What the Airplanes??????

Question

Why don't the wings on an airplane have to flap like the wings on birds?

Answer 1

simple actually. airplane wings are the same shape as birds, but planes have jets to move forward. birds dont. so they flap.

Answer 2

because they use forward thrust to lift the aircraft. the wings are slightly bent so when you move fast enough forward it produce lift. therefore not having to flap..

Answer 3

Because it would be inefficient and impractical to make them that way. The purpose of the wings is to produce a force to counter the weight of the body. Flapping is one way, slicing through air is another. Airplanes use the latter.

When flying (not gliding) the flapping of the bird's wings produce both thrust and lift. This is very inefficient, the conventional airplane model is more practical. And imagine yourself on a bird that is flapping its wings, wont the bounce of the body be too uncomfortable?

Why dont cars have legs?

Answer 4

because the engines...duh

Answer 5

An airplane is not a mechanical model of a bird, and it flies by completely different principles.

A bird's wings are muscle-powered, and they provide both lift and propulsion.  An airplane's wings provide lift only, and this requires forward movement to cause the air flow that allows the wings to lift the airplane.  The forward movement, in turn, is provided by engines of one type or another.

For much more information, try an internet search on "basic aerodynamics."

Good luck!

Answer 6

if they wer'nt  bent they have caused more drag an it helps for the plane to take off

Answer 7

You might notice that when a bird is moving fast enough in a forward direction that the wings dont need to flap. They are in a fixed postion, and they work exactly the same way as the wings on an airplane.

When a bird needs to gain speed (by creating thrust) it flaps its wings. Flapping the wings serves the same purpose as an engine on an airplane - it pushes it forward. If birds had little rockets on their backs or propellers on their noses they wouldnt need to flap!

Answer 8

They do! Its just so fast you cant see it!