First Steps in Flight Physics

Aeronautical engineering, flight physics, aircraft in flight, aerodynamics.

The fundamentals of flight physics are presented in this course. You will:

What you’ll learn

• Learn some important fundamentals of aerodynamics, such as pressure exerted by a fluid and the source of aerodynamic forces on a solid body..
• Revise Newton’s laws of motion and how they are applicable to an airplane in flight..
• Understand how the aerodynamic forces make an airplane to fly and how these forces induce the maneuvers in flight..
• Learn some important non-dimensional variables in aeronautics, such as force coefficients and load factors..

Course Content

• Introduction –> 2 lectures • 3min.
• Source of aerodynamic forces –> 3 lectures • 10min.
• Systems of axes –> 3 lectures • 14min.
• Fundamentals of vector algebra and newtonian mechanics –> 6 lectures • 25min.
• Basic forces and moments on aircraft –> 11 lectures • 43min.
• Mass and center of gravity –> 3 lectures • 6min.
• Basic airplane aerodynamics –> 7 lectures • 26min.
• Airplane thrust –> 1 lecture • 6min.

Requirements

The fundamentals of flight physics are presented in this course. You will:

• Know the mechanism of the air pressure that enables an airplane to fly, including a microscopic point of view.
• Identify the main aerodynamic forces to which an airplane is subjected during flight, and how to calculate them.
• Notice how the proper definition of systems of axes is crucial for a good comprehension of the physics in flight.
• Know the three basic maneuvers of an airplane, their names, and the devices that are used for their execution.
• Learn some important non-dimensional quantities for an airplane’s aerodynamic characteristics.
• Apply Newton’s laws of motion to an airplane in flight.
• Learn the mechanism of thrust production by the propeller and by the jet engine. You will also learn the two main variations of the jet engine: turboprop and turbofan.
• Be introduced to the airworthiness requirements and learn where they are available.

If you are not an aeronautical engineer, but you intend to work in the aeronautical industry, this course is perfect to help you start your journey! If you intend to become an airplane pilot, this course will be highly beneficial to your future career. For aeronautical engineering students, this course may be helpful in developing study routines and providing further bibliography.