Literature Review

Shelby Stacy
Mr. Nate Hellmers
English 1201
October 25, 2020
Literature Review
Individuals all around the world board flights every single day to travel back and forth to
their desired destinations, but do they know the science of how do airplanes actually stay in the
air? The ideas behind flight have changed over time because as the world became more
advanced, so did the aircraft itself as well. The world went from watching birds fly and
wondering how, to flying kites, and hot air balloons to much bigger ideas. The first powered
aircraft was not created until the 20th century when the Wright Brother’s successfully sustained
flight and sparked airplanes to become marketable products. Between this and World War One, it
sparked the combination of striving for both maneuverability and stability in aircraft.
Aeronautical scientists and engineers have worked together ever since to improve the quality of
airplanes and better understand them (“Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company/Aviation History
Wing/A History of the Airplane.”).
There are so many forces that are working together to keep an airplane aloft and so many
different factors that must align to make it stay there. From the shape of the wings, to the altitude
the plane flys at, to the amount of wind there is in the area that the plane is traveling, to the
engine, to the amount of fuel, the weight of the plane, and the scientific forces that make it
possible all align as important pieces to the puzzle of how airplanes stay in the air like they do.
The scientific forces are found to be the least understood unlike the fact they run on a large jet
engine and fuel. It is hard to believe that a heavy piece of machinery can stay in that air for as
long as they do. Scientific forces that work together in keeping an airplane aloft are lift that is
created by the wings, the engine that creates thrust, drag that is created by friction and the
differences in air pressure, and weight that is caused by gravity.
There are thousands of airplanes in the air at any given time and have all of these forces
working in action. Each force has an opposite force that works against it. Lift works opposite of
weight and thrust works opposite of drag. When the forces are balanced, an airplane flies in a
level direction. The airplane will go up if the forces of lift and thrust are more than gravity and
drag. If gravity and drag are bigger than lift and thrust, the airplane will go down.
It is agreed upon that an airplanes engine is designed to move it forward at a high rate of
speed and that their wings are shaped in a way to make the air move faster over the top of the
wing. The air moving over the top of the wing moves faster than the air moving on the bottom of
the wing and the amount of pressure created over the top of the wing is lesser than the bottom
(Regis). This phenomenon creates what is known as lift. Air below the wing is also being pushed
down causing an equal and opposite effect, which is also referred to as lift. The higher the
airplane gets the lesser amount of resistance in the air there is. This results the airplane to be
much more efficient. It is typical for commercial aircraft to fly between 31,000 and 38,000 feet
in the air and the amount of wind and direction of the wind as well as the speed of the plane are
factors in how high the plane will fly (Hacobian).
It is debated by physicists and astronautical engineers as to the physics behind what
exactly keeps an airplane in the air, but the most common explanation is the Daniel Bernoulli
principle that the air over the top of the curved wing moves faster than it does over the flatter
bottom surface. The amount of lift being produced is not just dependent on the shape of the
wing, but the angle of attack the airplane takes. Bernoulli’s principle does not explain that an
airplane can fly upside down if the shape of the curved wing moves faster than the flatter bottom
surface. The amount of air diverted downward depends on the angle of the wing as it flies, the
angle of attack, and not just the shape of the wing. For an airplane to be able to fly upside down,
it must increase the angle of attack to produce enough lift (Chang). This proves that there is also
another important factor that creates lift, the angle of attack.
Another possible explanation on how airplanes stay in the air is Archimedes principle of
buoyancy that is used for boats. For flight, an airplane must displace a mass of air down equal to
its own mass, each second. This means the airplane is essentially floating on a cushion of air that
the wings create by pushing air downwards. This is a similar explanation to how birds fly by
pushing air downwards. This theory predicts that for all planes to be able to fly, they must
displace a mass of air downwards that is equal to its own mass for each second that it is in the air
(L, Landell-Mills, and ell-Mills). This source may be able to be used because of its scientific
theories, but it also claims that current theories of how planes stay in the air ignore the idea of
buoyancy. This theory seems to be interesting to look further into considering buoyancy explains
how a boat stays afloat and both involve the use of many of the same scientific forces. They
believe that this theory will change how pilots are trained and how planes are designed; to
achieve better aviation safety and that is also resolves a 100-year-old debate on how planes fly.
Bibliography
Chang, Kenneth. “What Does Keep Them Up There?” The New York Times, The New York
Times, 9 Dec. 2003, www.nytimes.com/2003/12/09/news/staying-aloft-what-does-keep-
them-up-there.html.
Hacobian, Celine. “Here’s How High Planes Actually Fly, According to Experts.” Time.Com,
June 2018, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=130397561&site=ehost-live.
L, Landell-Mills, and ell-Mills N. “Buoyancy Explains How Planes Fly.” Journal of Aeronautics
& Aerospace Engineering, Longdom Publishing SL, 13 Feb. 2019,
www.longdom.org/abstract/buoyancy-explains-how-planes-fly-15372.html.
Regis, Ed. “No One Can Explain Why Planes Stay in the Air.” Scientific American, Scientific
American, 1 Feb. 2020, www.scientificamerican.com/article/no-one-can-explain-why-
planes-stay-in-the-air/.
“Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company/Aviation History Wing/A History of the Airplane.”
History of the Airplane, www.wright-
brothers.org/History_Wing/History_of_the_Airplane/History_of_the_Airplane_Intro/Histo
ry_of_the_Airplane_Intro.htm.

Literature Review

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Literature Review

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Shelby Stacy

Mr. Nate Hellmers

October 25, 2020

Wing/A History of the Airplane.”).

differences in air pressure, and weight that is caused by gravity.

factors in how high the plane will fly (Hacobian).

It is debated by physicists and astronautical engineers as to the physics behind what

another important factor that creates lift, the angle of attack.

Times, 9 Dec. 2003, www.nytimes.com/2003/12/09/news/staying-aloft-what-does-keep-

June 2018, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

& Aerospace Engineering, Longdom Publishing SL, 13 Feb. 2019,

American, 1 Feb. 2020, www.scientificamerican.com/article/no-one-can-explain-why-

“Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company/Aviation History Wing/A History of the Airplane.”

History of the Airplane, www.wright-

You might also like