How Does Lift Work? (How Airplanes Fly)

[@Arnostic]

I don’t care how many times I see an airplane takeoff, it’ll never cease to amaze me in every way possible.

[@IcePhergYT]

*Never

[@IcePhergYT]

As respectfully as possible

[@Arnostic]

@@IcePhergYT oh my bad, thank you!!

[@AlexIndus]

Same here. Fascinates me every time. Feel like it’s a miracle !

[@pjcandelaria1]

You need to lift a bird . Big one I mean. Specially props.

[@stinger4712]

I live near an airport so ive seen thousands of planes taking off or coming in for a landing. Every single time im amazed.

[@gengiz]

Every time I fly I am amazed at human engineering and technology

[@KingG-d4h]

Likewise

[@mactherealestateman]

They studied birds.

[@vok7584]

​@mactherealestateman, it wasn't just a study. It was several years of reasoning, trials, errors and results. Hence, it's still amazing.

[@AndrewCampbell-ut6jk]

Good basic explanation of how wings work, one of the best I have seen without getting too technichnical.

[@syedghalib3158]

Flaps are not moved during run ups, they are set to a certain degree based on passenger/cargo load, the temp of the day, humidity and the runway length, prior to start of run during the take off procedure call. The pressure difference on upper & lower wings are due to the venturi effect. The air flowing past and over the wing does not stick till the end, it detaches itself before the trailing edge. The upper area of the wing near trailing edge which has no air contact is called "wake area". It is not a desirable condition though. So, vortex generators are installed on upper wing to have air in contact, no matter it is not as smooth as the air on front upper area of the wing. The lift formula has no place for wing (aerofoil) thickness. The aspect ratio or the length x width is the one that has significance. Modern jets have thicker wings for structural strength as they are also used as fuel storage. When flaps are deployed, it is the aspect ratio that increases, thus creating more lift. Venturi effect can be tested by holding two pages, an inch apart, near your face and blowing in the gap. You wil notice that the two pages do not expand apart as you may have guessed, instead they come close like sticking together. Same effect can be seen when a truck or high speed car crosses your motorcycle or car, you feel the magnetic effect of leaning or moving towards the other vehicle. Keep this in mind and be careful on highways.

[@Anthony-gq7dk]

The angle of attack on takeoff of the last 380 seems to defy all laws of physics. Looks as if it is about to stall , but doesn't . Great videos , well done, so informative .

[@asomaskanda]

I think you are wrong. It works according to Bernoulli's principle that states that in fluid dynamics an increase in the speed of fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or decrease in the fluid's potential energy1 This is what creates the lift for the plane!

[@theKhumbaguy]

That hair dryer example is amazing. Great video.

[@avinashpatil6920]

I am 63 now today as on August-2024 still have curiosity to see how planes taking off or lands. Every single time I m amazed. Like child, I took window seat to look down the earth surface and observe the wings movements carefully.

[@Monkeymahenmiester]

🥰

[@AL-jn2mn]

This is a great video in explaining aerodynamic concepts relating to lift, thank you! It was great to see all the diagrams and the visual representation of the airplane flying because it gave me a better understanding how lift works and how we have to apply the concepts such as the angle of attack and the pressure differential on how faster moving air applies less pressure which are crucial concepts in understanding how lift generates.

[@wanzilaabel2274]

How to change direction, because when the radar reacts, there's a sudden change in direction which may panic passengers.Hw do captains manage to change direction in a better and safer way.

[@melchizedekoumamakora6271]

You are truly a wonderful teacher

[@TheBondy2010]

Loved all those real life examples of the physics! I wish I was shown this in uni!!!

[@abelbarraza8422]

I agree this video did a good job of explaining many aerodynamic concepts that relate to lift and actually helping the viewers visualize them through experiments and visual representations. The use of equations to also explain why pressure decreases in certain areas for example is a great way to relate the mathematics into all of it. The only thing I would add to this video is addressing some of the misconceptions of lift and explaining why they're incorrect or incomplete.

