Airplanes

Ever wonder how something that weighs more than a million pounds gets off the ground? In this episode of Five Minute Gist, we explain the science of flight, from the Wright brothers' 12-second hop at Kitty Hawk to the four forces every airplane balances: lift, weight, thrust and drag. We look at how wings create lift by pushing air downward, and why a popular explanation you may have learned in school is a myth. We break down takeoff with a kite and staying in the air with a swimmer treading water. Finally, we ask what happens when the engines go quiet, and the answer might surprise you.

One topic. Five minutes. Just the gist.

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