A 5000 kg airplane travels at 360 km/h at the bottom of a vertical circle of radius 400 m, as shown. With g = 9.8 m/s², find load factor at the centre of gravity, to 2 decimals.
Speed is 360/3.6 = 100 m/s. At the bottom, upward lift must support weight and provide centripetal acceleration: $L-mg=mV^2/R$. Thus $n=L/(mg)=1+V^2/(Rg)=1+10000/(400\times9.8)=3.5510$, or 3.55.
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