How Aeroplanes Fly

Airplane,, engine-driven vehicle that can fly through the air supported by the action of air against its wings. Airplanes are heavier than air, in contrast to vehicles such as balloons and airships, which are lighter than air. Airplanes also differ from other heavier-than-air craft, such as helicopters, because they have rigid wings; control surfaces, such as movable parts of the wings and tail, which make it possible to guide their flight; and power plants, or special engines that permit level or climbing flight.

Airplanes range in size from the single-seat, single-engine private plane to massive jumbo jets capable of carrying hundreds of passengers. A versatile and relatively fast means of transportation, many models of the airplane have been designed for a diverse set of purposes.

Pontoons allow this bush plane to land on Lake Abitibbi in Ontario, Canada. Seaplanes have a variety of uses, but they are particularly valuable to bush pilots who must frequently make landing in sea