I hate that everybody's like, it's not that big a deal.

We only started doing it 124 years ago! Prior to that it was a very big deal indeed.

Everyone's so fucking smart these days, there's no room for a sense of wonder. It's like being blasé and knowledgeable is cool. It's really not.

You keep flying with your beautiful sense of wonder, Buttflapper!

it works because we believe in it. if everyone would lose faith in airplanes, they'd drop out of the sky.

Wait until you find out about electricity! 🤯

I used to think so until I realised that air and water are both fluids, except air is thinner.

I know right.... the wings dont even flap!

I find it equally neat how displacement allows a 100,000 ton ship to float.

As I'm sure most know, planes fly because of the angle of their wings and airframe shape (also known as an airfoil). As moving air flows over the wing it creates downward pressure, which, as a result of Newton's 3rd law (reaction to a force), allows moving air below to create lift. And upsy daisy she goes.

Science.

"It's just always exciting! That amazing moment when twelve tonnes of metal leaves the earth... and no-one knows why!"

"Yes, we do."

"Yeah, but, you know, not really. I mean, we know you need wings, and engines, and a sticky-up bit on the end for some reason, but it's not like we actually know why a plane stays in the air."

"No. No, Arthur, we really do! We- we do, we do know that!"

Don't forget how high you get.

Consider the amount of air its wings must displace in order to stay aloft. An equal quantity of mass at least. It's passing through that air and, partly pushing it down, but also partially scraping it thin over the bowed top surface of the wing (the Bernoulli principle) which creates a pressure differential that lifts the wing, pulling it upward through suction, and thus the plane. That's why the plane must go fast to fly, and why it "stalls" and falls if it isn't moving through enough air. It's also how turbulence affects a plane. Differences in air pressure mean that in pockets of low pressure there isn't as much mass being displaced by the wings, not enough lift so it falls.

Now, it's quite likely that my layman's comprehension of this is flawed. But I'm sure it's entirely possible that someone will correct me soon :3

It’s magical, right? It’s what got me interested in aviation - the physics, the science, the engineering to make it work. And we’ve gotten so good at it, air travel is now available to most people, it’s safe and convenient.

I’ve flown exactly three times in my life: a hot air balloon, a helicopter and a DC3. Each was magical in its own way. I’ve also done a fair bit of plane spotting. Seeing an Airbus A380 landing right in front of you is amazing. It really is the size of a large apartment block with wings. Truly awe inspiring.

Aviation is fucking awesome!

It's simple. You just need 60 tons of lift and thrust. Aerodynamics help but you can make a brick fly.

An a380 is so big when it takes off it looks like it's moving slow, just kind of hanging in the air

Glitch that's going to be patched out eventually

Crazier to think 60tons of air being pushed down 10m/s^2 (or whatever equivalent mass/acc you want to think with) to keep it up there.

"I flew for my first time on a plane"

Now I just feel old.

Crazier still when you consider it's pushed into the sky by its own farts.

I'm even more impressed by aircraft carriers. Just one of those things weigh as much as 250 fully loaded Boeing 747s. And it just floats. :)

The 777 is 375-ish tons, and the A380 is 630-ish tons.

I still look up whenever u hear a plane fly over. Heavier than air travel is treated way to casually

I think you just experienced physics first hand!

Turns out, the sky is pretty thick if you hit it hard enough.

it's crazy that you can just jump, and you go up for a bit.

It doesn't just fly, it rages against gravity, using every possible trick in the book