[@pentogram23]

The elevators should have been talked about and how they helps point the nose up after 300 klm

[@ravindupererawarnakulapata9246]

Really slick explanation (you had 6 mins to sum up a 4-year uni degree!). Also love the Dumbo reference haha!

[@BrodieMcClure-qd5lw]

bro did not laugh irl

[@BrodieMcClure-qd5lw]

bro went like “……” and bro said haha

[@BrodieMcClure-qd5lw]

fake laugh lookin ahh

[@BrodieMcClure-qd5lw]

bros the person who laughs when someone says “Rizz master!”

[@BrodieMcClure-qd5lw]

bro looks like a clock

[@louisacquah-baidoo4800]

I wish I could personally give you a 1K like. Your explanation is really indept and same time soo simple to understand

[@snuggles03]

I watched that video twice, and I still do not understand. But don’t worry I was never really good at maths and science.

[@edhorton2766]

That's all right. Just fasten your seat belt, say a prayer, and everything will probably be OK.

[@asarerebird8480]

😢😮😂😅

[@gundyhajcman2188]

Ditto☺️

[@AJLKS.]

Very informative! Perhaps one topic to discuss in the future would be "wing aspect ratio"?

[@HitMeWith]

Great suggestion!

[@asamapearl]

Love it! Where were you when I was doing my GCSES?

[@robert.ehrlich8942]

Angle of attack and pressure differential are not two different independant factors contributing to lift, they are two aspects of the same global process. Pressure differential is responsible of the total lift, since no other force than pressure forces can create lift. Of course if the wing pushes the air in some direction, the air pushes the wing in the opposite direction, but this can happen only via the pressure forces.

[@ririshow]

You are leaning towards A Bernoulli explanation. Some people would disagree and prefer Newton's explanation.

[@chrisshonga]

Great video, great information especially for those people who keep asking difficulty question of how possible such a massive flight can manage to lift up easily with almost 600 people on board plus luggages. Thank you for your knowledge which helped a lot of who love to fly with A380 but don't have a clue how things work to lift such a massive plane

[@deang5622]

I am impressed. You are the only KZbinr I have seen so far that correctly recognises the part played by Newton's Third Law of motion. All the other muppets believe the sole source of lift is Bernoulli's principle, until I ask them how the aircraft flies upside down where the lift force produced by the wing is in the same direction as gravity - downwards. Without exception, that shuts the muppets up that think they know it all.

[@ricbarker4829]

I feel your pain. I have been arguing with other pilot's for years that the main amount of lift is generated by the bottom surface of the wing directing the airflow downwards. They look at you as if you are an aviation heretic.

[@h2opiays753]

Solid explanations and external analogies/examples man! This truly helped me understand it better. Im not physician or anything just interested in planes. This truly helped me understand better!!

[@brandontsivitse5277]

Great video with clear and concise explanations and diagrams of the use of lift by airplanes to fly. Great that it explains lift using both aspects of angle of attack and pressure differential, as well as describing lift using both the Newtonian approach and the Bernoulli approach. The video could have gone into more detail about the technicalities of lift with respect to aircraft wing design, such as the production of vortices from certain types of lift, in particular those that have highly volatile angle of attack changes, although this probably would not amply fit in the timeframe of this video.

[@darryldias8414]

The presenters accent is so so cool 😎 plus the amazing explanation has got me reverted

[@aurorap4281]

Awesome video! Can't wait for the next one. Would love to know more about the history of flight (and how all this was discovered!) in a future video.

[@kakhaval]

Google "The Wright brothers first aeroplane flight (1903)". They used a funny catapult mechanism. Amazing how it developed so fast to modern planes.

[@nativeson1559]

Thank you professor. You make a very good teacher.

[@nizamina]

Thank you. Always wondered how all this weight got up in the air.

