Side Force Calculator

In flight mechanics, “side force” is the aerodynamic force acting perpendicular to an aircraft’s forward motion, typically due to sideslip. It’s generated by factors like asymmetric thrust or crosswinds and influences lateral dynamics and stability. Pilots use side force to control the aircraft’s course and counteract adverse yawing. The formula to calculate Side Force as follows:

Where:

• $Y$ is the side force acting on the aircraft in N.
• C_y​ is the side force coefficient, 
• $q$ is the dynamic pressure in Pa.
• $S$ is the reference area in m².