Part 2: The basics of flying

Before you even think of flying like a bird on your computer screen, you need to know the basics of flying – how does a plane fly?

Lift

Well, the basic aerodynamic force that makes a plane fly is lift. Lift is obtained when the propeller forces air over the wings. The wings are shaped like an airfoil. Air passing over the wings creates lift as shown below.

http://www.rc-airplane-world.com/image-files/airfoil-wing-section.gif

Flight Control Surfaces

Now you know how a plane manages to get itself into the air, but how does it turn and go up and down? These are what the flight controls are for.

http://www.berkeleyscience.com/images/lift4.gif

There are 3 main control surfaces you need to know:

1. Ailerons

These are two sets of horizontal flaps located on the wings and tilt the plane from side to side:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Aileron_roll.gif

This will make the plane slowly turn on it’s side.

2. Rudder

This is a vertical flap on the tail to move the nose side-to-side:

3. Elevator

This is a set of two horizontal flaps at the horizontal stabilizers (the little wing-like things at the base of the tail).

http://www.rc-airplane-world.com/image-files/airplane-elevators.gif

This turns the plane up and down so that it can gain or decrease in height.

So that’s about all that takes to make a plane fly! Watch out for the next part of the tutorial..