#aerodynamics — Public Fediverse posts

The study of aviation mechanics and piloting fundamentals provides a fascinating look at the intersection of physics, engineering, and human decision-making.

Learning to Fly: The Core Fundamentals of Piloting Aircraft. It provides an analytical yet practical overview of the mechanics that govern aircraft operations and the foundational knowledge required for modern aviation.

Read here:
https://www.josepholufowosheskypower.com/learning-to-fly-core-fundamentals-piloting-aircraft/

#Aviation #Aerodynamics #Engineering #PublicInterest #FlightSafety #Physics

IBM and Dallara use AI and quantum computing to rethink race car design

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://nerds.xyz/2026/04/ibm-dallara-ai-quantum-race-car-design/

IBM and Dallara use AI and quantum computing to rethink race car design

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://nerds.xyz/2026/04/ibm-dallara-ai-quantum-race-car-design/

IBM and Dallara use AI and quantum computing to rethink race car design

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://nerds.xyz/2026/04/ibm-dallara-ai-quantum-race-car-design/

🌪️🔬 University of #Michigan scientist Perry Samson shares his experience of being trapped inside a #tornado while his students filmed from a safe distance. He explains the unique #physics of the vortex and how he used #aerodynamics to keep his car on the ground.

👉 https://www.sciencealert.com/the-true-story-of-a-tornado-scientist-who-got-trapped-inside-one

💁🏻‍♀️✨ An EF-3 tornado near Laramie, Wyoming (2018) https://seethis.tv/post/an-ef-3-tornado-near-laramie-wyoming-2018

#meteorology #science #physics #weather #research #earthscience #atmosphere #nature #universityofmichigan

📢 New post! Aerodynamic consequences of wing damage in dragonfly flapping flight https://blog.espci.fr/ramiro/aerodynamic-consequences-of-wing-damage-in-dragonfly-flapping-flight/ #Publications #Research #Aerodynamics #Flapping #Fluidstructureinteraction #Insectflight

In 2022, DJI was able to fly one of their drones over Mt. Everest.

Here are some of the physics challenges involved (see comments) 👇

Here's the drone video (2022) recorded at the highest point on Earth!
https://youtu.be/Zz9oI3B6v4c

In 2024 and 2025, DJI drones, specifically the Mavic 3 Pro and Mavic 4 Pro, achieved record-setting, high-altitude flights over Mount Everest, capturing 8K footage of the summit at 8,848 meters. These drones, often operated with 8KRAW, showcased remarkable stability in high winds (up to 50 km/h) and thin air.

DJI Mavic 3 Pro: https://youtu.be/A-iVxaFhr7s
DJI Mavic 4 Pro: https://youtu.be/csDriucITDE

#Drone #DronePhotography #MtEverest #Everest #Aerodynamics #Physics #DJIdroneshots #HighAltitude #ThinAir #PhysicsChallenge #Nepal #Himalayas #Drones #DroneShots

🚚 Apparently, aerospace engineers are now #moonlighting as truck whisperers after one had a bicycle boo-boo. Who knew the path to truck #aerodynamics was paved with scraped knees and misplaced expertise? 😂🚴‍♂️
https://www.thedrive.com/news/how-a-nasa-engineer-discovered-a-world-of-semi-truck-aerodynamics-by-accident #aerospaceengineering #truckwhisperer #humor #HackerNews #ngated

Milano Cortina 2026: Speedskating Team Pursuit

Track cycling and speedskating often mirror one another, with similar events in each sport. In the team pursuit, for example, cyclists and skaters compete as a team to post the fastest time for a given distance. In cycling events, riders spend the race tucked into a line, with the lead rider providing a draft for their teammates. But that’s a tiring position for a cyclist, so every few laps the lead rider will pull off, move up the track, and drop behind their teammates for a rest. Speedskaters used to use the same technique. But no longer.

After working with aerodynamic simulation specialists, U.S. Speedskating pioneered a new race technique, in which skaters never change positions. Instead, each racer specializes in one position and skates while pushing the skater ahead of them. The technique requires a lot of practice, finesse, and trust; skaters in the later positions cannot see, skating as close as they can to the skater in front of them.

