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How do airplanes fly? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
Calling all pilots!
Have you ever built a paper airplane? Try building a paper airplane while thinking about what you've just learned about the way air travels over and under the wings of a plane!
Lots of things that go up into the air can't stay there, such as a ball you toss to your friend, because gravity (the force that pulls things towards the ground) pulls the object back down. Something things, though, like kites, Frisbees, or airplanes, can go up into the air and stay there for a longer period of time. These objects are able to fly and stay up in the air because they're built in a way that allows for air to push them up so they don't fall back down!
An airplane gets off the ground by first building up speed on the ground. When it does this, wind passes over and under its wings. Because the wings have been built with a special curved shape on top and flat shape on the bottom, air travels over the wing and lifts the plane into the air!
Once it's up in the air, the plane doesn't fall back down like a ball you toss because air continues to push up on the wings from underneath! Their special shape makes it so that there is more air under the wings pushing up than there is over the wings pushing down! -- FLIGHT!
An airplane gets off the ground by first building up speed on the ground. When it does this, wind passes over and under its wings. Because the wings have been built with a special curved shape on top and flat shape on the bottom, air travels over the wing and lifts the plane into the air!
Once it's up in the air, the plane doesn't fall back down like a ball you toss because air continues to push up on the wings from underneath! Their special shape makes it so that there is more air under the wings pushing up than there is over the wings pushing down! -- FLIGHT!
Calling all pilots!
Have you ever built a paper airplane? Try building a paper airplane while thinking about what you've just learned about the way air travels over and under the wings of a plane!
What shapes and folds might you want to put on the wings of your plane to help it stay in the air for longer? If you're having trouble, have a grown-up help you look for paper airplane instructions in a book or online. What is it about the design you've picked out which helps your plane to fly so well??