The wings of the airplane are just one component of flight. There are actually four forces of flight that push the plane up, down, forward, or slow it down. These four forces of flight are lift, thrust, drag, and weight.b
The Wright brothers invented and flew the first airplane in 1903. It is considered the world’s first “sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight.” Their aircraft, the Wright Flyer, flew about 120 feet. Today, the newest Boeing 787 can fly 10,000 miles on a single tank of gas.c
wright-flyer-flight Neil Armstrong carried a piece of the Wright Flyer with him to the moon
Orville Wright did not sit in the Wright Flyer during its first flight. Instead, he lay flat on the lower wing in the middle of the plane.d
One the most deadly airplane accidents actually happened on the ground. In 1977, two fully loaded planes carrying a total of over 600 passengers collided head-on in the middle of the runway in what is now known as the Tenerife Accident, named after Tenerife Island where the accident occurred. Over 500 people died.o
Increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are increasing the incidents of airplane turbulence.e
The oxygen in an airplane’s emergency oxygen masks lasts for only about 15 minutes.e
English is the international language of flight. All flight controllers and all commercial pilots who fly on international flights are required to speak English.b
One windshield or window frame of a Boeing 747-400’s cockpit costs as much as a BMW.b
Most pilots and copilots on major airlines are not allowed to eat the same food to avoid the possibility of food poisoning sickening the entire flight crew.e
Airport control tower windows must be angled at precisely 15 degrees from vertical at the top to decrease reflections from both inside and outside the tower.b
The average Boeing 747 has around 150–175 miles of wiring inside it.b
Smallest Jet Airplane Only a few hundred BD-5 Micros have been built
The world’s smallest jet is the BD-5 Micro. Its wingspan is 14–21 feet and weighs just 358 pounds.j
The C-5, one of the longest military aircrafts, is longer than six stories tall. Its length of 143 feet is longer than the Wright Brother’s first flight of 120 feet.b
There have been more astronauts than pilots who have flown the Concorde, which is now out of service. The Concorde was a turbo jet-powered, supersonic passenger jet airliner that was in service from 1976 to 2003. Many consider the aircraft an engineering marvel.b
The tires of a Boeing KC-135 jet tanker’s landing gear consist of 8 main gear wheels and two nose wheels. This is enough material to make 100 automobile tires.b
The Boeing 767 sucks in enough air through its engines to fill a Good Year Blimp in 7 seconds.b
The first woman in the U.S. to become licensed to fly a play was Harriet Quimby (1875–1912) in 1911. She was also the first woman to fly across the English Channel.c
Amelia Earhart (1897–1937) was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She also helped created “The Ninety-Nines,” which was an organization for female pilots, who also achieved many other notable accomplishments.d
The world’s largest passenger plane is the Airbus A380. It is a double-decker four-engine jetliner. It made its first flight on April 27, 2005.j
Commercial airport runways are typically 2 to 4 feet thick with layers of asphalt. Taxiways are usually thinner, with around 18 inches of concrete.b
The world’s fastest airplane is the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, flying at 2,193 miles per hour. It has held the record for nearly 40 years.c
Airplane Facts There is only one operational AN-225 in the world
The Antonov AN-225 cargo jet is the largest plane in the world. It is nearly as big as a football field from nose to tail and wing tip to wing tip. It was originally built to transport a space plane. j
Airplanes typically fly at an altitude of around 35,000 feet. If Earth were the size of a desktop globe, a plane at that height would be flying at only 1/10 of an inch off the surface.b
According to Popular Mechanics, sitting in the tail of an airplane improves chances of accident survival by 40%.b
Approximately 95.7% of those involved in a plane crash survive it.b
The amount of fuel that a Boeing 767-400 carries is enough to fill 1,400 minivans.b
The world’s largest passenger airliner, the Airbus A380, has about 4 million parts.b
A jet’s contrails (or white trails) consist of water vapor and can be used to predict the weather. A thin, shorter tail indicates low humidity and fair weather. A thick, longer lasting tail signifies the early indication of a storm.b
A commercial jet has an average cruising speed of 550–580 mph.b
Often dubbed the “Father of Aviation,” in 1799 English aviator George Cayley (1773–1857) built the first glider that could go short distances. His early work helped inventors understand the dynamics of flight, and the Wright Brothers acknowledged his importance.d