[@emmittcornelius1188]

Best explanation of flight aerodynamics ever!!!!!

[@alexbowman7582]

The first human built “wing” was probably a boats sail but it could have been the boomerang. Both use wing principles. The boomerang was almost certainly the first human guided missile as well as it’s designed to change it’s trajectory to hit birds in flight.

[@antoniokastrocarlisledemel6617]

Even as someone who has loved and studied aviation for 30 yrs i still have some basic questions like the Wings and Fuel...am i the only one that wonders how it's possible for the wings to hold a good 400,000 l bs of fuel plus 4 engines and withstand the forces on it while flying and somehow also push the rest of the plane forward without snapping off?..the fuel really gets me cuz it doesnt ever look like any plane can hold as much fuel as advertised and then to have wires and hydraulics running through them and numerous control surfaces attached to them and then maintain that strength while the plane is moving over 500 mph it really is literally mind boggling..im 37 so i dont know a world without planes but even with ally i know it doesnt make them any less amazing and borderline Magic so im sure even the most intelligent from the past lose their minds seeing a plane fly

[@HitMeWith]

This is a great question. I'll try and do a video on the structure of plane wings at some point!

[@templeosigwe3545]

I understood nothing but enjoyed it. Thank you!

[@nativeson1559]

Lol! this is like your lecturer (professor) teaching you about linear regression analysis and you getting nothing.

[@elchanclascocina]

​@@nativeson1559I got linear regression all right, but not this! 😂

[@nativeson1559]

@@elchanclascocina LOl! You have a sharp mind.

[@natahx2787]

Awesome video! I love people explaining aviation concepts! Keep it up

[@captainjack003]

What a kind of delivery of learning... With Background music 🥳🥳🥳

[@PaulStClair-or3gj]

A sailing yachts sail is a vertical wing. It uses exactly the same principal to create the driving forces.

[@Matlock901]

the whole thing is just Amazin .for a air craft to weight 575 ton and just take off into tin air is mind blowing. thanks for the info

[@deu8894]

Very remarkable indeed. Especially for an aircraft as large as the airbus a380

[@Kebab4523]

Learning with you is fun thank you 👍

[@garrettmartin101]

When watching this video, I noticed that there was a lot of visual aid such as diagrams to help explain how lift is generated. To help support the claims you used real examples which helped me better understand how lift works. The mention of different wings and how the size and shape can change lift was very informative.

[@rogerrendzak8055]

In the beginning (@2:31), you said the air moving would be right, to left. You mean, left, to right, correct?? Very good short documentary, on lift. Very academic🧐!!!

[@erich930]

No, he meant right to left. Look at where the fat end of the airfoil is vs the sharp end

[@reubengisawa4751]

Very detailed explanation. Better than some teachers.

[@50967A]

Still there is confusion on how lift is created, some people say lift is created as a result of "law of conservation of momentum", some say it Bernoulli principle.

[@ismailmahfoz9737]

In my understanding, there are two parts working together to lift the cockpit. 1: the flaps-located at the main L&R wings. 2: The elevator-located at the stabilizer (short wing at the rear plane). When the plane reach the enough speed against the gravity, the pilot will pull the elevator lever upwards; it’ll change the low pressure air flown at the top of elevator to high pressure, so these action will make the cockpit raise. At the same time, the plane speed + the high pressure air below the wing will lift up the plane to fly… I hope its correct…😊

[@henrivanbemmel]

It has not and will never be Bernoulli's Principle. Energy is always conserved ND Newtons laws are always followed in such situations. The action of the aircraft being rammed through the air by the engines,or even gravity as it descends must deflect air downward in order to deflect the plane upward (lift). No matter what else, this has be so as Newton's third law must be followed.

[@JohnSmith-fd8zu]

Lift me up Scotty.