But, performance-wise, the new technique works. It’s taken U.S. women’s team pursuit from eighth in the world to number one. Other teams have adopted the technique, too, so this is likely what team pursuit will look like in the years to come. (Image credits: various, see image captions; via NPR)

Milano Cortina 2026: Speedskating Team Pursuit

Track cycling and speedskating often mirror one another, with similar events in each sport. In the team pursuit, for example, cyclists and skaters compete as a team to post the fastest time for a given distance. In cycling events, riders spend the race tucked into a line, with the lead rider providing a draft for their teammates. But that’s a tiring position for a cyclist, so every few laps the lead rider will pull off, move up the track, and drop behind their teammates for a rest. Speedskaters used to use the same technique. But no longer.

After working with aerodynamic simulation specialists, U.S. Speedskating pioneered a new race technique, in which skaters never change positions. Instead, each racer specializes in one position and skates while pushing the skater ahead of them. The technique requires a lot of practice, finesse, and trust; skaters in the later positions cannot see, skating as close as they can to the skater in front of them.

But, performance-wise, the new technique works. It’s taken U.S. women’s team pursuit from eighth in the world to number one. Other teams have adopted the technique, too, so this is likely what team pursuit will look like in the years to come. (Image credits: various, see image captions; via NPR)

Milano Cortina 2026: Speedskating Team Pursuit

Track cycling and speedskating often mirror one another, with similar events in each sport. In the team pursuit, for example, cyclists and skaters compete as a team to post the fastest time for a given distance. In cycling events, riders spend the race tucked into a line, with the lead rider providing a draft for their teammates. But that’s a tiring position for a cyclist, so every few laps the lead rider will pull off, move up the track, and drop behind their teammates for a rest. Speedskaters used to use the same technique. But no longer.

After working with aerodynamic simulation specialists, U.S. Speedskating pioneered a new race technique, in which skaters never change positions. Instead, each racer specializes in one position and skates while pushing the skater ahead of them. The technique requires a lot of practice, finesse, and trust; skaters in the later positions cannot see, skating as close as they can to the skater in front of them.

But, performance-wise, the new technique works. It’s taken U.S. women’s team pursuit from eighth in the world to number one. Other teams have adopted the technique, too, so this is likely what team pursuit will look like in the years to come. (Image credits: various, see image captions; via NPR)

Milano Cortina 2026: Speedskating Team Pursuit

Track cycling and speedskating often mirror one another, with similar events in each sport. In the team pursuit, for example, cyclists and skaters compete as a team to post the fastest time for a given distance. In cycling events, riders spend the race tucked into a line, with the lead rider providing a draft for their teammates. But that’s a tiring position for a cyclist, so every few laps the lead rider will pull off, move up the track, and drop behind their teammates for a rest. Speedskaters used to use the same technique. But no longer.

After working with aerodynamic simulation specialists, U.S. Speedskating pioneered a new race technique, in which skaters never change positions. Instead, each racer specializes in one position and skates while pushing the skater ahead of them. The technique requires a lot of practice, finesse, and trust; skaters in the later positions cannot see, skating as close as they can to the skater in front of them.

But, performance-wise, the new technique works. It’s taken U.S. women’s team pursuit from eighth in the world to number one. Other teams have adopted the technique, too, so this is likely what team pursuit will look like in the years to come. (Image credits: various, see image captions; via NPR)

Milano Cortina 2026: Speedskating Team Pursuit

Track cycling and speedskating often mirror one another, with similar events in each sport. In the team pursuit, for example, cyclists and skaters compete as a team to post the fastest time for a given distance. In cycling events, riders spend the race tucked into a line, with the lead rider providing a draft for their teammates. But that’s a tiring position for a cyclist, so every few laps the lead rider will pull off, move up the track, and drop behind their teammates for a rest. Speedskaters used to use the same technique. But no longer.

