Turning Lift Vectors

摘要

Of course, the forces acting on the airplane in a turn involve splitting a single lift component into two, the vertical and horizontal. If we disregard the potential for increased drag in the turn and accept the premise this is a zero-sum game, the total lift generated in a level turn is the same as in level flight at the same airspeed. So what makes the airplane turn? The horizontal lift component. As the airplane is banked into a turn, the vertical lift component, continues to act perpendicular to the Earth and opposes gravity.