[@apostleagbenyegadayi996]

Please can you break this explanation down in simple terms so that I can understand especially with the two factors necessary for lifting

[@EarlMotley]

I think the reason lift fascinates us is we can't see the air as it sweeps over the wing....only the result of it sweeping over the wings. We just see this massive heavy object suddenly being lifted into the air as if it's magic. Absolutely fascinating indeed !!

[@waltervetri2476]

Absolutely clear explanation .Easily understandable .Thank you,Sir.Vetri South Africa .🙏🇿🇦🇿🇦🙏

[@Robert-d5l]

On a symmetrical airfoil,the zero attack angle is drawn from the leading edge the trailing edge. However for a cambered airfoil, that angle is above the leading edge more relative to the trailing edge angle.

[@ITBusValueSuccessROIMax]

Excellent video. One of the few that talks on angle of attack firstly rather than makes out lift is almost all to do with wing cross section. Yes .. a flat wing will fly happily due to aoa … it just flies even better with cross section shape. I know as I made model aircraft in my teens with flat wings and they flew fine. Unusually sensible video this . Many thanks .

[@JulianXiong-f7d]

I worked with Loading aircraft and know that wings and engines are the main power but still wonder with all these weights and how the wind can left all those weight up.

[@shizzyorleone09]

I understand it but it's still amazing to see everytime!

[@lukecowley8258]

Why are wings swept back and how does the of it angle affect performance? How is the length ans profile of a wing also determined?

[@daniels.deloso4181]

After viewing your presentation, I'm better informed. Muchicimas gracias.

[@marcpeiron_studio]

Thanks for the video. I have a question: What are the mechanisms engaged by pulling the stick and that make the plane tilt up and achieve the angle of attack?

[@catkeys6911]

What is not so clearly explained here is that the low air pressure (or near vacuum) above the top surface of a wing is due to the fact that the air is forced to travel quickly upwards to get around the flat-bottomed teardrop shape of the wind's profile (this is easier to explain with a diagram- which, of course is not possible in a KZbin comment). The air's momentum causes it to form a partial vacuum along the top surface of the wing- which causes lift.

[@Genecardo]

What makes the turbine engine start

[@Cranston0]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5WmlJV4ndShmqM

[@Pontiacman1964]

It's wonderful that people finally got the sense to copy what nature had already figured out. The wing isn't a technological marvel, it's a copy.

[@nileshrane280]

Sweet and short nicely explained. Got atleast 30% knowledge. That's big % to me even not being an engineer or physicist.

[@MotivatedI]

This is what we call “explain to me like I’m a child. Great job

[@cashnut08]

Thank you for this explanation on such a big topic in aerodynamics. I really found useful the many diagrams and visuals to aid in the explanation of lift. Both the angle of attack of the airfoil with respect to the flow as well as the pressure differential are both major concepts to understand in order to generate as much lift as possible.

[@connortrask3224]

Nice video, one thing to note though is that the Coanda effect describes the tendency of powered jet flows to stay attached to convex surfaces. The air over the top surface of an airfoil stays attached due to a combination of the ambient atmospheric pressure deflecting the streamlines downwards and viscosity causing the flow to stick to the surface (which is also the main reason the water stays attached to the mug in your demo)

[@justing42]

negative. The air doesn't stick to anything.The air moving over the top of the wing is moving faster based on its shape, creating lower pressure. It is slower moving across the bottom of the wing, at a HIGHER pressure. Lift is the object moving from high to low. Its called physics. Bernoulli's principle.

[@deang5622]

​@@justing42Wrong. Explain the boundary layer effect and why aircraft have devices to break it up.

[@markdoepke4594]

Very well done. A small time pilot told me that sometimes the front of the wing is too smooth, making air (and water), pull into little streams instead of laying smoothly over the surface. Dealing with meniscus. Some wing fronts had to put on a very thin matte finish to break up the meniscus. Looking forward to your videos, thanks.

