Parts of the Plane
Famous Firsts
The Physics of Flight
Commercial Giants
Military Might
100

This part of the plane, located at the rear, helps control "yaw" or side-to-side movement.

What is the rudder

100

In 1903, these two brothers achieved the first powered, controlled flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Who are Orville and Wilbur Wright?

100

This is the upward force that opposes the weight of the airplane.

What is lift?

100

This American company produces the 737, 747, and the 787 Dreamliner.

What is Boeing?

100

This "stealth" technology allows aircraft to become nearly invisible to this type of detection system.

What is Radar?

200

These adjustable flaps on the trailing edge of the wings are used to control the plane's "roll."

What are ailerons?

200

She became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932.

Who is Amelia Earhart?

200

This principle states that as the speed of a moving fluid increases, its pressure decreases; it's the basis for wing design.

What is Bernoulli’s Principle?

200

Known as the "Queen of the Skies," this was the world's first wide-body commercial jet.

What is the Boeing 747?

200

The "Warthog" is the nickname for this rugged, twin-engine ground-attack aircraft.

What is the A-10 Thunderbolt II?

300

Located on the horizontal stabilizer, these movable surfaces control the pitch (up and down movement) of the nose.

What are elevators?

300

In 1947, this American test pilot became the first person to officially break the sound barrier.

Who is Chuck Yeager?

300

This "backward" force is caused by air resistance as the plane moves forward.

What is drag?

300

This European aerospace company is Boeing's primary global competitor and makes the A380.

What is Airbus?

300

This Lockheed Martin jet is a fifth-generation stealth fighter often called the "Raptor."

What is the F-22?

400

This term refers to the main body of the aircraft, which holds the crew, passengers, and cargo.

What is the fuselage?

400

This Spirit of St. Louis pilot completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927.

Who is Charles Lindbergh?

400

A "stall" occurs when this specific angle—the angle between the wing’s chord line and the oncoming air—becomes too steep.

What is the Angle of Attack?

400

This was the name of the supersonic passenger jet, operated by British Airways and Air France, which retired in 2003.

What is the Concorde?

400

This German aircraft was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter plane during WWII.

What is the Messerschmitt Me 262?

500

These small, vertical extensions at the tips of the wings are designed to reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency.

What are winglets?

500

This French aviator was the first to fly across the English Channel in 1909.

Who is Louis Blériot?

500

This term describes the ratio of an aircraft's speed to the speed of sound in the surrounding medium.

What is Mach number?

500

This three-letter code is used by the FAA to identify the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic (located in Georgia).

What is ATL (Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport)?

500

Still the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft ever built, this "Blackbird" could fly at speeds over Mach 3.

What is the SR-71?

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