The first quest for flight was in 1000 BC when the Chinese invented kites. It was unknown the exact time but is estimated between 770 BC and 221 BC that wooden kites (Muyuan) were invented for military use. Leonardo de Vinci was interested in aviation and was truly inspired by the wings of birds and how they work. In 1485, Leonardo invented the ornithopter (a flying machine) which was inspired by the wings on animals. Unfortunately, de Vinci realised even though the air craft could fly once in the air, it was impossible for a human to generate enough energy to leave the ground. The three Montgolfier brothers, invented the first hot air balloon in 1783. The way they achieved this was by using smoke to blow hot air into a silk bag attached to basket. The hot air rose into the bag (allowing it to be lighter than air) and left the ground. From approximately 1799 – 1850’s George Cayley designed …show more content…
Weight is equal to the amount of gravity multiplied by the mass of an object. A plane must overcome weight by another force called lift to be able to fly. Lift is the force that pushes an object away from the earth. A hot air balloon rises because the air is lighter than the outside air because it is hot. Hot air rises and takes the balloon with it. The way an airplane lift is because of its wings. The wings are shaped so it is curved on the bottom and more flatter on the bottom. This then causes the air moving around the top of the wings to increase its speed and the pressure drops. The pressure between the bottom of the wing and the top of the wing results in more pressure underneath towards the bottom of the wing, pushing the wing upwards. Thrust is the force that pushes an object forward. A large plane gets it thrust from jet engines whereas a smaller plane gets it thrust from propellers. For a plane to keep moving forward, it must have more thrust then