Air Racing
Have you ever wondered how pilots fly upside-down? A Red Bull Air Race expert explains all.
The concept of flying upside-down in a Masterclass aerobatics aircraft can be hard to get your head around, so watch the video in the player above and let Red Bull Air Race Technical Director, James 'Jimbo' Reed, explain all.
First off, you need to know how planes maintain the correct flying position in general. Planes can stay in the air and fly upside-down because of pressure and their wings – it just depends on the style of wing the plane has.
A commercial plane can't fly upside-down because of the wing’s design; the top is curved so air and wind travel further over the top of the wing. When air travels further, speed increases and pressure levels reduce, resulting in a higher pressure under the wing and thus creating lift. Formula One engineers employ this design technique to achieve the opposite effect: holding cars to the track.
The Masterclass aerobatics aircraft wing has a symmetric wing, so the wing is positioned at an angle on the plane. This is called the angle of attack, which means the top surface has a bit more curve than the bottom surface, which in turn creates more lift.
To fly upside-down, the pilot simply holds the nose up when in an upside-down position to change the angle of attack.
Now that you know the science behind upside-down flying, check out and follow the excitement of the upcoming Red Bull Air Race season.