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Return To Aviation FAQ Archive   Search the Archives How do airplanes stay in the air? Answered By Arthur Arnelt, Editor You will wonder how airplanes stay in the air. There are four forces concerned for the plane to stay in the air and these are drag, thrust, lift, and weight. The lift force pushes the plane to go upward and the wings of the plane give the lift on it as air moves under the plane’s wings. The weight of the plane is the Earth’s force of gravity that pulls the plane down. In building a plane, the weight in the front and at the back must be balanced. Thrust is the force that makes a plane to move forward. The main source of the thrust of an airplane is from its propeller or engine. Drag is the force that slows down a plane. The force of drag counters the thrust of an airplane. Importantly, for the plane to stay in the air, it must have the fuel to run its engines. keywords: Aviation | Flying | Pilot | Planes | Airplane Aircraft Leasing

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