A Kids Guide to the Science of Flight

Flight has been one of the most intriguing things in our world. When you look at a bird, airplane or any other thing that flies, it makes you wonder how they can do this. Birds make flight look effortless and can turn and stop with just simple movements from wings and tail. The same principals of flight that allow birds to fly, have also been used by man.

Inventors and scientists over the years have looked for ways to re-create flight. This included using balloons, kites and other man-powered flying machines. This led to machine powered flight and the airplanes that we know today. However, despite the various types of flying machines that have been created through history the principals of flight have remained the same.

To help students, teachers and parents understand and educate others about the principals of flight, we have assembled a collection of resources. We hope that this information can help you and others learn more about the science of flight. Please feel free to share this page with others looking for information on this fascinating area of science.

Basics of Flight

• NASA Dynamics of Flight
• Aerodynamic Basics
• What are the Basics of Flight
• How Do Airplanes Fly?
• The Science of Flight for Kids
• An Introduction to Flight

History of Flight

• The History of Flight
• The Library of Congress Timeline of Flight
• Timeline of the History of Flight
• Key Events in the History of Flight
• Interactive Timeline of Flight
• A Brief History of Aviation

Teacher Information

• Activities for Teaching Flight
• The Four Forces of Flight
• Aviation Lesson Plans
• Aviation Activities
• Forces of Flight Lesson Plan
• Flight Lesson Plans

Aviation Information

• Women in Aviation and Space
• The Aviation History Online Museum
• Aviation History
• Airplanes that Transformed Aviation
• Early History of Flight
• Flight History Archives

Other Resources

• Aviation Science Activities
• How Things Fly Activities
• Student Teacher Activities
• Paper Airplane Flight Basics
• Kids Flight Lesson Plans
• FAA Kids Corner