Hi,
I was wondering what this term 'lift coefficent' meant. I came across it in Chapter 3 of the pilots handbook of aeronautical knowledge? Any help would be greatly appreciated, since i tried googling it but still couldn't find a clear meaning.

You gotta' know that NASA will be THE souce for all things aeronautical in nature.

This NASA page defines CL (coefficient of lift) and gives theory and practical usage examples for the equation.


http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/liftco.html

It is simply the lift equation modified to include wing shape and area, air viscosity, compressability, etc.

thanks, glnflwrs for your help, much appreciated. Doesn't the FAA just take its info from sources like NASA and present it in their own way? It's just that for a more basic level of understanding, i prefer the simplicity of the FAA's publications.

You are entirely welcome sir, and correct.
I don't believe the FAA would generate any CL data themselves. That
usually comes from manufacturers or research groups using wind tunnels. The FAA would publish it when the need arose. They would be the ones mandating that the data IS generated to be approved by them, the "authority having jurisdiction", quite literally.


Glenn

I agree. thanks for your help again.