User Guide

AERODYNAMICS
Strike Commander accurately simulates real
atmospheric conditions. Therefore, it will be
to your advantage to understand the physics
of airplanes: those forces that produce, affect
and control flight. Don’t worry, you know a
lot more about physics than you might
think. As a pilot, you will be most concerned
with four forces: lift, thrust, gravity and
drag.
Lift
Lift is the force produced by the airflow over and under the wings. In level flight, lift opposes gravity
and takes the plane off the ground. (If the plane is flying upside down, lift pushes the plane towards
the ground!) The faster the plane is moving, the faster the airflow and the greater the lift. At high
altitudes, lift decreases because the air is thinner and less flows over the wing at any speed. Larger
wings produce more lift, but also cause more drag.
Thrust
Thrust is the force exerted by the engines of the plane. The plane’s thrust divided by its weight yields
the thrust-to-weight ratio. If thrust-to-weight is greater than 1, the aircraft can accelerate straight
up.
Gravity
Gravity is a constant force that pulls the aircraft towards the ground. It is usually countered by lift.
If you’re flying straight and level, gravity and lift are in balance.
Drag
Drag is the force that results from moving an object against the friction of the air. It is the force
opposing thrust, just as gravity is the force opposing lift. The balance between a plane’s thrust and
its drag determines its top speed. Like lift, drag decreases at high altitude because the air is thinner.
Planes with large wings and high lift tend to have more surface area and thus encounter more drag.
A large wing also produces more drag in a bank than a small one, so planes with large wing areas
tend to bleed off speed in banking turns more quickly. Air-to-ground weapons, deployed landing
gear and airbrakes all cause more drag and slow the plane down.
PITCH, YAW AND ROLL
Aircraft can maneuver in three different ways:
pitch, yaw and roll.
Pitch. If the plane is flying with wings parallel
to the ground, pitching means moving the nose
of the plane up or down by pushing the control
stick (joystick) forward or pulling it back.
Yaw is moving the nose side to side by using
the rudder keys (,, .).
Roll is spinning the plane around an
imaginary line running from nose to tail by
moving the joystick right or left.
FLIGHT
40
Gravity
Lift
Thrust
Drag
Roll
Yaw
Pitch