Forces of Flight

PLEASE NOTE: This section contains information about both fixed-wing aircraft and quadcopters. The FAA does not differentiate between the two types of UAS for the exam so you will have to learn both, even if you only plan to fly quad-copters. This is unfortunately not something we have any control over and we are teaching you the relevant knowledge to successfully pass the exam.


Frequently Asked Questions (based on the comments below):

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Q: May want to define "vector" - I don't know what that means.

A: A vector is a quantity that has a magnitude and a direction. A vector can describe many things, but in this case, a vector describes a force. How much force (how much lift, or drag, etc) is the magnitude and the direction is of course the direction the force is in. Vectors are often shown visually as arrows. The larger the arrow, the larger the magnitude of the vector, the larger the force in this case. The direction the arrow points is intuitively the direction of the vector, and the direction of the force here.

Discussion

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