[@justinmiller2995]

Great to see a video that mentions angle of attack in the explanation of lift! most sources miss out on this. I also find a lot of sources that miss the reactive force of deflection of airflow. Most sources just focus on pressure differential. However, your explanation of the coanda effect was wrong as this only applies to jet streams. The use of the cup is also a very poor example, as this is not a result of the Coanda effect, rather an effect of surface tension between the water and the cup. Additionally implication of causation in a one way direction between pressure and velocity is risky, as these factors effect one another simultaneously. Finally, it is incorrect that the airfoil is "sucked" up. This may seem minor, but the increased pressure below the airfoil pushes it up, rather than it being sucked up.

[@xschematech4965]

This is insightful, I would like to know how weight distribution works on plane

[@johnnypool2206]

Brother..extremely good video. Please explain HOW and WHAT the pilot does to land a jet like in the video.

[@gr637]

Italian Leonardo da Vinci had already found answers to many of these questions over 500 years ago.

[@alimozaffar6884]

it was incredible!! thanks

[@SebastianCrosby-f7h]

Awesome video! I love people explaining aviation concepts! Keep it up

[@ashokhazra5708]

Watching from India . Kolkata. Thank you very much for nice video .🙏

[@dhanrajmohan701]

Public comment. God bless the investor of this aircraft. So amazing. I really love this plain. ❤

[@chongngitsin9097]

I like your explaination of theory of flight. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@SabuJoseph-o6e]

GOOD EXPLANATION

[@henryimarhiagbe]

Thanks. I would like to know how commercial aircrafts manoeuvre in the air.

[@asabir141]

When in a moving car at speed and you it your arm out the window, the air is pushing your arm up. That's what is happening with the wing of a plane.

[@avinashpatil6920]

Nice explanation about takeoff

[@francisolojo1351]

This defys logic and gravity dynamics.... Im reluctant to digest all these

[@sakethreddyvaka7905]

The examples utilized were very nice, but the explanation of lift seemed a bit incomplete and a bit off. It is believed by McLean that the Coanda effect in lift is a common misconception used by many.

[@franklinsimpson9357]

Whenever a plane is miles or some distance in the air the sound from it seems to be almost a mile behind it, yet when the plane is lower descending for landing the sound is right there under the plane , please explain .

[@nicholasmccarthy8771]

Thank you for an excellent presentation. I understand the principle of the wings moving up to fill in the area of less pressure and thereby producing lift, but I would like to know more about the science of faster air producing less pressure. On the question of the aerofoil's shape causing this pressure difference, what happens when a plane is flown upside down, at an air display for example? The low pressure is now underneath the wings, 'lifting' the aircraft towards the ground. So ... how is flight now possible?

[@wolfie54321]

The shape of the wing alone doesn't create the low pressure, it's the shape of the wing + the angle of attack. As said in the video, even a flat plate will produce lift at an angle of attack, the shape just makes it more efficient (and allows it to push to a higher angle of attack without stalling). So when flying upside down, the aircraft reverses the angle of attack to produce low pressure on the other side of the wing. But if the aerofoil is cambered, it will be far more prone to stalling when upside down. If the wing isn't cambered (symmetrical aerofoil) it will work just as well upside down as right way up (e.g. if the wing needed 2 degrees of angle of attack when flying upright, it will need negative 2 degrees when flying upside down). The pilot creates this positive or negative angle of attack through use of the tail. If the aerofoil was cambered, maybe it only needs +1 degree to fly right side up, but might need -3 (for example) to fly upside down.

[@wolfie54321]

And in terms of faster air producing less pressure, it comes from the balance of kinetic energy in the fluid to potential energy of the pressure of the fluid (if the air speeds up, to maintain the same overall energy, pressure must drop, if air slows down, to maintain the same overall energy, the pressure must rise). This is described by Bernoulli's equation, which is effectively an energy-per-unit-volume of air.

[@Ezeranol]

This is great.i would wish to have more .

[@drKnow1000]

The diagram for Newton's 3rd law incorrectly depicts the process of how it generates lift on a wing. Air flowing over the TOP over the wing is deflected downward over the trailing edge, this downward deflection creates an equal upwards force.

