Theory Refresh - Principles of Flight
As a pilot, the challenging part in maintaining a proper level of theoretical knowledge is to find support material that is not too boring. Sorry, not too academical. The “Principles of Flight” - the posh name for aerodynamics - is not the most easiest topic, but the webiste I found for you will make it easier.
The Aeronautics Learning Laboratory for Science Technology and Research (ALLSTAR) website makes principles of flight understandable to various levels, from junior high-school to lower college. This should be sufficient for pilots.
I like this site because it’s richly illustrated, with also a couple of animations and videos, but it also proposes several experiments that anyone can do at home (some under supervision of an adult…). It addresses all the usual stuff: Bernouilli, Newton, the four forces, axis, control surfaces, …
The first levels are made of simple explanations, but the higher ones goes down to the equations, modelisation, and there is often an airfoil simulator for download.
This website also includes sections on aircraft propulsion, from propeller to turbofan engines. The advanced sections describes what aircraft performance is, how values from the POH / AFM are defined. This is well beyond the standard PPL syllabus, but some additional knowledge won’t ruin your flying skills.
There is only one risk with this website: it’s terribly time consuming ! I hope you’ll enjoy it as I do. If you want further theory refresh tips, check the two following posts:
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