balances the downward force due to the mass of the aircraft and the plane flies horizontally until the pilot uses the controls to change the wing profile by using the flaps when the plane will climb or dive.

Answer 3

Thrust does NOT make the airplane go up. The wings of the airplane generate lift, an aerodynamic force caused by the flow of air over the wing. The lift force is directed upwards, holding the airplane up.



If thrust kept the plane in the air, then gliders would never fly. When an airplane loses the engine, it does not fall to the ground immediately. In fact, with no engine at all, you can still (briefly) climb the airplane. A glider, with wings designed for maximum lift, can stay in the air almost indefinitely.

Answer 4

It stays up by the Bernoulli effect, which is a pressure difference due to the difference in speed of airflow over the top of the wing and on the bottom. The wing's shape means that air flows faster over the top than the bottom hence the pressure pushes the wing up giving rise to the aerodynamic lift force. Now this force depends on the speed of the plane and not the acceleration, so at constant speed and in level flight the lift force balances the weight of the aircraft.

Answer 5

Massive thrust does not make the aircraft take off, it is the movement of the air over and below the wings which creates 'lift' - i.e. a difference in the air pressure above and below the wing. You obviously have to enough speed to create the necessary lift but once this has been reached the craft will remain in the air.

Answer 6

It's basically air pressure acting on the wings plus thrust (velocity) that keeps the plane airborne.



Thrust technically only moves the plane forward - it does not cause the plane to become airborne - there are 'flaps' on the wings that change the angle of air across the wings that make the plane go up. Once it is airborne, the direction of these 'flaps' is changed, and the constant air pressure (100s of miles per hour) acting on the underside of the wings keeps the plane up in the air.

Answer 7

A continued balance between the lift produced by the wings (wings produce lift, not the thrust of the engines - they just produce forward velocity) and gravity.



As long as forward velocity is constant, and as long as air density is constant*, and as long as both are enough to generate lift, the airplane will stay at a constant altitude.



*changing air density regions are what causes turbulence.

Answer 8

the level of upwards force created by the wings equals the amount of downwards force created by gravity.



Exactly the same way as if you hold a ball in your hand, you are providing the same upwards force as gravity is downwards.

Answer 9

the flaps onthe wings are used also to dictate the velocity and the level of the plane as wings are stationary but flaps are manouverable

Answer 10

Isn't there a bloke in the front who takes care of that? I hope so.