Q 10.27 A plane is in level flight at constant speed and each of its two wings has an area of 25 m2. If the speed of the air is 180 km/h over the lower wing and 234 km/h over the upper wing surface, determine the plane’s mass.
Speed of the wind above the upper wing surface is v1 = 234 km h-1
Speed of the wind over the lower wing is v2 = 180 km h-1
Let the pressure over the upper and lower wing be P1 and P2
Let the plane be flying at a height of h
The density of air is
Applying Bernoulli's Principle at two points over the upper and lower wing we get
Area of each wing is a = 25 m2
The net upward force on the plane is F
This upward force is equal to the weight m of the plane.
The mass of the plane is about 4400 kg