After working with aerodynamic simulation specialists, U.S. Speedskating pioneered a new race technique, in which skaters never change positions. Instead, each racer specializes in one position and skates while pushing the skater ahead of them. The technique requires a lot of practice, finesse, and trust; skaters in the later positions cannot see, skating as close as they can to the skater in front of them.

But, performance-wise, the new technique works. It’s taken U.S. women’s team pursuit from eighth in the world to number one. Other teams have adopted the technique, too, so this is likely what team pursuit will look like in the years to come. (Image credits: various, see image captions; via NPR)

Milano Cortina 2026: Ski Jumping Suits

Ski jumping is in the news this Olympic cycle after rumors that male competitors may be cheating in order to wear larger suits. In particular, the suggestion is that male athletes are injecting fillers into their genitals before their pre-season 3D body scan in order to appear large enough to allow them to wear a larger suit. This comes after two Norwegian ski jumpers were punished for illegally restitching the crotches of their suits to make them larger.

Ski jumping is a sport that relies heavily on aerodynamics; during the flight phase, jumpers try to maximize their lift-to-drag ratio so that they stay aloft as long as possible. A 2025 study underscores the importance of suit size in this calculus. In the work, the researchers used a baseline suit that was 4 centimeters larger in circumference than their jumper–the loosest configuration that regulations allow. They compared that suit’s flight performance (in wind tunnels and simulation) to a suit 2 cm larger and one 2 cm smaller. The extra 2 centimeters of circumference made a notable difference: the larger suit increased the drag by ~4% and lift by ~5%. That was enough, in their simulation, to let a jumper fly an extra 5.8 meters.

It’s worth noting, though, that the study was looking at the effects of adjusting the suit’s circumference along the entire length between the arm pits and the knees; they never changed anything about the suit’s crotch. I don’t think there’s enough scientific data to say that packing a bit more there would really offer aerodynamic advantages. And the risks of such injections are non-negligible. (Image credit: T. Trapani; research credit: M. Virmavirta et al.; via Ars Technica)

I’m interested in active boundary-layer control (DBD plasma actuators), low-speed aerodynamics, and open-source CFD workflows on Linux. Happy to exchange ideas, experiments, and practical insights.

#Aerodynamics #CFD #DBD #PlasmaActuators #BoundaryLayer
#OpenFOAM #SU2 #Linux #LowSpeedAerodynamics

🚗🎩 Behold, the Citroen C15: the car that’s got European 'charm' and the #aerodynamics of a brick! Meanwhile, Americans and Brits pretend it's not just a glorified lunchbox on wheels. 😂 Oh, and don't forget to enable #JavaScript to fully appreciate this masterpiece of European engineering! 🌐🛠️
https://eupolicy.social/@jmaris/115860595238097654 #CitroenC15 #EuropeanEngineering #CarHumor #HackerNews #ngated

🚗🎩 Behold, the Citroen C15: the car that’s got European 'charm' and the #aerodynamics of a brick! Meanwhile, Americans and Brits pretend it's not just a glorified lunchbox on wheels. 😂 Oh, and don't forget to enable #JavaScript to fully appreciate this masterpiece of European engineering! 🌐🛠️
https://eupolicy.social/@jmaris/115860595238097654 #CitroenC15 #EuropeanEngineering #CarHumor #HackerNews #ngated

🚗🎩 Behold, the Citroen C15: the car that’s got European 'charm' and the #aerodynamics of a brick! Meanwhile, Americans and Brits pretend it's not just a glorified lunchbox on wheels. 😂 Oh, and don't forget to enable #JavaScript to fully appreciate this masterpiece of European engineering! 🌐🛠️
https://eupolicy.social/@jmaris/115860595238097654 #CitroenC15 #EuropeanEngineering #CarHumor #HackerNews #ngated

🚗🎩 Behold, the Citroen C15: the car that’s got European 'charm' and the #aerodynamics of a brick! Meanwhile, Americans and Brits pretend it's not just a glorified lunchbox on wheels. 😂 Oh, and don't forget to enable #JavaScript to fully appreciate this masterpiece of European engineering! 🌐🛠️
https://eupolicy.social/@jmaris/115860595238097654 #CitroenC15 #EuropeanEngineering #CarHumor #HackerNews #ngated

Where is the center of gravity of the empty glider located?

