What parts are needed for things to fly?

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Targets

At the end of this Unit you should be able to answer the following questions 

3. What parts are needed for things to fly?

3.1 How does a hot-air balloon fly?

3.2 What adaptations enable birds and insects to fly?

3.3 How do the parts of an aircraft stabilize and control its flight?

Being aware of the forces acting on a flying object is an important part of flight. Look at the following these things that fly.

They may seem very different, but they all make use of the same principles of flight – known as aerodynamics. They have to find some way of floating in the air or pushing forward to move in the air. They produce lift and thrust so that they can overcome the drag of air resistance and the pull of gravity.

Look how various things are able to fly, and make a list of some features these things have in common. (You can refer to this list later when you are designing your own flying devices.)


Click on each row below in order to get a better understanding of how some things fly:

A kite uses air currents to stay up.  The air is pushed downward while the kite is pushed upwards.  The tail helps to stabilize the kite while it is in the air.

Hot air balloons use the buoyancy of hot air to float.  Because hot air is less dense than cold air, it causes the balloon to rise.


Bird wings are shaped to make best use of air currents to produce lift.  By flapping their wings, birds are able to produce thrust to move forward in the air.

Airplanes have engines to produce thrust, and the wings help to maintain lift after they are in the air.  Lightweight construction and a streamlined design help the airplane overcome gravity and drag.

The shape of the propellers on a helicopter produce lift while the engine provides propulsion for the helicopter to move upward.

Gliders use the warm air currents to stay in the air.  The shape of the glider and its wings produce maximum lift from the rising warm air.


Rocket engines must produce enough propulsion to allow the rocket to overcome the pull of Earth's gravity.  A massive amount of fuel is burned to eject enough exhaust downward so that the rocket is pushed upward.

  History Connection

The Wright brothers are credited for the first manned flight in human history with the first 12-second flight of the Kitty Hawk in 1903. You can learn more about the Wright brothers and their trials and errors at this website.