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by IshKebab 1825 days ago
A common and wrong explanation. The pressure differential is created by the fact that the air is being pushed into the lower side of the wing.

It's much simpler than that anyway. The wing forces the air downward, so the plane must be forced up.

2 comments

Another common and wrong explanation. The air is pushed down by induced rotation. An inclined wing is one way to do it, but is not necessary.
I don't know what you are trying to say.
Sorry. An inclined wing just means the wing is at an angle relative to the airflow. An induced rotation means that the wing causes the airstream to turn, so the airflow around the wing has a circular, rotating component.
Overall you are correct that the plane receives an upward force due to the air it interacts with, and that the air receives an equal amount of force downward. In level flight the vertical force components must equal zero (or the plane falls/rises).

But equally, if the plane is forced up, the air must be forced down. Cause and effect are not obvious from a force diagram.