On Maximum Q

A number of budding new pilots have been contacting me recently, asking about what Max Q is.

I'm happy to explain about it.

"Q" or "q" is simply a quantity called dynamic pressure, which is a combination of air density and speed. During the launch of any rocket, the speed increases since the rocket accelerates, but air density decreases the higher the rocket goes. There is a point where the combination of increasing speed and decreasing density is a maximum, and this is the point called "max q." Rockets, aircraft, missiles, and other vehicles are all designed to withstand only a certain maximum q before they will suffer structural damage, so the term is used throughout aerospace engineering and not just by NASA.

Best,

Steve Alan

Thank for that Steve!

Good to see you last week!!

Happy flying from John