Aerodynamic lift

Aerodynamic lift is the component of aerodynamic force perpendicular to the oncoming airflow. For an aircraft in steady, level flight, it balances weight.

Angle of attack: The angle between a wing’s reference line and the oncoming airflow. Changing this angle alters circulation and lift until separation or stall limits the increase.
Dynamic pressure: The kinetic energy per unit volume of a moving fluid, equal to half its density times speed squared. Lift scales with dynamic pressure, so speed has a strong effect.
Stall (flight): A loss of lift caused by airflow separation when a wing exceeds its critical angle of attack. It marks the limit beyond which raising angle of attack no longer increases lift.
Drag (physics): The component of aerodynamic force parallel and opposite to an object's motion through fluid. Drag acts along the airflow direction, unlike lift, which acts perpendicular to it.
Circulation (fluid dynamics): A measure of the net rotational motion of a fluid around a closed curve. Wing circulation is linked to lift by the Kutta–Joukowski theorem.
Airfoil: A cross-sectional shape designed to produce useful aerodynamic forces as fluid flows past it. An airfoil section is the basic shape whose lift is analyzed.
Flap (aircraft): A hinged or sliding wing surface that changes the wing’s camber or area. Deploying flaps raises lift at low speeds, allowing slower takeoff and landing.
Thrust: A forward force produced by a propulsion system or by redirecting fluid. Thrust can sustain speed, but it is not the aerodynamic force that supports an aircraft against gravity.
Kutta–Joukowski theorem: A result relating lift per unit span to fluid density, flow speed, and circulation. It gives a compact mathematical account of lift on a two-dimensional section.
Wing area: The planform area of a wing, measured by its projected outline from above. A larger reference area increases lift at the same lift coefficient and dynamic pressure.

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