How Do Aeroplanes Fly?Author: Aditi SarawagiIllustrator: Lavanya Karthik

Sarla liked to watch birds fly.

One day, during science class, she looked out of thewindow and saw an eagle gliding in the sky. Howhappy the bird must be! She also liked to see planesflying. “Here, what's your name? Should you not belooking at the board?” asked the new teacher inSarla's class.

Sarla got up hastily and said, “Sorry Madam, I waswatching an eagle. I wish we could fly like a bird, orlike an aeroplane....”“What is your name?”“Sarla.”

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“Oh how nice! Do you know thatSarla was the name of the firstIndian women pilot too? Myname, Hamsa, means a swan.Swans are one of the largestflying birds, you know,” said theteacher. “You must spend sometime in the library, Sarla. I'm surethere are many books aboutbirds and flights, and machinesthat fly like aeroplanes.” Over the next few days, Sarlahappily learnt a lot about birds,and about aeroplanes.

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Sarla learnt that human beingscan fly too, but not like birds. Wecan fly to any city in the world inan aeroplane, one of mankind’sgreatest inventions.

With the help of this greatmachine, we can also experiencethe joy of being airborne. Birdsare aerial creatures that do notneed an external machine to fly.Usually, a bird's wings are biggerthan the rest of its body. Thewings are very light, making itpossible for birds to fly.

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Aeroplanes are huge and veryheavy. Just like birds, aeroplaneshave wings on both their sideswhich help them to fly. The wingsof the plane are shaped just likethose of birds - curved on the topand flat on the bottom whichhelps them to fly high up in thesky.

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Birds flap their wings to fly, but ofcourse we have never seen anaeroplane flapping its wings!Birds flap their wings as they usethe wind to push their bodyupwards.

Aeroplanes also fly with the helpof the force of the wind. Thismachine uses the engine insideits body to create wind that flowsbelow the plane.

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An engine is a very strongmachine which acts like the brainof the plane. Just like a bird usesits mind and logic to navigate itsflight, engines help planes topush them above the groundand to help them move forward.When the plane’s engines burnfuel, they release hot gases athigh speeds which push on theair behind the engine, movingthe plane forward.

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Cars and other vehicles withengines move forward too. Butthey cannot go up in the sky likeplanes. The wind flows over andunder their wings which areshaped like birds’ wings and liftsthe plane into the sky and keepsit there.

Planes also have tails, just likebirds, to keep them steady andhelp them change direction.ٴ

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Planes need big long roads totake off and land. These longroads are called runways andplanes need to travel very fast onthe runway before they can takeoff into the air. Planes need togain a lot of speed to lift off inthe air.

Most aeroplanes can take offonly if they are moving fastenough. The runway is animportant part of the airport as itgives aeroplanes enough time toincrease their speed andultimately take off.

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Planes know where they have to go because theyare steered by pilots. The pilots control the planefrom a place in the front of the aeroplane called thecockpit. They keep in contact with the airport (aplace from where the planes take off and land)through very accurate and modern devices. Just likethere are signals and police to help us on the roads,there are air traffic controllers who tell pilots whenand where to fly; and when it is safe to take off orland. A plane is actually a giant bird. It is not only shapedlike a bird, it also allows us to fly, though not likebirds! Sarla wants to be a pilot and fly aeroplaneswhen she grows up.

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Did You Know? India’s first aircraft was theHarlow which first flew in July1941.

The first pilot license in India wasawarded to JRD Tata in February1929 by the Aero Club of Indiaand Burma.

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The fastest jet aircraft in theworld is the Lockheed SR-71Blackbird which flies at a speedfaster than the speed of sound.

Sarla Thakral was the first Indianwoman to fly an aircraft. She wasalso the first woman pilot toaccumulate over 1000 hours offlying.

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Let's take off!

Have fun with friends with these activities:

1. Make paper planes and see whose plane goes thefarthest. Is it the paper or the way it has been madethat makes a paper plane go faster? Observe whathappens when each plane is launched. Is there adifference if you blow over, or into or under theplane before you shoot it off? 2. Fly-Don't fly Game: Get a group of friends to 'fly'around the room, without touching each other. Theden stands in a corner and calls out the names offlying or non-flying objects. When a non-flyingobject (like table) is called, the 'planes' must 'land'(sit down). Whoever makes a mistake is the nextden.

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This is a Level 3 book for children who are ready to read on their own.

(English)How Do Aeroplanes Fly? Sarla wished she could fly high like an eagle or like an aeroplane. Of

course you can fly, said her new teacher. Here, Sarla shares all that shehas learnt about flight and aeroplanes.

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