If you measure the location of the main wheel and tail wheel (reference to something such as the glider's nose), and the weight each of them carry...you can do the math to answer that question.

Where is the center of gravity when the pilot is in the glider?

Climb in, and then take the same measurements.

Now I know if I need to add trim weights to the nose or tail, and how much.

Determining center of gravity location is critical for safety of flight and good handling characteristics. I'll do these measurements and math more than once so I can be very confident of the results.

#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #EAA #Aerodynamics #Math #Mass #Weight #Balance #Safety

#ShortBreak #shorts #DoomScrollBreak #science #mythology #pegasus #flying #aerodynamics #physics #anatomy #pterodactylus #quetzalcoatlus #dinosaurs

Could Pegasus be like not flying just having wings for being beautiful? :)

(Also, what a monumental trajectory: 150 million years of flying practice, and now scratching in the garden and ending up in the soup...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd66LLW9gFI

One surface of one glider wing has now been covered with mylar gap seal tape.

Tomorrow I will flip the wing over and apply gap seal tape to the other surface.

#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #EAA #Fairing #Drag #Aerodynamics

Gliders often go to significant lengths to reduce drag.

My flaperons are driven by a push-pull tube that exits the wing skin and pushes against an external drive horn. There are two of these setups on each wing...four external devices that need fairings.

But they and the flaperons move. That complicates things.

First photo shows one push-pull tube and drive horn without fairings.

Second photo shows the inner/smaller fairing that will eventually be glued into place.

Third photo shows both fairings in place and the flaperon near the limit of its down travel.

Fourth photo shows both fairings and the flaperon approaching the limit of its upward travel.

One fairing of the two pairs on one wing are drying overnight. Tomorrow morning, I will make final adjustments to the remaining inner fairings and then glue them in place.

I'm using RTV silicone, which needs humid air to cure well. It's winter in New Mexico and the air is super dry. I have put a very large pot of water on the wood stove to humidify the air overnight.

#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #EAA #Fairing #Drag #Aerodynamics

Alexander Graham Bell, 1903–9.

Source: Library of Congress

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/0ff8227c-58e3-4bde-8340-697c089ef9ac

#abstract #flying #triangles #flight #kites #aerodynamics #geometry #art #publicdomain

Flettner Rotors Spin Anew

In the 1920s, the world saw a new sort of marine propulsion, ships with one or more tall, smokeless cylinders. These Flettner rotors, named for their inventor, would spin in the wind, generating lift to propel the boat, much as a sail would. (The difference is that the rotor uses the Magnus effect.)

The market crash that kicked off the Great Depression spelled an end to the rotorship, but the idea is getting revived as industries search for greener forms of ship propulsion. Although the Flettner rotor still uses fuel (to spin the rotor), it can complete a voyage on only a small fraction of the fuel needed for conventional propulsion. (Image credit: Getty Images; via PopSci)

#aerodynamics #Flettner #fluidDynamics #liftGeneration #magnusEffect #physics #propulsion #sailing #science

My glider wings need mylar to cover over the control surface gaps, but what width?

When the flaperons are moved to fully expose the pintle pockets, I can still use a 30mm wide strip of mylar.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pintle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gudgeon

All control surfaces will get mylar covering to reduce drag.

#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #EAA #Mylar #Drag #Aerodynamics #Wing

#PhysicsFactlet
Thanks to some humidity in the air the air flow around the plane wing is clearly visible. Instead of just being deflected by the wing, the air flow tend to stick to the wing (and vice versa, the wing tends to stick to the air flow, a phenomenon known as the Coanda effect), which pulls the wing up and allow the plane to fly.
#Physics #FluidDynamics #CoandaEffect #Aerodynamics #Airplanes

https://www.europesays.com/uk/257724/ What Happens When You Throw a Paper Plane From Space? These Physicists Found Out #aerodynamics #InternationalSpaceStation #origami #PaperPlane #Physics #Science #UK #UnitedKingdom

The second step to improving the aerodynamics of the glider's external 'shark fin' antennae...add fillets to the mounting base.

