Lift Equation Calculator
The lift equation says how much upward force a wing makes. Lift grows with air density, wing area, the lift coefficient and the square of the speed: twice as fast means four times the lift.
Standards:
- NGSS HS-PS2-1
- CCSS HSA-CED.A.4
- AP1 Unit 8
Our alignment; not reviewed by the standards bodies.
The equation
Worked example
- Given
- Altitude, standard atmosphere (m, 0–20 000): 0 m
- True airspeed V (m/s): 50 m/s
- Wing area S (m²): 16.2 m²
- Lift coefficient C_L: 0.5
- Answer
- Air density ρ: 1.2250 kg/m³
- Dynamic pressure q: 1531.3 Pa
- Lift L: 12403 N
- Mass this lift can hold up: 1264.8 kg
- Check
- At the stall speed found with the same mass and C_L,max, the lift equals the weight exactly; the build checks this link with the Stall Speed Calculator.
Assumptions
Steady flow, U.S. Standard Atmosphere 1976, C_L chosen by you (it depends on the wing and angle of attack).
Go deeper
Sources
- J. D. Anderson Jr., Introduction to Flight, 8th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2016.
- NASA Glenn Research Center, Beginner’s Guide to Aeronautics.
- NOAA, NASA, USAF, U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1976, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1976.