Section C Chapter 3: Aerodynamics Of Maneuvering Flight continued

Section C goes on to explain the forces that act when turning a plane. Before a plane can turn it must over come inertia. The necessary force is caused by using the ailerons. The horizontal component of lift causes the airplane to turn. The center seeking force that causes the airplane to turn is called centripetal force. Centripetal force works against inertia, this is called centrifugal force. Centrifugal force isn't really a force. Its really inertia wanting to go straight again. Another force is when you roll into a turn one wing has more lift than the other and the inside wing has more drag, this can cause an adverse yaw which has to be corrected by using the rudder. When you enter a turn the plane feels like it wants to keep rolling, pilots have to be careful not to over bank or over correct. Airplane performance is judged on rate of turn and radius of turn. Rate of turn is the amount of time it takes for the plane to turn a certain amount of degrees. The amount of horizontal distance a airplane uses to complete a turn is the radius of turn.

Load factor is the ratio of the load supported by the airplanes wings to the wait of the plane. In turning a airplane you have to know your load factor or you can loose altitude. Load factor is also important because if not correctly maintained it can cause stalls. The limit load factor is the amount of stress an airplane can stand before structural damage starts. Most small planes weighing 12,500 are certified either normal, utility, or acrobatic depending on their limit load factor, you wouldn't want to do tricks in a normal airplane because it could break up. To know what your planes load limit factor is you refer to V/g diagram, staying below the limit load factor will prevent stalls and damages to the plane.