Forces and coefficients#

Dynamic pressure, the lift/drag decomposition and dimensionless force coefficients.

Bernoulli's dynamic pressure and the pitot-static airspeed (1738)

Cayley's separation of lift and drag in level flight (1809)

Lilienthal's lift and drag coefficients and the polar diagram (1889)

The Wright brothers, Smeaton's coefficient and the stall speed (1901)