Originally Posted by
UAL T38 Phlyer
First question: What if you were inverted? Going faster would create more lift and...you would go down.
So altitude is a distractor.
Second question: how well does a wing fly by itself? Ever built one of those drug-store balsa gliders, and watched what the wing does if it falls off the fuselage?
They tumble, normally forward. The more lift you make, the more nose-down the wing wants to go. That is why you have a horizontal stabilizer: to counteract that force.
I won't do your homework for you. These should be enough clues.
Don't confuse the orientation of the Axis with the direction of the MOTION around it...
Perfect! This is mainly what I was looking for in terms of an answer. Something to lead me in the right direction!
Question 1 solved. Putting the plane "inverted" helped me realize the solution. I was leaning towards "No" for the altitude so that worked out good.
As for number 2 thinking about the horizontal stabilizer helps. I was pretty certain Lateral was the correct axis. Without the horizontal stabilizer the planes motion would to be to roll forward, which is directly related to the Longitudinal Stability of an airplane.
I hope I'm thinking this clearly. I'm going with lateral/longitudinal as my answer.
Thanks UAL