A Physics Question

[kevinwhelan 0]

I just had a thought, We have plenty of time for that here in Ireland, the weather sucks.
I was wondering about your actual wing loading. When you are in level flight and are obviously descending. dose your decent lower your wing loading. My probably flawed reasoning for this is as follows.

As you are descending gravity is exerting a force equal to your weight (mass?) on you downwards and your canopy is exerting a lesser force upwards is your suspended weight less than your actual weight.
Or dose vectors take care of this

"be honest with yourself. Why do I want to go smaller? It is not going to make my penis longer." ~Brian Germain, on downsizing

[jakee 1,255]

Quote

As you are descending gravity is exerting a force equal to your weight (mass?) on you downwards and your canopy is exerting a lesser force upwards is your suspended weight less than your actual weight.
Or dose vectors take care of this

When you are in stable flight the lift from your canopy is equal to your weight. This holds for any aircraft in stable flight whether level, ascending or descending.

Edited for clarity.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[sundevil777 93]

If you are not accelerating (when you descending at a constant velocity), then there is no difference.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[billvon 2,400]

>As you are descending gravity is exerting a force equal to your weight
>(mass?) on you downwards and your canopy is exerting a lesser force
>upwards is your suspended weight less than your actual weight.

No, they are the same.

During canopy flight there are three basic forces acting on you. Gravity is pulling you straight down. Lift is acting _almost_ straight up; the vector is actually pointed a bit forward due to the trim angle of your canopy. Drag is pulling the canopy backwards in relation to the relative wind - it's roughly at right angles to lift.

During stable flight they all balance exactly, so your suspended weight is equal to your normal weight. The load on the lines is the suspended weight minus the weight of the canopy, plus or minus very tiny forces acting on them directly. (i.e. drag.)

[dorbie 0]

Quote

As you are descending gravity is exerting a force equal to your weight (mass?) on you downwards and your canopy is exerting a lesser force upwards is your suspended weight less than your actual weight.

This is your problem right here. The canopy does not exert a lesser force than gravity just because you are descending.

If it did your rate of descent would accelerate until your canopy generated more lift to compensate.