Complying with the laws of aerodynamics isn’t just a nice idea; it’s mandatory for safe, controlled flight throughout an airplane’s entire operating envelope.

By Rich Stowell, MCFI-A

Routine flight operations typically occur in steady or quasi-steady flight: the traffic pattern, normal climbs and descents, cruise flight, even turns. Yet for all its complexities, skillfully piloting an airplane requires that we strike a balance between just three pairs of performance-defining parameters. Two of these are the force pairs lift and weight, and thrust and drag. It’s a never-ending struggle to balance the weight of the airplane with lift, to balance the drag penalty resulting from that lift with thrust. …