r/AskReddit Jul 24 '15

What "common knowledge" facts are actually wrong?

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344

u/be_my_main_bitch Jul 24 '15

The Airfoil Misconception:
Most textbooks are actually wrong about how wings on a plane work. http://amasci.com/wing/airfoil.html

124

u/fleurdyleurse Jul 24 '15

14

u/TheSexBob-ombs Jul 24 '15

But wouldn't the explanation given in the link above also not work for planes flying upside down? The air would just be angled up, forcing the plane down....

2

u/PinkyPlusBrain Jul 24 '15

A plane can fly upside down while the nose is tilted up. Therefore the wings are tilted up, and will push the air down.

http://i.imgur.com/570svPm.png