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Old 11th May 2002, 23:28
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Genghis the Engineer
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I have an aeronautics degree, in the course of which I learned 3 or 4 different explanations of how an aeroplane flies. They were at-least to some extent contradictory, but also all worked in certain circumstances.

Bernoulli is a vital part of an aeronautical engineer's toolbox, but is only one of various principles used. The important question is "what do I want to know". That might be how much lift, how much drag, what will the effects of alpha / beta / flap / slat / bank angle / etc. be. When presented by such a question, you pick the theory that answers the question best.

For pilots, Bernoulli's theorem has worked very well for years, because they don't need an ability to accurately predict aircraft behaviour - they need a reasonably feeling for why the aircraft flies and what will stop it. It's not heresy, it's an adequate working model.


In the meantime, bear in mind what a scientific or engineering theory is. It is the best model, to predict what is happening, for a given situation. TRUTH is a concept that scientists and engineers don't work in, they work in good and bad models, and in probabilities. TRUTH we leave to priests who deal in unprovable certainties, in science and engineering certainties are usually unprovable. If you meet a scientist or Engineer who offers you a clear certainty of anything, distrust them, they are a poor member of their profession.

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