The Physics Of Aerobatic Flying

Contents

• Home
• Dynamics Of Flight
  • Turns
  • Forces Of Flight
  • Derivatives Of Position
  • Left Turning Tendencies
    • Torque
    • P-Factor
    • Spiraling Slipstream
    • Gyroscopic Precession
• Aerobatic Maneuvers
  • Rolls
  • Loop
  • Hammerhead
  • Torque Roll
• Bibliography

Spiraling Slipstream

Spiraling Slipstream does not have much in the way of a physics explanation that I can offer in great detail, so here it is explained simply:

Propeller Slipstream (And Its Spiral Tendancy)

The slipstream of the propeller (the air that it pushed toward the tail of the airplane) is not a smooth cylinder of air. Rather, it is a spiral that can actually wrap around the fuselage of the airplane. Some of this spiral ends when it strikes the vertical stabilizer of the airplane:

                     

Obviously, this current striking a flat surface creates a notable force, which, yet again, causes a left yawing moment.

Physics 211