Page 15 - DK Children's Encyclopedia

Aircraft SEE ALSO

▸ ▸ Atmosphere p.33
▸ ▸ Birds p.39
Aircraft are types of transportation that let us travel ▸ ▸ Forces p.108
through air. They take people on vacations and are also ▸ ▸ Gravity p.125
used by fire crews, doctors, and farmers. Types of aircraft ▸ ▸ Transportation

include planes, helicopters, and hot air balloons. pp.258–259

Plane
The Airbus A380 is the world’s
largest passenger plane. It can This 79 ft (24 m)
carry more than 800 people on high tail section
two decks and fly nonstop from has a flap called a
rudder that steers
the US to Australia. the aircraft.

Ailerons are flaps on
each wing that move
up and down to turn
the aircraft.

This part of the
tail helps to keep
the aircraft flying
straight.

The A380 is powered by
four huge jet engines, each
The cockpit is where the pilot as long as a family car.
and copilot fly the aircraft.

Helicopter
A helicopter uses fast-spinning blades, called How aircraft fly
rotors, to fly through the air. These rotor blades The green arrows show the four pushes and pulls, or
raise the helicopter and move it forward. Smaller forces, acting on an aircraft during flight. The weight
rotors on the tail keep the craft straight. of gravity pulls it down, lift raises it up, thrust moves
it forward, and drag pulls it back. The pilot uses the
Main rotor blades controls to manage these forces to take off, fly, and
land safely.

Tail Gravity
Cockpit rotor

Drag Thrust

Lift
Landing skis

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