Analysis of Existing Physical Theories Explaining Aerodynamic Lift Production by an Airplane

Abstract

Since the first successful airplane, invented by The Wright brothers in the early 1900s, air travel has become one of the most common modes of transportation. While airplane production and use rapidly increase, explanations regarding the physics of flight remain elusive due to major shortcomings. With all the research available, this paper aims to explore how accurately current theories have explained lift production by an airplane's wing. The contents of this paper will touch on the subject of physics, more specifically fluid dynamics and aerodynamics, and even more specifically, the aerodynamic force known as lift. Theories analyzed in this paper include the "Equal Transit", "Skipping Stone", "Venturi", Momentum-Based, Bernoulli-Based, and Circulation theory. Overall, limitations leading to the inaccuracy of these explanations include not providing physical explanations for specific assumptions, misusing and misinterpreting principles and theorems, simplifying explanations thus not accounting for all necessary factors, proposing one-way causation relationships, confusing mathematical theories for qualitative physical theories, and conflicting experimental data. Because of this, an additional purpose of this paper is to provide a more accurate and comprehensive explanation for lift.