Which statement, about an aeroplane entering ground effect at constant angle of attack, is correct?
I. The lift coefficient CL increases.
II. The induced drag coefficient CDI increases.
Refer to figure 1 and figure 2.
In figure 1 you can see the effect of downwash on the effective angle of attack and therefore the induced drag of a wing profile.Now the question is asking what will happen to the induced drag coefficient and the lift coefficient when entering ground effect:
- Induced drag coefficient: Using figure 1, and knowing that when entering ground effect the downwash decreases, we know that our induced angle (αi) will decrease, therefore decreasing the induced drag (DI). This means a decrease in CDI, hence statement 2 is incorrect!
- Lift coefficient: Using figure 1, and knowing that when entering ground effect, the effective angle of attack (αe) increases because of the decreased downwash, we can see in figure 2 that an increase in effective angle of attack will increase the coefficient of lift of the wing. Therefore we can say that statement 1 is correct!
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