Originally Posted by
DC-Mainliner
Hi there-
Your thoughts describe a portion of newtonian lift, but a symetrical airfoil at high altitude at zero angle of attack in equilibrium is not likely
Well, it won´t be in equilibrium any more than accelerated stall is an equilibrium condition. If the plane pitches nose up, it can reach stalling AoA. If the plane pitches nose down, it can reach zero AoA, or even AoA less than 360 degrees, in which case the lift is respectively 0g or negative.
Obviously, the airflow around any wing, whatever AoA, will be affected by shockwaves by the time freestream velocity reaches Mach 1,0.