Simple Science

How do aeroplanes fly?

James Dale 1

At a glance
Planes must overcome 2
forces when they fly
Drag is the force which
resists the horizontal
motion of the plane.
The plane produces
thrust using its engines
which is larger than the
drag on the plane
The second is the weight
of the plane.
This is overcome by the
lift generated by the
wings
The wings are designed
so that air moves faster
over the top of the wing
than the bottom
This causes an area of
lower pressure above
the wing than below
producing an upwards
force, lifting the plane

A Boeing 747 can weigh as much as 440 tonnes, the same as 440 small
cars. It seems impossible that anything this heavy could ever take off, let
alone fly great distances. The force felt by an object from gravity is due to a
combination of the mass of the earth and the mass of the object. So, if a
plane is 440 times the mass of a car why dont our cars fly? In order to
understand why objects can fly we need to focus on 4 different forces
which all act on a moving plane: weight, drag, lift and thrust. Weight and
drag must be overcome by lift and thrust so that a plane can fly.

L
i
f
t

Wing

Faster
moving Air

Slower
moving Air
Higher pressure area

Thrust is the force that moves the plane forward. It is produced by the
engines of the plane. This is the force which gives the plane horizontal
movement. As the plane moves forwards , air particles collide with the plane
exerting a force which is in the opposite direction to the motion. The faster
the plane travels, the more particles it hits per second and so the larger the
drag on the plane is. If you want your plane to move, its thrust must be
greater than the drag which is being produced. We know from experience
that we need more than just speed to fly. Other than in unfortunate and
spectacular circumstances Formula One cars seldom fly around the track.
The other force needed by the plane is lift. The plane gets its lift from its
wings, which are specially designed to cause the plane to feel an upwards
force. Plane wings are designed so that air moving over the top of them
moves much faster than air moving along the underside. This has the effect
of making the pressure of the air below the wing higher than the pressure
above the wing. This means that the force from the air below the wing is
more than the force from the air above the wing and so the plane feels an
upwards force. If the air is moving over the wing fast enough this upwards
force is larger than the weight of the plane causing the plane to take off.
When the pilot wants to land the wings are tilted slightly so that air is now
traveling more slowly over the wing reducing the lift of the plane.

Centre for Lifelong Learning

Alex Brown, 2012