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Why can't we fly? |
Most birds are built to fly and people really just aren’t. Birds have wings, and people don’t. Birds’ wings are covered in feathers, which catch the air and force it downward when they flap. This pushes birds up in the sky. When birds pull their wings back up, they fold them so they don’t catch the air as much. They then unfold them so they can push the air down again.
So why don’t people just make fake wings? Birds are also much lighter than people. They have hollow bones. That means there’s empty space inside of them and they weigh very little! People have heavy bones that keep us on the ground.
We also don’t have the strength we would need to flap wings and make us fly. Birds do! They have special muscles that make their wings work. Their lungs are also designed so that when birds breathe they take in a lot of oxygen, which is needed to keep the muscles working over long periods of time.
Bats and many insects can also fly, and they each do so in their own unique ways. They have two main things in common with birds: wings and light weight. People have copied these basic ideas and made flying machines like planes, but because our own bodies aren’t designed this way, we can fly on our own.
Remember, since we can’t fly, it would be very dangerous to try. Stay happy and safe on the ground!
GO FLY A KITE!
Do you have a kite? Kites make pretty cool toys and they can ride the winds in the sky, a lot like a bird does when it soars!
Do you know how they get up into the sky and stay there? Why don’t they fall down? After all, a piece of paper is just as flat and light, but if you drop it, it won’t stay in the air. Kites need a good wind to get off the ground, but the secret to their gliding is in their design. Check it out next time you fly a kite.
The tail of a kite is very important! As the tail is blown by the wind, it pulls the back of the kite down, so the kite sits in the air at an angle, facing the wind. The string that you hold anchors the kite in the sky, and the air can’t pass by it. Instead, the air is forced downward, like it is when a bird spreads its wings. This keeps the kite flying high!
If you don’t own a kite, try making one. It needs to be light. It needs to keep its shape, and it needs to have a tail. They can be tricky, so ask a grown-up to help you if your kite is stuck on the ground.