brew3departure
Da Bears...Bears...Bears
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2001
- Posts
- 145
Hello all,
I received a question today from a commercial student that I wasn't able to answer completely or to my satisfaction. So, roll up your sleeves and take your best shot:
We all know that in a normal, single engine airplane, Vx is normally a little lower than Vy at sea level, and as we increase altitude, Vx increases and Vy decreases - the point at which they meet is the absolute service ceiling (or absolute ceiling) of the aircraft.
The question is - why? Why does Vx increase and Vy decrease as we increase altitude? I tore my house apart looking for my fluid/aerodynamics books last night, couldn't find them (in boxes somewhere).
Sigh. You don't teach or use something for a year and a half, and it gets a little fuzzy. Thanks much for any/all responses.
-brew3
I received a question today from a commercial student that I wasn't able to answer completely or to my satisfaction. So, roll up your sleeves and take your best shot:
We all know that in a normal, single engine airplane, Vx is normally a little lower than Vy at sea level, and as we increase altitude, Vx increases and Vy decreases - the point at which they meet is the absolute service ceiling (or absolute ceiling) of the aircraft.
The question is - why? Why does Vx increase and Vy decrease as we increase altitude? I tore my house apart looking for my fluid/aerodynamics books last night, couldn't find them (in boxes somewhere).
Sigh. You don't teach or use something for a year and a half, and it gets a little fuzzy. Thanks much for any/all responses.
-brew3