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Fundamentals of Flight mechanics

How do planes take off? How do they fly? How do pilots maintain control of them? And how high can airplanes fly? Get answers to all these questions and more with this specialization exploring the fundamentals of flight mechanics. You will learn how the laws of physics apply to airplanes and discover important concepts in aviation including lift, drag, and propulsion.

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What's inside

Four courses

Flight mechanics - The basis

More than a century after the Wright brothers' first flight, flight still defies our intuition. You will learn here how to name the different parts of the airplane and how to describe and quantify its geometry. For that, we need now to share a precise vocabulary to describe the airplane's movement and attitude in space, and a refresher on basic general mechanic principles.

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Flight Mechanics - Anemobarometry

This course focuses on the physics of the atmosphere and its impact on speed and altitude measurements. By the end, you'll understand the meaning of speed and altitude indications for pilots, the difference between standard and actual atmospheres, and how to perform basic altitude and speed correction computations.

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Flight mechanics - Lift and trajectory

In this course, you will learn about the impact of angle of attack and speed on lift, as well as hazards and limitations such as stall, spiral dive, and flutter. You will also understand why stall and Mach number limit the maximum lift and altitude an airplane can achieve, and what flutter is and why it requires altitude and speed restrictions. Finally, you will learn how to control the trajectory of an airplane and its relationship to lift and load factor.

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Flight mechanics - Propulsive balance and energy

This course covers energy management in flight, including speed and altitude control. It explores drag sources, thrust origin, and their impact on propulsive balance. Key concepts like flight regimes, best climb speed, and propulsion ceiling are derived. Cruise performances and range evolution with weight are also discussed.

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Learning objectives

How mach number can impact stall speed.
Why turboprops consume less than turbojets.

What exactly mean indications given by flight instruments (i.e. anemometer, altimeter).

How mach number can impact stall speed.
Why turboprops consume less than turbojets.
What exactly mean indications given by flight instruments (i.e. anemometer, altimeter).

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Time

27 hours

Level

Introductory

Via

Coursera

Institution

ISAE-SUPAERO

Instructor

Eric Poquillon

Level

Introductory

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