Flying Machines

Over 200 years ago there were no aeroplanes, but people wanted to fly and they made the first flying machine. It was a hot-air balloon! It had a basket to carry one passenger.

About 100 years later, people made the first airship. It looked like a sausage. It carried more passengers than hot-air balloons. The world’s longest airship was 245 metres long and it carried

36 passengers. It had cabins for passengers to sleep in, a dining-room, a reading room, a writing room and a lounge with a piano!

Wilbur and Orville Wright were two brothers from the United States. They flew the first aeroplane in 1903. It was made of wood.

It only flew 36 metres and it did not fly very fast.

Today, aeroplanes are made of metal. They can fly thousands of kilometres, and they fly very fast.

A bird uses its wings and its tail to fly An aeroplane has wings and a tail, too, but it needs engines to make it fly.

Pilots fly aeroplanes. They sit in the cockpit of the aeroplane. They can make the aeroplane fly higher or lower. They can also make it fly faster or more slowly. It is a difficult job. Pilots have to go to flying school for many years.

A helicopter can fly forwards, upwards, downwards or sideways. It has a rotor on top. The engine turns the rotor round very fast. This lifts the helicopter up into the air. Helicopters can go up and down in a small place. They do not need a runway. They can land on a small island, in a busy city or on a mountain. We

can use helicopters to rescue people.