The Vortex and Wing Lift

Abstract The vortex is a necessary element of fluid motion for the generation of aerodynamic forces. For flight, lift balances the weight of an aircraft and the means for providing lift is the wing constructed to move oncoming air downward in a controlled fashion. Nature allows this to happen by establishing a flow about the wing that, from a distance, is like a vortex, the kind we see in nature. Unlike a compact natural vortex like a tornado, a surface, like an airfoil, distributes the vortex into smaller elements along the surfaces. In the chapter, we look at how and why.