Title: Describe the four forces of flight and how each affects an aircraft in flight.
Course: Aerospace Technology I (21055-I) > Section: Applying Aerodynamics

Description should include the following:

- Thrust—generated by the power source, which acts along the engine's thrust vector
- Lift—acts on the vertical motion of the aircraft
- Drag—acts on the parallel motion of the aircraft
- Weight—acts on the aircraft's center of gravity, pulling it toward the center of the Earth

Description should also include how these forces affect aircraft maneuvering:

- In straight and level flight, lift is approximately equal to weight.
- If the aircraft is not accelerating, thrust is approximately equal to drag.
- In straight, climbing flight, thrust exceeds drag, and lift is approximately more than weight.
- In straight, descending flight, thrust is less than drag, and lift is approximately less than weight.
- In turning flight, lift exceeds weight.

Process/Skill Questions:

- When the four forces are equal, how does the aircraft fly?
- When thrust exceeds drag, what happens to the aircraft?
- When weight exceeds lift, what happens to the aircraft?
- What component of force keeps the aircraft level in a turn?
- Why is it that pitch controls airspeed and power controls rate of climb or descent?