1. How does an Aircraft Fly?

When a candidate goes for an Air Force Selection Board Interview and opts for flying branch then it is
likely that this question will be asked by the Interviewing Officer. Most of the candidates know that it is
based on Bernoullis Principle but they are not able to explain it further. The article below gives insight of
the working of an aircraft.

What are the forces acting on an Airplane?
Lift: It is produced by a lower pressure created on the upper surface of an airplanes wings
compared to the pressure on the wings lower surfaces, causing the wing to be LIFTED
upward.
Thrust: It is defined as the forward direction pushing or pulling force developed by aircraft
engine
Drag: It is the force which slows the forward movement of airplane though the air when the
aircraft direction is opposite to the direction of the motion of the airplane.
Gravity: It is a natural phenomenon by which all physical bodies attract each other. It is
most commonly experienced as the agent that gives weight to objects with mass and causes
them to fall to the ground when dropped.
Lift counters the force of gravity. Thrust counters the drag.
Application of Bernoullis Principle on an Aircraft
If the air is flowing on the top surface of an aircraft wing is moving faster than the bottom surface then the
press on the upper surface of the aircraft wing is less as compared to the pressure on the wings lower
surface which causes the wing to lifted upwards.
In other words, the wings are designed so that the air flowing over it will have to travel a greater distance
faster, resulting in lower pressure area thus lifting the wings.
Upper wing: Airflow is More & Pressure is Less
Lower wing: Airflow is Less & Pressure is More
How an aircraft flies upside down?
When the aircraft is flying right side up then the Ailerons, Wing Flaps at the wing and Elevators in the
rear tail are in Downward position to provide lift to the aircraft. But when the aircraft is upside down
then these Ailerons and Wing Flaps are switched to Upward position since the plane is inverted. The
airflow over the skyward surface is then greater than the other surface and hence the Bernoullis principle
is again followed and the aircraft can take lift.
Parts of an aircraft and their functions