For K-12 Students · Airfoil Lift & Drag
Airfoil Lift & Drag for a hot-air balloon
Built for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework. Simulate a hot-air balloon live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Airfoil Lift & DragLive
the wing's polar
Controls
Presets
Lift rises almost linearly with angle of attack — until the airflow separates and the wing stalls, losing lift sharply. Drag has a fixed part plus induced drag that grows with lift squared and shrinks with aspect ratio. The lift-to-drag ratio, peaking at a modest angle, is the single number that governs a wing's efficiency.
Data Inspector
Lift coeff. CL0.53
Drag coeff. CD0.033
Lift/Drag16.0
Statusattached
Governing equation
Reading this result: Pre-stall: lift rises almost linearly with angle of attack at 6°, well below the ~15° stall angle. Adding camber would lift the entire curve higher.
Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for k-12 students?
- Yes — this version of "Airfoil Lift & Drag for a hot-air balloon" is framed for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.