This reduces interference drag.

After the low density filler cures (epoxy resin with glass microspheres mixed in), I'll sand things smooth. (The piece of wood is covered with transparent packing tape that was lightly waxed. The antennae should come off easily.)

This is a follow-on to:
https://universeodon.com/@KrajciTom/114836322219112991

#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #Aerodynamics #Antenna #Fillet

@chemoelectric

It's all lies. Everyone knows aircraft are kept aloft by paperwork and propelled forward by vast quantities of cash.

Obviously, cash can be exchanged for more paperwork if one needs to gain height.

🤪

#aviation #aerodynamics #airplanes #aeroplanes #aircraft #flying #fluidDynamics #bureaucracy

Do the rudder and elevator interfere with each other at the extremes of their movement?

I think I have a little bit more sanding to do because I was able to increase the rudder deflection a little bit. Now it can get very close to the elevator.

#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #Drag #Aerodynamics #CarbonFiber #Rudder #Elevator #Interference

Do the rudder and elevator interfere with each other at the extremes of their movement?

I think I have a little bit more sanding to do because I was able to increase the rudder deflection a little bit. Now it can get very close to the elevator.

#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #Drag #Aerodynamics #CarbonFiber #Rudder #Elevator #Interference

Do the rudder and elevator interfere with each other at the extremes of their movement?

I think I have a little bit more sanding to do because I was able to increase the rudder deflection a little bit. Now it can get very close to the elevator.

#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #Drag #Aerodynamics #CarbonFiber #Rudder #Elevator #Interference

Do the rudder and elevator interfere with each other at the extremes of their movement?

I think I have a little bit more sanding to do because I was able to increase the rudder deflection a little bit. Now it can get very close to the elevator.

#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #Drag #Aerodynamics #CarbonFiber #Rudder #Elevator #Interference

Do the rudder and elevator interfere with each other at the extremes of their movement?

I think I have a little bit more sanding to do because I was able to increase the rudder deflection a little bit. Now it can get very close to the elevator.

#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #Drag #Aerodynamics #CarbonFiber #Rudder #Elevator #Interference

What size mylar strip do I need to cover the various control surface gaps?

This is the elevator, full down position. I need a 30mm wide mylar strip to cover it.

The mylar strip will be cut to length and taped in place.

The rudder and flaperons may need different width mylar strips.

All of this drag reduction should boost my cruising speed by 0.01 knots.

#AvGeek #Aviation #ElectricAircraft #ExperimentalAviation #Homebuilt #Glider #DIY #Drag #Aerodynamics #Slick #CarbonFiber

Into The Tunnel: The secret life of wind tunnels

https://jordanwtaylor2.substack.com/p/into-the-tunnel

#HackerNews #IntoTheTunnel #secretLife #windTunnels #aerodynamics #engineering #innovation

Show HN: Olelo Foil
https://foil.olelohonua.com/
#ycombinator #NACA_airfoil #airfoil_generator #naca #3D_visualization #aerodynamics #airfoil_customization

Crazy thin wings on USAF T-38 Talon, Beale AFB on static display at the Capital Airshow, Mather Field, California. March 2025 #airshow #capitalairshow #aviation #AvGeek #spotter #T38 #talon #NACA #Nikon #nikonphotgraphy #CCA2025 #Z9 #wing #aerodynamics

An aerospace engineering student from the Pennsylvania State University refines a 100-year-old math/aerodynamic (wind energy equation) problem, expanding wind energy possibilities.

Article published in Wind Energy Science:
https://wes.copernicus.org/articles/10/451/2025/

Read more:
[1] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/meet-divya-tyagi-the-penn-state-student-who-cracked-a-100-year-old-wind-energy-equation-boosting-turbine-efficiency/articleshow/119260883.cms
[2] https://www.psu.edu/news/engineering/story/student-refines-100-year-old-math-problem-expanding-wind-energy-possibilities

#Aerospace #Science #Math #Maths #Aerodynamics #Wind #WindEnergy #Equation #Lagrangian #Aerodynamic #WES #Turbine #Turbines #Efficiency #Energy #Divya #DivyaTyagi #Tyagi #Penn #PSU #PennState #AerospaceEngineering #Engineering

For their high school project in #aerodynamics Mathias and Viktor wanted to know if a car with spoiler would have less drag than one without. We were happy to let them test this on our #windtunnel at the #RoyalMilitaryAcademy.

