How does an airplane stay in the air despite its heavy weight?

Airplanes stay in the air because wings create lift, which pushes them up like a gentle wind beneath their feet.

Imagine you're running on a slippery slide, the faster you go, the more you lift off the ground. That’s what happens with an airplane's wings. As the plane moves forward, air flows over and under its wings. The shape of the wings makes the air move faster above them than below, which creates a difference in pressure.

• Above the wing, the air is moving faster, so it has less push.
• Below the wing, the air is moving slower, so it has more push.

This difference pushes the airplane up, just like when you blow on a paper strip and it lifts off!

Even though airplanes are heavy, like a big truck, they’re also fast. The speed helps create enough lift to keep them floating in the sky, like how a leaf stays aloft even when the wind is just a gentle whisper.