Aircraft Wing Affect The Average Rate Of Plane

Background Knowledge
The question for this experiment is, Does the angle of an airplane wing affect the average rate of descent of the plane while gliding? So, the thing that is being tested is if the angle of an airplane wing, which determines the average rate of descent. In this experiment, the average rate of descent will be found by dividing the distance the plane traveled by the time it took the plane to land.
First, how planes fly needs to be understood. Airplanes fly because the wings cause lift. The lift of the wing has to be greater than the amount of gravity that is pulling down on the plane. The wings cause lift because of an airfoil shape. The wings are rounded on the top and almost flat on the bottom. The air has to go farther over the top of the wing so there is a low pressure area above the wing. This causes the lift of the wing and holds the airplane in flight. …show more content…
Another reason that the wings make an airplane fly is the angle of the wing, which is being tested. If only the airfoil kept a plane up, then flipping a plane over would send the plane into a dive and crash. The angle of the wing lets the plane fly upside down. Wing aspect ratio affects the maneuverability of the aircraft. For a plane to have more stability, engineers use long and narrow wings. This is when an aircraft has a high aspect ratio. This also has low maneuverability and will be harder to control. Low aspect ratio, or short, wide wings, has more maneuverability but has less