How Do Planes Stay in the Air?

How Do Planes Stay in the Air? · 1:55 · Intellect Plus

In short: How lift, thrust, angle of attack and hinged control surfaces work together to keep an airplane in the air, drawn from NASA and FAA explanations of the physics.

A 1:55 short film in the series “How Things Work”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.

Sources used in this film: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (How Things Fly), “The Four Forces | How Things Fly”; NASA Glenn Research Center, “Four Forces on an Airplane | Glenn Research Center | NASA”; NASA Glenn Research Center, “Bernoulli and Newton | Glenn Research Center | NASA”; NASA Glenn Research Center, “Lift | Glenn Research Center | NASA”; NASA Glenn Research Center, “Thrust Equation | Glenn Research Center | NASA”; NASA Glenn Research Center, “Rotation - Control Axes | Glenn Research Center | NASA”; NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), “NASA Pushes New Wing Design to Find Structural Limits - NASA”; NASA Glenn Research Center (Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics, Tom Benson), “Inclination Effects on Lift”; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 5: Aerodynamics of Flight, “PHAK Chapter 5”; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Glider Flying Handbook, Chapter 3: Aerodynamics of Flight, “Chapter 3: Aerodynamics of Flight”; NASA Glenn Research Center, “Boundary Layer | Glenn Research Center | NASA”; NASA Glenn Research Center (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics, page last updated October 4, 2022, “Airplane Parts and Function | Glenn Research Center | NASA”; NASA Glenn Research Center (Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics), “Parts of the Aircraft | Glenn Research Center | NASA”; NASA Glenn Research Center (Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics), “Lift from Flow Turning”.

Sources used in this film

Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.

Sources

To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/how-do-planes-stay-in-the-air.

How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

Finding something worth knowing…