Principles of Flight

Every pilot should understand at a fundamental level the principles of aerodynamics that keep their aircraft aloft. In this video, we dig deep into the principles of flight, and just what it takes to get an airplane off the ground and keep it in the air.

[Amranable]

I've understood a lot more in this video than the past 6 months of ground school! Absolutely amazed! Please keep them coming! 👍👍👍

[charlesstiles]

As an independent flight instructor I am exceedingly grateful to Embry-Riddle for sharing this material which I have my students watch to supplement training. Little wonder why they are the top aeronautical university in the world. Yes-Please keep them coming!

[DiCola]

Omg that hand-out-the-window example is exactly what I used to do as a kid and how I visualized planes working before it was explained to me. But since then I'd never actually heard anyone use this example.

[KevinRaza]

This is the clearest and the most straight to the point video related to principles of flight i've ever seen. Even though English is not my native language, I was able to understand everything. Great video thanks !

[nickromanick]

Been prepping this lesson for my CFI practical for weeks now, and this video settled my dilemma of how to plan this in 15 minutes. Thank you so much!

[sweetmngo]

just explained weeks worth of studying is 15 mins and very clearly too THANK YOU

[judyanddy]

I'm here for school work and I had trouble understanding the video our teacher sent us. I thought I wouldn't be able to complete the work until I stumbled upon this amazing video. The explanations and visual images helped me understand more about flight! great explanation, keep it up! Thanks

[mypretendaccountforj]

Absolutely fantastic, comprehensive look at the topic! Clear, concise, well illustrated, just perfect! Kudos to the production team!!

[pyscripts]

By far the best principles of flight video I've ever watched! thank you so much!

[harrymole]

What an incredible video.. I did flight training in the 80s when audio visual aids were very low res and rudimentary. This is stunning and such a refreshing learning experience. look forward to the other videos... wow!!

[analogman]

These are awesome lessons. Wish I was 50 years younger!

[tylerfielding]

I love that the CL and the L/D Max graph was also implemented with the lesson in this video! Wow, it helped so much. I'm definitely going to watch this one again!

[aneesahmed]

Probably the best explanation I have ever seen thus far. Great job thank you

[aaaaasoper]

Happy to find this video and channel. I understood much more in a simpler way, than the ground school lessons. Thank you so much

[Geosbudy]

damn, these videos just took me back to class some details totally forgotten... If I had these videos 10 years ago...

[Kenny-Ross]

This video was excellent. Very detailed, visually stimulating, and well explained. Thank you!

[noroardanto]

Best lift explanation so far. The venturi tube animation clearly explain the bernoulli's theory on airfoil.

[sorgfaeltig]

At time 4:40 there is a great mistake in explaining the priciple of how lift is created by an airfoil. The upper surface of a wing is NOT the lower half of a Venturi tube. The air is NOT squeezed into a narrower flow path. The real reason for the lower pressure of the air above the air is the curved path that the air has to follow across the upper surface of the wing. Any mass that follows a circular path - (a large part of a wing's upper surface can be regarded as as a sector of a cylindrical surface - forcing the air in a circular path for this part of a cylindrical shape) experiences two opposite forces that are perpendicular the the curved path of the airflow: a) The centrifugal force, pulling away from the wing surface, and b) the the centripetal force pulling towards the wing surface and forcing the air to follow the wing-shape, rather than following a straight line. Those opposite forces (trying to pull the airstream appart) produce a low pressure in that airstream above the wing. The difference between the low pressure at the upper wing surface and the pressure at the lower wing surface (which is close to ambient pressure) is the main reason for the lift that a wing creates.

[coolhari]

Getting ready for cfi checkride and the style of explanation of this video is so elegant. Thanks much for sharing.

[dandaly]

This is great. How can we get FAA credit for these classes?