On the high-speed side

of the flight envelope, limitations are more related

to structural issues. First, the
aircraft front parts like the raddom on
the nose or the wing and tail leading edges are directly exposed to
the dynamic pressure, which is directly linked to
the calibrated airspeed VC, which is directly involved. You remember in the
computation
of the dynamic pressure. At very high speed, this pressure could even
lead to structural failure. To protect against this risk, a maximum VC should
never be exceeded. A second kind of limitation may arise
from systems limitations. The performance of the
pressurization system, as well as the capacity of the fuselage structure
to withstand the high differential pressure may limit the maximum
flying altitude. At high speed,
high-dynamic pressure may induce high loads on control surfaces that may overcome
the flight control
actuator capacity. Finally, a third risk is due to aeroelasticity
and flutter. To limit the empty
weight of an airplane the structure must be kept
as light as possible, of course, and as a consequence,
it's quite flexible. Aerodynamics forces will tend to bend the wings that
are flexible and these change in shape may
induce in turn a change in aerodynamic flow and loads. This is a complex phenomenon
we shall not study here. But it may result
in the development of severe vibrations
called flutter, that can become
diverging at high speed. The following video
extract from NASA presents experimental
studies of flutter. This video from NASA illustrates
various manifestation of the flutter phenomenon
oscillations due to the coupling of inertia, structural deformations,
and aerodynamic forces. Here, you can see how the wind induced deformations
on Tacoma Bridge eventually led to its complete
destruction after several hours of increasing
amplitude oscillations. Flutter may affect any
flexible surface exposed to an airflow but also engine
and propeller systems. It may become destructive when its amplitude is diverging.
As it was a cause of
several accidents, it has been extensively
studied using wind tunnel, but also actual flight
test experiments. It is difficult to
model and predict, as it may involve
complex aerodynamics as shock wave control
surface interaction or boundary layer separation.