What is lift?

Lift is what makes planes float in the sky, just like how a balloon floats up when you let go of it.

Imagine you're riding your bike on a windy day. When you speed up and lean forward, the wind pushes against you, but not just from behind; some of it also pushes under your bike. That push helps you move faster and feel lighter. Lift works in a similar way.

When a plane moves forward, air flows over its wings. The shape of the wings is special, one side is curved more than the other. This makes the air above the wing move faster than the air below it. Because of that speed difference, the air pushes up harder on the bottom of the wing than it does on the top. That upward push is called lift, and it’s what helps the plane rise into the sky.

Think of it like this: when you blow across the top of a piece of paper, it lifts up, just like how a plane flies!