It was a fun day in the lab!

#KMS

Too Smooth: Football and the “KnuckleBall” Problem https://hackaday.com/2025/02/26/too-smooth-football-and-the-knuckleball-problem/ #CurrentEvents #aerodynamics #OriginalArt #knuckleball #knuckling #Interest #football #Science #brazuca

Small Feathers, Big Effects: Reducing Stall Speeds With Strips Of Plastic https://hackaday.com/2024/12/02/small-feathers-big-effects-reducing-stall-speeds-with-strips-of-plastic/ #aerodynamics #dronehacks #aircraft #birds #stall

Small Feathers, Big Effects: Reducing Stall Speeds With Strips Of Plastic - Birds have long been our inspiration for flight, and researchers at Princeton Univ... - https://hackaday.com/2024/12/02/small-feathers-big-effects-reducing-stall-speeds-with-strips-of-plastic/ #aerodynamics #dronehacks #aircraft #birds #stall

Why cricket’s latest bowling technique is so effective against batters - Enlarge / Some cricket bowlers favor keeping the arm horizontal during ... - https://arstechnica.com/?p=2042516 #fluiddynamics #sportsscience #aerodynamics #magnuseffect #cricketgame #science #physics

Following on from yesterday’s posting of flow around a #ZhukovskyAerofoil, I’ve added #equipotential lines (blue) in addition to #streamlines (black). The two families are #contours of the #real and #imaginary parts of an #AnalyticFunction and therefore have the property of intersecting #orthogonally. The plots aren’t ideal as there are some anomalous features where the equipotential lines are very close to the #aerofoil.

#MyWork #CCBYSA #AppliedMathematics #Aeronautics #Aerodynamics

Using the mapping w → z+1/z, you get something that looks remarkably like an #aerofoil.

It is a #ConformalMapping meaning that angles are preserved during the mapping. In this animation, I’ve varied the imaginary part of the the eccentricity, while keeping the real part the same. With a zero #AngleOfAttack, you can see the change in the airflow around the #wing as its shape changes.

#MyWork #CCBYSA #AppliedMathematics #WxMaxima #FreeSoftware #Aeronautics #Aerodynamics #LaminarFlow

Using the mapping w → z+1/z, you get something that looks remarkably like an #aerofoil.

It is a #ConformalMapping meaning that angles are preserved during the mapping. In this animation, I’ve varied the imaginary part of the the eccentricity, while keeping the real part the same. With a zero #AngleOfAttack, you can see the change in the airflow around the #wing as its shape changes.

#MyWork #CCBYSA #AppliedMathematics #WxMaxima #FreeSoftware #Aeronautics #Aerodynamics #LaminarFlow

Using the mapping w → z+1/z, you get something that looks remarkably like an #aerofoil.

It is a #ConformalMapping meaning that angles are preserved during the mapping. In this animation, I’ve varied the imaginary part of the the eccentricity, while keeping the real part the same. With a zero #AngleOfAttack, you can see the change in the airflow around the #wing as its shape changes.

#MyWork #CCBYSA #AppliedMathematics #WxMaxima #FreeSoftware #Aeronautics #Aerodynamics #LaminarFlow

Using the mapping w → z+1/z, you get something that looks remarkably like an #aerofoil.

It is a #ConformalMapping meaning that angles are preserved during the mapping. In this animation, I’ve varied the imaginary part of the the eccentricity, while keeping the real part the same. With a zero #AngleOfAttack, you can see the change in the airflow around the #wing as its shape changes.

#MyWork #CCBYSA #AppliedMathematics #WxMaxima #FreeSoftware #Aeronautics #Aerodynamics #LaminarFlow