Lifting off the run-way

Every time I sit in an airplane, I feel the same sort of a pulling sensation in my gut during the take-off. The throat suddenly feels dry and the ear tubes close down. When the wheels lift off the runway, it feels weightless and an upward pull is experienced as if someone is dragging up from the edge of a cliff. 

This time, I got a seat right next to the wings. I don't mind the 'view-blocking' that it causes, but, it might really put someone off guard, when one sees the slight up-down motion of the farther portion of the wings due to the wind. It seems as if the wings aren't enough to support the plane body and might get knocked-off any moment. But I guess, that's how its supposed to be according to the flight dynamics. This basically works on Bernouli's principle. Daniel Bernouli was a swiss mathematician who applied equations to decode some of the observations of the physical world. According to Bernouli's principle, if the speed of the flow of a fluid is increased, then, a simultaneous decrease is seen in the pressure of the fluid. Faster the fluid flows, lesser pressure it exerts. Any substance that flows is defined as a fluid. So if we think of air as as a fluid (its made of particles that flow through), then, we can apply Bernouli's principle to understand the aerodynamics of a flight. The wings of the plane are designed in a manner such that the air moves faster above the wings than below. As the speed of the air increases, the pressure of the air above the wings decreases- from Bernouli's principle. The air pressure on top of the wings is less than the air pressure at the bottom of the wings. This pressure difference that is created, leads to the upward lift that pulls the airplane off the runway. This is a pre-calculated lift force based on Bernouli's equation. There are other factors and equations involved too, but, this is the primary one.

Speaking of aircrafts and aerodynamics, recently, there was a Defense Expo held in Pune, organized by the Maharashtra government. This was a first of its kind effort by the state, showcasing the defense and armament related exhibits. It was a wonderful experience to watch almost every aspect of the Indian Army, Navy and Airforce that was featured in an informative yet engaging manner. I have tried to coalesce a few glimpses of this Defense Expo in the form of a video here. 

©Neha Kanase