Why Don't Planes Fall Out of the Sky?

A long-haul jet can weigh more than 300 tonnes, about fifty big elephants, and it's held up by nothing but air. In this video we explain flight in plain words: how a wing works (no equal-transit myth), how jet engines push a plane forward, how pilots steer, why turbulence isn't dangerous to the plane, why airliners fly so high, and why a jet with no engines doesn't fall. It becomes a glider, and that has really happened. 0:00 Why don't planes fall? 0:17 Heavier than 50 elephants 0:29 The hand-out-the-window secret 0:50 How a wing pushes air down 1:12 The air pressure view (and a popular myth) 1:43 Kites do it too 1:53 Try it at your desk 2:06 Why planes need speed 2:29 Paper planes and gliding 2:40 The four forces 3:03 How a jet engine works 3:56 How pilots steer 5:01 What turbulence really is 5:56 What if the engines stop? 6:33 It really happened: the Gimli Glider 7:17 Why planes fly so high 7:55 Recap Sources: NASA Glenn Research Center, Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics (Lift from Flow Turning; Incorrect Lift Theory; The Lift Equation; Turbofan Engine): https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/ FAA, Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), chapters 5–6 (flight controls, flaps and slats) US Code of Federal Regulations, 14 CFR Part 25, sections 25.303, 25.305 and 25.337 (load factors and safety margin): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chap... Boeing press releases, 28 Mar and 7 Apr 2010 (787 ultimate-load wing test) FAA, "Turbulence: Staying Safe" Canada, Board of Inquiry into Air Canada Flight 143 (Lockwood, 1985), the "Gimli Glider" GPIAA (Portugal), final report 22/ACCID/2001 (Air Transat Flight 236) ICAO, Manual of the ICAO Standard Atmosphere (Doc 7488) Boeing and Airbus airport-planning documents (maximum take-off weights) Footage: Pixabay. Narration voice is AI-generated. New here? Wonder Simply explains how everyday things work, in plain words. Subscribe for new simple science videos every week. #science #howitworks #explained