Event
Aviation events refer to occasions and activities involving aircraft, such as air competitions, conferences, exhibitions, and shows. Various aviation activities are theoretically engaging and based on multiple perspectives. This essay focuses on the 2017 Red Bull Air Race of San Diego, one of a series of air race occasions involving pilots competing to navigate challenging obstacles in the shortest time possible. The pilots had to be knowledgeable and skilled enough to apply their knowledge in practical setups to perform well in the race. The Red Bull Air Race of San Diego in 2017 was a theoretically interesting aviation event that required pilots to effectively apply their knowledge of various aviation theories and principles to navigate challenging obstacles and compete successfully.
Relevant Aviation Theories
Several aviation theories apply to the 2017 Red Bull Air Race of San Diego since the competition focused on various aspects, such as the pilot’s skills, speed, and precision. One significant theory suitable for the race is the Four Forces of Flight, which holds that four main forces act upon a flying airplane: lift, weight, drag, and thrust. According to the theory, aviation professionals must understand how the forces operate and interact, as well as their management in controlling power and flight (To et al., 2022). The theory is pertinent to the occasion since the pilots had to balance the forces of lift, drag, weight, and thrust to tackle the set challenges quickly and efficiently.
Another theory that can be applied to the affair is Bernoulli’s Principle, which assumes that the shape of an airplane’s wings enables it to achieve lift. Notably, the wings are shaped such that airflow is higher on the top of the wings and lower underneath. According to To et al. (2022), Bernoulli’s Principle maintains that the pressure on the upper surface of a wing is lower compared to the underside, and thus, the difference in pressure causes the lift. The theory is relevant to the event as its knowledge helps the pilots make precise turns and maneuvers by carefully managing the airflow over their wings.
The Aerodynamics Aircraft Theory is also crucial to the air race affair as it enlightens how air interacts with a moving aircraft. According to this theory, air speeds up as it passes over an airfoil’s upper surface while its pressure lowers, forming an area of low pressure. As a result, the lower surface of the airfoil is under greater pressure, which causes the wing to move upward (Badick & Johnson, 2021). During the 2017 Red Bull Air Race, the pilots relied on this theory to showcase their understanding of aerodynamic stability and control by precisely controlling their aircraft’s pitch, roll, and yaw.
The 2017 Red Bull Air Race of San Diego Event Description
This was the second round of the 2017 Red Bull Air Race World Championship, which occurred in San Diego, California, on Saturday, April 15th, 2017. The competition involved various Air Gates-towering inflatable pylons placed while floating on San Diego Bay, and the planes had to race between them at the highest speed possible (Tulis, 2017). The competition attracted more than 40,000 spectators and 14 of the best pilots in the world.
The pilots had to maneuver the high-performance aircraft through various turns, rolls, and vertical climbs while remaining as low above the water as possible. The race’s most renowned pilots included the defending title holder, Matthias Dolderer of Germany, Michael Goulin of the US, and Martin Sonka of the Czech Republic (Tulis, 2017). The winner was Yoshi Muroya from Japan, who attained the best run and maximum points. Yoshi was followed by Martin Sonka and Pete McLeod from Canada, respectively.
Theory Selection
The Four Forces of Flight theory is the most appropriate for the 2017 Red Bull Air Race of San Diego event. It explains how pilots could control the forces of lift, weight, drag, and thrust to fly their planes and maneuver through the racecourse. According to To et al. (2022), each force serves a specific function in enabling the aircraft to fly. The lift refers to the upward force that keeps the plane in the sky, whereas the weight force is the gravitational pressure that draws the aircraft toward the ground (Gregory & Liu, 2021).
The thrust force propels the plane forward, while the drag force slows the aircraft as it acts in the opposite direction. Compared to the other identified theories, including Bernoulli’s Principle and Aerodynamics Aircraft theory, the Four Forces of Flight theory best fits the 2017 Red Bull Air Race of San Diego, as it illustrates most of the movements and maneuvers required by the pilots to win the race. The other theories also describe the lift force, while the Four Forces of Flight theory clarifies all the necessary forces to fly an aircraft.
Theory Evaluation
The Four Forces of Flight theory can be used to observe, describe, and expound on the 2017 Red Bull Air Race. One of its significant strengths in clarifying the event is illustrated in how the four forces were applied. For instance, opposing lift and weight forces were used when the pilots wanted to balance and maintain the aircraft in the air or make the required turns and rolls.
Similarly, the thrust and drag forces that describe an aircraft’s ability to propel forward were witnessed in the race as the pilots tried to minimize drag and maximize the aircraft’s speed, especially during sharp turns. The major limitation to the observations in the event is that one would expect to see more demanding challenges, such as having different types of planes with different weights move past vertical and thin airways, where they have to be slanted. The theory would help predict what might happen in future Red Bull Air Race affairs, making it easy for organizers to develop more challenges in flying and maneuvering aircraft. For instance, they might require the planes to lower in some places, thus demanding the pilots to be aware of balancing the lift and weight forces.
Theory Critique
The major criticism of the Four Forces of Flight theory is that it offers a simplified representation of the intricate procedures involved in aviation. Specifically, the theory cannot explain the complex interactions between the aircraft and other external factors, such as the atmosphere (Badick & Johnson, 2021). Therefore, future research should describe the complex interactions that the forces can affect. Specifically, the investigation should be on how the aircraft interacts with other aspects when under the forces.
Most aviation occasions offer a great opportunity to practically witness the application of various aviation theories in the real world. The most applicable theory for the 2017 Red Bull Air Race of San Diego event is the Four Forces of Flight theory, which is highly observable in almost all activities. Therefore, a good understanding of the knowledge is crucial to the competing pilots and the audience so that each party can fully enjoy the competition by understanding the requirements.
References
Badick, J. R., & Johnson, B. A. (2021). Flight theory and aerodynamics: A practical guide for operational safety. John Wiley & Sons.
Gregory, J. W., & Liu, T. (2021). Introduction to flight testing. John Wiley & Sons.
To, C., Angel, J., & Education, L. (2022). Analysis of existing physical theories explaining aerodynamic lift production by an airplane. Journal of Student Research, 11(4). Web.
Tulis, D. (2017). Japan’s Muroya wins San Diego Red Bull Air Race. Familiar names absent from podium. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Web.