[@RebeccaJackson-w2v]

This is awesome! Love your content, can't wait for the next

[@loverofthelostnarc]

Does the distance play a vital role in lifting up the aircraft, means do the pilots have to pull the lever backwards within 400 mtrs for the liftoff ?

[@julitosnijders3623]

Nice presentation

[@jayeolaoluwasola697]

The most advanced tech is the jet/plane ,every other tech falls around it

[@Astro78196]

Can you do a video on how oil tankers or ships float?

[@leonardgibney2997]

Leading edge flaps are crucial for producing lift. At take-off the air can't get out of the way quickly enough and gets bounced upwards but immediately comes down again with the weight of the atmosphere pushing down on it. This has the effect of creating a vacuum above the wing. The atmosphere all trillions of tons of it detects the vacuum and pushes it upwards to where vacuums belong to the top of the atmosphere (equilibrium law). But practically, it's just the air around the plane which does the job. At higher speeds say above 400 knots the vacuum (otherwise known as a shock wave) starts to have difficulty keeping up with the plane and tends to drag back on it so the designers angle the wing back into it eliminating much of the drag while maintaining lift. By this 'sweep' angle you can roughly estimate the operational speed of the plane sometimes. I've seen these shock waves on planes landing at airports as condensation formed along them. You can see it also on your video. The bang you hear when a plane breaks the sound barrier is the shock wave, no longer able to keep up with the plane, collapsing explosively.

[@baxterismyyoutubename5077]

Been waiting for this masterpiece

[@dhanrajmohan701]

Public comment. Great explanation about the air flow that allows the aircraft lift .

[@humungous09]

Excellent video bro! Thanks so much n love from India!

[@vantamplin7574]

Very good explanation. Even simple minded, me, can understand your subject explained with your hair dryer balloon (pressure) and dyed water (grasp) demo. A hair dryer/ballon and ink/cup; just brilliant, creative video.

[@HitMeWith]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ks.p3219]

Interesting information for layman. Although thousands of people are flying every Day throughout the world only handful among them know the intricacies involved in that operation. Ultimately it is the nature which is far superior .

[@iplaylikeagodz5152]

The engine, does the main work, it must be strong enough to lift the plan vertically upwards only. For an object to fly it most posses both vertical and horizontal forces. The wing provides this vertical coefficient of force, using drag at the front point of the wings( the thick part of the wing) allowing the slim part of the wings to lift up in a semi circular manner(because there is less drag at this point) . The tail flaps enhance this process during takeoff

[@KludgeMaker]

Anybody who has stuck their hand out the car window knows how lift works. In the Wright Brothers' day though, that wasn't the universal experience it is today. Only people who had done that from a train window would have known about it.

[@theecapricorn]

Very informative , with excellent explanation.👏👏👏

[@MrSmi31093]

Well, If Orvil and Wilber figured it out, I'm sure you can too!!!! You did Gradjuate 6th grade right? I think it has something to do with applied force overcoming the force of gravity!

[@puransharma923]

Then what is the role of elevators and pitch trim if all of it is done by wings.

[@prabhakarkmv4135]

Aviation always a great thrill for me!👍🏏 ✈️

[@dreada8814]

Yeah nicely explained with examples

[@franklinsimpson9357]

Does a plane require the same take off Speed to land or less. Also explain what prevent the plane from falling out of the sky when it cut it speed and slow down in the case of landing or going around before landing.

[@gerscheeve297]

As always, the most important part is skipped: what is air. It has mass and it sticks to surfaces where it flows along. Furthermore, every aircraft and flying animal produces lift by throwing down air (=mass). Action is reaction is lift. That's all. The ways a wing grabs the passing airflow and throws it down is very interesting, but details which are not really necessary to understand how lift is produced.

[@shaneduff021]

Where do you get those balloons!?! Great video