This chapter discusses the fundamental physical laws governing the forces acting on an airplane in flight, and what effect these natural laws and forces have on the performance characteristics of airplanes. To competently control the airplane, the pilot must understand the principles involved and learn to utilize or counteract these natural forces.
 

Principles of Flight and Performance Characteristics Structure of the Atmosphere Atmospheric Pressure Effects of Pressure on Density Effect of Temperature on Density Effect of Humidity on Density Newton's Laws of Motion and Force Bernoulli's Principle of Pressure Airfoil Design Low Pressure Above High Pressure Below Pressure Distribution Forces on an Airfoil Relative Wind Angle of Attack and Lift Wing Planform Forces Acting on the Airplane Thrust Drag Weight Lift Wingtip Vortices Ground Effect Axes of an Airplane Moments and Moment Arm Design Characteristics Basic Concepts of Stability Static Stability Dynamic Stability Longitudinal Stability (Pitching) Lateral Stability (Rolling) Vertical Stability (Yawing) Free Directional Oscillations (Dutch Roll) Spiral Instability

Forces in Turns Forces in Climbs Forces in Descents Stalls Basic Propeller Principles Torque and P Factor Torque Reaction Corkscrew Effect Gyroscopic Action Asymmetric Loading Load Factors Load Factors in Airplane Design Load Factors in Steep Turns Load Factors and Stalling Speeds Load Factors and Flight Maneuvers Vg Diagram Weight and Balance Effects of Weight on Flight Performance Effect of Weight on Airplane Structure Effects of Weight on Stability and Controllability Effect of Load Distribution Weight and Balance Control Airplane Performance Straight and Level Flight Climb Performance Range Performance Takeoff Performance Landing Performance Importance of Performance Data Atmospheric Pressure Standard Atmosphere Pressure Altitude Density Altitude Airplane Performance Speeds