How does a airplane basically work?

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dave o

all the semi-scientific answers are correct.Next time you see a wildlife programme on tv,with slo-mo of birds gliding,look at the feathers on the tops of their wings.It looks like they're being sucked up a hoover.You can actually see lift being generated

jxt299

It works because of Lift. The top of a wing is curved so air traveling over it travels farther than air going under it, meaning an area of less pressure exists above the wing so the wing and the plane with it is sucked upward. Forward speed means more air traveling over the wing, which means more lift.

Air Travel XPERT!

Scientifically, If you look @ the inside of a wing, it is bent. If you search for Aerodynamics in Google images, you will see that one side would be shorter than the other. If you think about it, the air would go under the wing creating lift. Obviously, engines are needed to create thrust.
4 the guy b4, the second theory IS vice-versa!

liberty11235

If the wings are shaped right, when air moves over them, it provides lift. Change the shape of the wings with various rudders and flaps and the air will change the direction of the plane accordingly. The engines get plane down the runway and the engines keep the wings passing through the air.

diggerm82

build up enough speed going down the run way to creat wind...the wind become so strong under the wing that if lifts the plane up..that part is common sence.

Helen

Wings are designed to manipulate airflow to the desired effect .

A racing cars spoiler is flat on top but angled underneath (or visa versa?) so when it travels through air at speed a vacuum pocket is created on the underside .

This goes against the natural laws of physics so the spoiler will pull down and try to fill the gap , hence spoilers cause better traction .

A planes wing works the opposite way .

They are flat on the bottom allowing easy passage through the air at speed , but the top is angled (or visa versa?) to create a vacuum which the plane will try to fill , hence the plane goes up .

hold out your hand flat with your thumb highest and swing it fast as if your going to slap somebody back handed .

Feel the suction on your palm

It is suction not glide that makes wings work .

runs_with_scissors

Lift vs. drag.

Teddy

wings are shaped in a special way so when air passes over them the pressure changes on either side.

On the top of the wing there is high speed air flowing over it compared to under the wing where there is low speed airflow. It's the difference in air flows that lifts the wing, thus pushing the plane in the air.

The plane needs to reach a certain speed on the runway so the air flows over the wing quick enough to gain enough air speed over the wing to gain positive lift

i hope that makes sense

engines and power jets have nothing to do with it, they just push the plane forwards, it's the waings that give it lift.

Think about gliders............they have no power

pheromonefudge

please tell me youre not in the cockpit

yuRi

well its powered by engines and due to the great power produced by the engines the plane moves in a very high speed, the air moving aginst its wings makes it fly. gud enuff?hehehe

Michael B

An aeroplane must do two things:
1.....travel forwards
2.....stay up.

(1) is accounted for by propellors or jetstream, either of which establish a backward-flowing air current. By the law of reaction (Newton) this propels the aircraft forward.

(2) depends on the aircraft's forward motion. Objects tend to move into areas of low pressure from areas of high pressure; for instance, beer runs out of the tap on a barrel because inside there is a lot of beer pressing down, and outside there is none.

Now, the wings are shaped so as to create low pressure on top & high pressure beneath, tending to pull the plane up. The shape is known as an aerofoil; basically, curved on top and flat (or much less curved) beneath. The air passing over the upper surface thus has farther to travel & so moves faster. Faster wind = lower pressure (Venturi's principle).

You can check this for yourself (I know it seems counter-intuitive) by holding a sheet of copier paper (A4 size) with the shorter edge just below your lower lip. Blow across the upper surface. The paper will move up, just as an aircraft's wing tends to.

Hope this is enough: get back if you need more.

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