[simonblack]

Not a very good article at all. I'm beginning to consider calling it the 'Non-Scientific American' magazine.

So tell me what causes lift when there is a zero angle-of-attack? If it's not Bernoulli's Principle?

There are TWO causes of lift: both Bernoulli's Principle AND a (limited) Angle of Attack. These combine arithmetically to produce lift. Engine power (thrust) produces speed of the wing through the air.

NOTE: Angle of Attack is measured against the relative air-flow. It has nothing to do with the angle of the wing relative to the ground.*

If the countering weight plus drag elements are less than the lift plus thrust elements the wing will fly. If the weight plus drag elements are greater than the lift plus thrust elements, the wing won't fly.

* Assume a powerful jet plane with engine-thrust greater than its own weight. That will allow it to climb vertically at 90 degrees to the ground. Assume the wings on that plane are fixed at zero degrees angle to the longitudinal axis of the plane.

Q: If the plane is climbing vertically (90 degrees), what is the angle of attack of the wings of that plane?

A: Zero degrees.