Aeroplane is a machine that uses the principles of aerodynamics to transport people or cargo through the sky. An aeroplane has a streamlined shape to carry it through the sky without resistance by propulsion generated by the engines. The fixed wings are used to manoeuvre the height and direction.
The word aeroplane is derived by joining ‘aero’, meaning air and ‘plane’ as in a geometric concept denoting a level. Hence aeroplane is creating a plane in the air by its flight, thus the name. The essential element of this mode of travel is speed, which is unmatched by any other mode of transport. Aeroplanes cover large distances in a matter of hours as they fly through the air.
The Wright brothers were the first to fly an aeroplane in 1903. After that aeroplanes have come in many versions, the gliders, the jet planes and now the supersonic planes. Aeroplanes have been used mostly as a mode of transport for passengers and also for cargo. Apart from that it is used in the military and for some people it is a means of recreation.
The standard airplane has a tube like structure, known as the fuselage, attached to which are two wings, one on either side. The front can have a fan like structure or can be sharp and pointed to cut through the air.
The planes are usually controlled by a pilot who flies the plane from a cockpit. There is a retractable set of wheels that allow it to taxi on the runway to gather enough speed for take-off. Once airborne, the wheels retract into the fuselage and are then used only while landing on the runway again.
Civil aviation is a large industry with many private and state owned companies running the airlines with different sizes of airplanes plying between destinations across the world. The types of flights also range from ultra-comfort to mass transport by economising on the luxuries. A single airport has the capacity to generate employment to a large number of people.
Aeroplanes are a wonder in themselves and yet a practical, if expensive way of efficiently transporting people.
By Janhavi
EdgeArticles 