Aerofoil

An aerofoil is a shaped surface designed to produce a useful aerodynamic force when air flows around it, usually lift. It is the cross sectional shape used for wings, rotor blades, propeller blades and many control surfaces. Its shape affects lift, drag, stall behaviour and the pressure distribution over the surface. A pilot should understand how angle of attack, airspeed and contamination such as ice change the way an aerofoil works.