New answers tagged airplane
2
As pointed out in other responses, there are many factors that influence how and why an aircraft will need constant adjustments made to maintain speed and altitude while cruising.
You are correct in assuming that as the mass decreases as you burn off fuel, there will be less lift required to counteract gravity. It will also take less thrust to counteract ...
4
That's easy. Just push the nose down a teensy bit. (or rather, pull the nose up less.) That will reduce AoA, reduce lift slightly, prevent you from climbing and will hold altitude.
"But then, we'll speed up!" Correct. So, reduce thrust as needed.
Another option is to intentionally climb. Then, you enjoy the fuel economy benefit of higher altitude. ...
4
As pointed out by HiddenWindshield, the pilot will pitch the nose down slightly as the fuel load is burned off. The pilot does this using the elevator trim control and will from time to time in a long flight add nose-down trim to maintain zero vertical speed. With less load, less lift is required, and trimming away the unnecessary lift will cause the plane's ...
4
There are a lot of things that affect lift beyond just the speed and air density. For instance, the angle of attack. As the weight of the aircraft decreases, the pilot (or autopilot) will pitch the nose down slightly to reduce the AoA, and therefore lift.
27
The autopilot pitches to hold the flight level when it captures the level at the top of the climb, so later on as the aircraft gets lighter and wants to climb further, the A/P will lower the nose as required to hold the flight level (the A/P is able to move the elevator through its servo's link to the elevator controls; it can also work the trim if the servo ...
1
There are three approaches to this need. First, you could build what amounts to a tandem wing. If you check the CoG location for a Rutan Quickie or its many derivatives, I'm pretty sure you'll find it's between the front (lower) and rear (upper) wings. Likewise, a Flying Flea (aka Pou de Ciel) has the CoG much further aft, relative to the forward/upper ...
1
It is normal to have anxiety when experiencing something new. These "butterflies" of the stomach are your body's reaction to your minds confusion over a new situation.
This is where training and mental discipline are key. Rationalize what is making you uncomfortable and focus on your task.
Looking down at my landing gear while flying along at 2000 feet ...
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