File:Juvenile_pelecanus_occidentalis_in_flight.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ206021· pop 77· linked from 480 articles

flight

Also known as flying, fly

thumb|Bird flight by a [[brown pelican.]] thumb|Human-engineered flight: a United Airlines [[Boeing 787 taking off from Heathrow Airport in December 2013.]]

AI overview

Flight is the ability to move through the air, demonstrated by both animals like birds and by human-engineered aircraft. It matters because it has enabled humans to travel rapidly across distances and connect distant places, as shown by modern commercial aviation.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Image: Black-tailed gull.jpg

Show 1 more fact

Commons category: Flight

Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~22 min read

Article

36 sections

Contents

Types of flight
Buoyant flight
Aerodynamic flight
Unpowered flight versus powered flight
Animal flight
Supersonic
Hypersonic
Ballistic
Atmospheric
Spaceflight
Solid-state propulsion
History
Aviation
Spaceflight
Physics
Forces
Thrust
Lift
Drag
Lift-to-drag ratio
Buoyancy
Thrust to weight ratio
Flight dynamics
Energy efficiency
Range
Power-to-weight ratio
Takeoff and landing
Guidance, navigation and control
Navigation
Guidance
Control
Traffic
Flight safety
See also
References
External links

thumb|Bird flight by a [[brown pelican.]] thumb|Human-engineered flight: a United Airlines [[Boeing 787 taking off from Heathrow Airport in December 2013.]]

Flight or flying is the motion of an object through an atmosphere or through the vacuum of space, in this case also called spaceflight, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift associated with gliding or propulsive thrust, aerostatically using buoyancy, or by ballistic movement.