Flying with the right pinciples at hand: an interactive lab to understand the physical origin of lift

A set of simple laboratory experiments aimed to understand the physical origin of lift is presented. The experiments are realized with simple materials and the use of multimedia reference sources (movies, computer simulations, flow visualizations) is extensively applied in order to put forward otherwise complex fluid dynamical concepts. Emphasis is put in the individuation and correction of commonly found misconceptions or wrong principles regarding, in particular, the concept of pressure, the role of viscosity, the flow behavior around an airfoil, the domain of applicability of fluid dynamical principles, the role of flow curvature in attaining lift and the dynamical mechanisms at the basis of flight.