The NASA report is nothing new under the sun and it is what a lot of us already knew, that the little Italian isn't the only part of the equation. Unfortunately when we did 'professional' exams we just had to give a simplified answer that fitted the CAA's question rather than the whole story of lift that was learned at another institution at another time.
A bit like Georgraphy teachers at senior school never tell you about adiabatic lapse rates and tephigrams yet they teach about cloouds and they just say clouds form at a dew point which is zero degrees C. Always knew he was not so bright but bless. Pilots not knowing what they are actually on about is nothing new.
Lets not forget Kutta, Coanada, Joukowski et al.
What the R.A.F. taught it the pilots doesn't mean it was the whole story. It no doubt suited the purpose enough to give some understanding. The R.A.F. flight engineers maybe got more of the story and then ETPS went further and of the course the Marshall had a brain the size of a planet. That's how it works isn't it?
99% of pilots I ever meet just roll out Bernoulli's (two l's if I remember correctly) when it comes to lift and then dig themselves deep holes when probed.
Last edited by Angels One Fife; 8th Dec 2006 at 22:04.