Airplane

An airplane (American English), or aeroplane (Commonwealth English), is a type of fixed-wing aircraft that moves forward using power from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in many sizes and shapes. People use them for fun, to carry people and goods from place to place, military work, and scientific research.

Every year, commercial aviation helps carry millions of passengers and lots of cargo around the world on special travel airplanes called airliners. Most airplanes have a pilot who controls the plane, but some can be operated from far away or by computers, like drones.

The story of airplanes began with the Wright brothers, who made and flew the first airplane in 1903. They built on ideas from earlier inventors like George Cayley and Otto Lilienthal. Airplanes became very important during big wars, such as World War II. The first airplane that used a jet engine was the German Heinkel He 178 in 1939. The first jet airplane for passengers, the de Havilland Comet, started flying people in 1952. One famous jet airplane was the Boeing 707, which carried passengers for many years.

Etymology and usage

The words "airplane" and "aeroplane" come from old languages. The word started in French as aéroplane. It mixes Greek for "air" and Latin or Greek for "level" or "wandering." At first, it described a wing moving through the air. Later, it came to mean the whole aircraft.

In the United States and Canada, people usually say "airplane" for powered fixed-wing aircraft. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and many other countries, the word "aeroplane" is used instead. The term "airplane" became common in the U.S. after a government group chose it in 1916.

Main article: Aircraft

History

Main articles: Aviation history and First flying machine

Many old stories talk about people trying to fly, like the Greek legend of Icarus and Daedalus. In the 1800s, people started building machines that could glide through the air. A big moment happened in 1903 when the Wright brothers made the first long, controlled flight with a powered airplane.

Airplanes became important during wars, helping people see far distances and travel from place to place. After the wars, airplanes changed travel, letting people and goods move quickly around the world. New kinds of airplanes, like jet planes, made travel faster and more comfortable.

Propulsion

See also: Powered aircraft and Aircraft engine

Propeller

Main articles: Propeller (aeronautics) and Aircraft engine

An aircraft propeller spins to push air and move the plane forward. It is connected to an engine and has blades that turn. Propellers can use different kinds of engines, such as piston engines, gas turbines, or electric motors. Propellers work best at slower speeds, up to about Mach 0.6. Faster planes use jet engines instead.

Jet

Main article: Jet engine

Jet aircraft use jet engines, which are stronger and quieter than older engines and work well high in the sky. Most jet planes use turbofan engines, which have a fan that pushes extra air to help the plane move. Some jet engines need to go very fast to work. Rockets are another type of engine that carry their own oxygen and can fly outside Earth’s atmosphere.

Design and manufacture

Main article: Aerospace manufacturer

Most airplanes are made by companies that build many of them. The design and planning can take years, especially for big planes. Engineers use drawings, computers, and wind tunnel tests to see how the airplane will fly. After the design is approved, a few prototype planes are built and tested. People from aviation agencies, like the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States, watch the first flights to make sure everything is safe.

When the design passes all tests, the company can start making airplanes for customers. Rules help keep airplanes quiet and safe, especially near cities. Some small planes are built by people as hobbies using kits. Large airplane production uses many companies around the world, each making different parts like wings or landing gear. After all parts are put together, the airplane has more tests to make sure it flies well.

Characteristics

Airframe

Main article: Airframe

The parts of an airplane that you can see and touch are called the airframe. Early airplanes were made of wood and fabric. As engines got stronger, more parts were made of metal. Today, many airplanes use special materials called composites.

Typical parts of an airframe include:

• One or more large horizontal wings, often with an airfoil shape. Wings help the airplane fly by pushing air downward.
• A fuselage, a long body that holds the pilot, passengers, and equipment.
• A vertical stabilizer or fin at the rear, which helps the airplane turn left or right.
• A horizontal stabilizer or tailplane, which helps the airplane tilt up or down.
• Landing gear, which supports the airplane on the ground or water.

Wings

Main article: Wing

The wings of an airplane are shaped to help it fly. Wings can be flexible or rigid and often have a strong frame to keep their shape.

The number and shape of wings vary. Some airplanes have one wing plane (monoplane), while others have two stacked wings (biplane). Wings can also be swept backward for flying at high speeds.

Fuselage

Main article: Fuselage

A fuselage is the main body of an airplane, usually shaped to move smoothly through the air. It holds the pilot, passengers, cargo, fuel, and engines. Pilots operate the airplane from a cockpit at the front of the fuselage.

Empennage and foreplane

Main articles: Empennage and Canard (aeronautics)

Most airplanes have an empennage at the rear, including a fin and rudder for turning and a tailplane and elevator for tilting up or down. Some airplanes have a canard foreplane ahead of the main wing to help with control.

Safety

Main article: Aviation safety

Air travel is safer than many people think. It is about 10 times safer than traveling by bus or rail. However, air travel can sometimes seem riskier than cars, trains, or buses when looking at deaths per journey. Because of this, air travel insurance often costs more. Large commercial airplanes are safer than smaller private planes.

Environmental impact

Main article: Environmental impact of aviation

Airplanes burn fuel, which releases pollutants like soot and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂). When flying high, big jets can create thin clouds called contrails. Some small planes use fuel that contains lead, but newer planes can use cleaner fuels or even electricity.

Airplanes can also cause noise pollution, especially when taking off and landing. This can disturb people living near airports.