MECHANICS OF FLIGHT AND THE

ATMOSPHER

CHAPTER 1:

BASIC PHYSICS
1.NEWTON’S LAWS
(A)FIRST LAW OF MOTION ( ENERTIA-EQUILIBRUM )

(B)SECOND LAW OF MOTION (FORCE – ACCELERATION –

MOMENTUM )

(C)THIRD LAW OF MOTION ( ACTION – REACTION)

MASS AND WEIGHT

Mass is the measure of quantity of matter a body (object) contains, it

doesn’t change , even though the state (shape) may change.
Unit of mass is kilogram.

Gravity is called weight , the greater the masses and the closer they
are the greater the force of attraction is.

INERTIA

IS THE MEASURE OF HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO STOP OR START A

BODY

MOMENTUM (Mass INSand Velocity )

M x V = Momentum

SPEED

STANDARD UNIT OF SPEED IN NAVIGATION IS Knot (NAUTICAL

MILES per HOUR )
Miles per hour (MPH) and Kilometers per hour (KPH) are also
conversions that SHOULD be known.
(A) INDICATED AIRSPEED (IAS)
TWO ERRORS:
1.INSTRUMENT ERROR
2.POSITION ERROR: The position of the pilot tube in relation to the
airflow.
(B)RECTIFIED AIRSPEED (RAS)
is IAS corrected for position error. Once the RAS has been has been
extracted from the graph the next step in finding can begin.

(C)TRUE AIRSPEED
Error that MUST be corrected for for at this stage is called density
error (temperature and height) THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE
(OAT) AND ALTTITUDE MUST BE KNOWN.

ACCELERATION
IS THE RATE OF CHANGE IN VELOCITY WITH TIME.

FORCE
(STOP OR START) (FASTER OR SLOWER) (CHANGE DIRECTION)
PUSH OR PULL)
FORCE = MASS X ACCELERATION

ENERGY
(A) POTENTIAL ENERGY = Position
(B)KINETIC ENERGY = Velocity
(C)PRESSURE ENERGY = Pressure

static pressure (constant)

dynamic pressure (not constant) due to motion

½ p V2

DENSITY SYMBOL = p
THE ATMOSPHERE

ATMOSPHERE IS A COLOURLESS SEA OF AIR “WEATHER”

FIXED AIR

NITROGEN 78.08%
OXYGEN 20.95%
ARGON O.93%

RARE GASES (0.93%)

WATER VAPOUR

LAYERS OF ATMOSPHERE

1.THE TROPOSPHERE
8 KM (26,000ft) AT COLD AREAS
16 KM (52,000ft) AT WARM TROPICAL REGIONS
Most of the phenomena known as weather occurs and light
aeroplanes operate.

2.THE STRATOSPHERE
The region above the Troposphere extending to a height of
30 Km (98,000 ft) above earth’s surface.

2.THE MESOSPHERE
The region above the stratopause extending to a height of 80
Km (262,000 ft) above the earth’s surface.

4.THE IONOSPHERE
the region the extends above the mesopause to a height
1000 Km above the earth’s surface.

THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ATMOSPHERE (ICAO)

ISA ,IT ASSUMES THAT AT MEAN SEA LEVEL

(A)temperature is +15C
(B)pressure is 1013.25 hectopascal (hPa) or 29.92” of
mercury.
(C)density is 1225 gram/m3
(D)the lapse rate is 1.98C/1000 ft up to 36,090 ft
(E)gravity is 9.8066 meters per second/second
(F)Air density is dry and uniform throught

FACTORS EFFECTING AIR DENSITY

(A)PRESSURE
(B)TEMPERATURE
(C)HUMIDITY