Flying - A Very Natural Occurrence

Many things on earth fly. There are two kinds of flight: gliding flight and true flight.

Gliding Flight

What is gliding flight?

Gliding flight is to fly without power. Many things can glide through the air. Seeds, leaves and animals can glide through the air.

This is a milkweed. The milkweed has seeds. The seeds have hairs. The hairs on the seed work like a parachute. The milkweed seeds can glide and float through the air. The seeds glide for miles and miles. The seeds fly for a long time.

The parachute can glide or float through the air too.

Animals can glide through the air. Some fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals can also glide through the air.

Here is a flying fish. This fish can jump out of the water and glide.

Here is a flying lizard. The lizard is a reptile that can glide through the air.

This is a flying squirrel. The flying squirrel is a mammal that can glide through the air.

Here is a bird. The bird is not using power to move its wings. The bird is resting. The bird is gliding on warm air currents.

True Flight

What is true flight? True flight is to fly with muscle power. Insects, birds and bats use muscle power to flap their wings. These animals flap their wings up and down. Insects, birds, and bats are the only true fliers.

A butterfly is an insect.

A hummingbird is a type of bird.

And a bat is a mammal.

Animals that fly have special body parts to help them move through the air. These animals all have wings and are lightweight.

This is a flying dinosaur named Pterosaur. The Pterosaurs lived millions of years ago. Some of these dinosaurs had wings as big as airplane wings. Look at the dinosaur's body.

Look at the body of an airplane. Compare them. Both their bodies are made for flying. They can fly.

A long time ago people wanted to fly like birds. People tried to fly like a super hero. People can not fly like insects, birds, bats or super heroes.

Man invented the airplane. People can fly on airplanes.

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Last modified: Mon Jul 7 11:16:22 PDT 1997