Find out how wings, engines, and controls lift a heavy airliner into the sky, ride along on one trip through the airport and its safety checks, then meet helicopters, gliders, fighter jets, and the brave fliers and famous airplanes in the story of flight.
Read first 4 pagesThe opening of Airplanes Take Flight, free to read.
Meet the airliner
1. The long, round body of an airplane is the fuselage. Passengers ride inside, and bags ride in a hold under the floor.
2. The two wings hold the airplane up in the air. Most of the airplane's fuel is stored in tanks inside the wings and in the middle of the airplane, where the wings join the body.
3. Big jet engines hang under the wings and push the airplane forward.
4. The tail has a tall fin and two small back wings. The tail keeps the airplane flying straight and steady, like the feathers on an arrow.
5. The wheels and their strong legs are the landing gear. The landing gear folds away after takeoff.
In the cockpit
1. Every airliner flies with at least two pilots, the captain on the left and the first officer on the right. Either pilot can fly the airplane.
2. A pilot moves the control wheel to steer the airplane in the sky. Some airliners have a small side stick instead.
3. Pushing the thrust levers forward makes the engines push harder.
4. Screens show the airplane's speed, its height, and its direction. One screen shows whether the wings are level.
5. With their headsets, the pilots talk by radio to people on the ground.
Four pushes and pulls
1. Weight is the pull of gravity. Weight pulls the airplane down toward the ground.
2. Lift is an upward push made by the wings as they move through the air. To fly, an airplane needs enough lift to hold up its weight.
3. Thrust is the forward push from the engines.
4. Drag is the air pushing back against the airplane as it moves, like the wind pushing against you when you ride a bike fast.
5. When an airplane flies straight and level at a steady speed, the four pushes and pulls are in balance. Lift matches weight, and thrust matches drag.
Change the Engine power. Watch thrust and drag, and see what the speed does.
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