The 4 Forces of Flight
Learn the 4 forces of flight
Force 1 - Lift
Lift is the force that allows planes to lift into the air! Lift is possible because of air pressure. The wings shape (called an airfoil) allows for higher pressure under wing and lower pressure above which causes lift, this is called the Bernoulli's principle invented by Daniel Bernoulli!
This is the shape of a wing/airfoil!
Force 2 - Gravity/Weight
Gravity is the force that keeps everything that flies stuck to the atmosphere. Without this force there would be no air pressure which would stop lift from happening.
Force 3 - Thrust
Thrust is the force pushing the plane forward. In order to fly you need a lot of thrust to produce lift. Thrust on a plane comes from propellers, engines and even pedaling!
Force 4 - Drag
Drag is the opposite force of thrust, it slows the plane down. This caused from friction and differences in air pressure. Without drag it would be hard to land because all that you would have is brakes.