Aircraft facts for kids

An aircraft is a machine that can fly. There are many different kinds of aircraft that help us travel or explore the sky.

Some aircraft stay in the air by moving air over their wings. Think of them like a bird's wings, but for machines! Examples are airplanes, helicopters, and gliders. Other aircraft stay in the sky by floating, just like a boat floats on water. These include balloons and airships.

Most aircraft use engine power to fly. This includes airplanes, helicopters, and airships. However, some aircraft, like gliders and balloons, do not use any engine power. A few special aircraft can even fly using muscle power!

Big airplanes that carry many people are called airliners. Airliners are often the fastest way to travel long distances. They can fly high above mountains and bad weather. These amazing machines use advanced technology to fly quickly, safely, and efficiently.

Some very fast fighter aircraft can fly incredibly fast, up to 3,200 kilometers per hour (2,000 miles per hour)!

The human activity of flying aircraft is called aviation. The science of aviation, which includes designing and building aircraft, is known as aeronautics. Most aircraft are flown by a person called a pilot. But some aircraft, called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), can be controlled from far away or fly by themselves using onboard computers.

A balloon is a kind of no-power aircraft.

History of Flight

People have dreamed of flying for a very long time. Stories and models of flying machines go back many centuries. However, the first successful flights by people in modern times happened in the 1700s with large hot-air balloons.

Both World War I and World War II led to huge improvements in aircraft technology. Because of this, the history of aircraft can be divided into five main periods:

• Early Flying Machines: From the first experiments until 1914.
• First World War: From 1914 to 1918.
• Between the World Wars: From 1918 to 1939.
• Second World War: From 1939 to 1945.
• Post-War Era (Jet Age): From 1945 to today.

Aircraft are made in many different types for various uses. There are military aircraft, which include planes for combat and many other supporting roles. Then there are civil aircraft, which are all non-military types, like passenger planes, cargo planes, and even experimental or model aircraft.

Related pages

• Aircraft carrier
• Airplane

Images for kids

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  The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is the most produced aircraft in history.

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  The Mil Mi-8 is the most-produced helicopter in history.

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  Hot air balloons

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  Airship USS Akron over Manhattan in the 1930s

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  An Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger airliner

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  Aircraft parked on the ground in Afghanistan

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  An autogyro

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  X-24B lifting body

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  Sailplane (Rolladen-Schneider LS4)

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  A turboprop-engined DeHavilland Twin Otter adapted as a floatplane

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  Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor

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  Airframe diagram for an AgustaWestland AW101 helicopter

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  The Boeing 777-200LR is one of the longest-range airliners, capable of flights of more than halfway around the world.

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  The empennage of a Boeing 747-200

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  Boeing B-17E in flight

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  Agusta A109 helicopter of the Swiss air rescue service

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  A model aircraft, weighing six grams

See also

In Spanish: Aeronave para niños