Fantastic Flying Machines

Written by John Meyer and Elizabeth Austin

Learning A–Z level P Grade 2 Word Count 847

Multi-level I L P Lexile 700L Nonfiction • Informational

Refer to the Focus Question on page 2 of this title to guide discussion and support additional learning connected
to the text.

Fantastic Flying Machines is an informational book about the history behind human flight.
Photographs and illustrations support the text. The book is also available for levels I and L.

Photo Credits:
Front cover: courtesy of Tom Tschida/Dryden Flight Research Center/NASA; title page: John Meyer/© Learning A-Z; pages 4, 5 (bottom), 15 (left): © Jupiterimages Corporation; pages 5 (top), 6 (left): © The Granger Collection, NYC; page 6
(right): © Science Museum/SSPL /The Image Works; page 7: courtesy Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [LC-W861-35]; page 8: © PhotoStock-Israel/Alamy; page 9 (left): courtesy of Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Todd
Frantom/U.S. Navy; page 9 (right): © Ismaeljorda/Dreamstime.com; page 10: © iStockphoto.com/Jason Lugo; page 11: courtesy of U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James Wilkinson; pages 12, 13 (right): ZUMA Press Inc/Alamy Stock Photo;
page 13 (left): courtesy of Airman Kyle T. Voigt /U.S. Navy; page 14: © iStockphoto.com/VMJones; page 15 (right): © Joel Carillet/iStock Unreleased/Getty Images; page16 (left): © Charles Shapiro/iStockphoto.com; page 16 (right): © Justin
Sullivan/Getty Images; page 17: courtesy of NASA/JSC; page 18 (all): courtesy of NASA; page 19 (left): © ArtToday; page 19 (right): © Mark Evans/iStockphoto.com

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Fantastic Flying Machines

Above: The Lockheed Constellation, used to carry the U.S. president in the 1950s
Cover: The Proteus, a very high-flying observation airplane

Written by John Meyer and Elizabeth Austin

What has stayed the same?

How has flying changed over time?
Focus Question
 Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

History of Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Airplanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Helicopters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Blimps and Balloons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Rockets and Spaceships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Other Ways to Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P 3

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flying possible.
to fly? Let’s look at some of the fantastic machines that make
heard of an airplane, could you imagine what it would be like
would you go? What would you see? If you had never seen or
Close your eyes and imagine if you could fly like a bird. Where
Introduction
People have always wanted to fly. They watched
birds fly. They dreamed about how wonderful
it would be. A few people had good ideas about
what made objects move through the air. One
man made a small toy propeller that could Leonardo da Vinci’s helicopter
drawing
spin through the air. In the 1400s, Leonardo
da Vinci, an artist, drew amazing plans
for a helicopter. It might have worked—
but he never built it. People experimented.
Some strapped wings onto their arms and
flapped. A few tied themselves to big kites.
Almost everyone crashed over and These wings flapped when the person
moved his arms and legs.
over—but they wanted to fly!
Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P 5

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of the Wright brothers.
years later, his ideas and notes inspired many of the designs
invented a better glider and published his ideas in 1889. A few
built the first glider that carried a person. Later, an engineer
passengers were a sheep, a rooster, and a duck. George Cayley
In 1783, two French brothers invented the hot-air balloon. Their first
History of Flight
that carried a person.
A sketch of one of Cayley’s first gliders George Cayley built the first glider
Wilbur Wright watches his brother Orville make his historic flight.

Orville and Wilbur Wright thought about all these early ideas.
They thought about why most of them didn’t work. After many
tests, the Wright brothers built the first successful airplane that was
powered by an engine. It could carry only one person, so they took
turns testing it. On December 17, 1903, it was Orville’s turn. That
day, he flew for one full minute and went 260 meters (850 ft.).
People could fly!
Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P 7

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luggage. They can take you across the country or around the world.
These types of planes can carry about 450 passengers and their
people see. Have you flown in an airplane on a vacation trip?
passenger airplanes are the first type of flying machine that most
Planes have improved a lot since the early days of flight. Large
Airplanes
This commercial airplane carries hundreds of passengers around the world every day.
A Navy jet fighter takes off from an aircraft carrier. Jet gases form streaks of cloud in the sky.

Many planes that are built to fly high or fast use jet engines. Jet
engines are powerful. They push an airplane forward by forcing a
stream, or jet, of hot gas out behind them. Some jets can fly faster
than the speed of sound.
Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P 9

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This crop duster uses a propeller engine.

spray crops.
Farmers use them to
to do tricks at air shows.
small propeller planes
forward. Stunt pilots use
This force pulls the plane
spin, like blades on a fan.
air suction when they
wing. The blades create
a propeller acts like a
engines. Each blade on
airplanes have propeller
Many slower or older
 Helicopters
Helicopters are
another common type
of flying machine.
They can fly and land
almost anywhere.
Most helicopters have
two rotors. The large
rotor on top lifts the
helicopter. A smaller
one on the tail helps
the pilot steer. Unlike A helicopter lands on top of a building.
planes, helicopters can fly backward and rotate. They can even
hover in midair!
12
11 Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P
This plane can hold 132,000 kilograms (291,000 lb.) of cargo.
meetings.
they fly to business
people to work while
set up as offices allow
and troops. Planes
move trucks, supplies,
Military cargo planes
packages overnight.
Mail planes deliver
for a particular task.
Some planes are built
Troops board a military helicopter. A large helicopter carries a big
bucket of water over a wildfire.

Some helicopters are designed to lift heavy loads. These helicopters

need two rotors on top. Firefighters sometimes use these helicopters
to fight forest fires in remote areas.
Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P 13

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to look for people who are lost.
to patrol neighborhoods from the sky. Rescue teams use them
ambulances to reach injured people quickly. Police use helicopters
Helicopters travel faster than cars. Hospitals use helicopters as
A helicopter ambulance transports people who are sick or injured.
Beautiful balloons dot the sky. Hot-air balloon passengers ride in a basket.

Blimps and Balloons

Hot-air balloons fly very slowly. They can’t be steered, so they drift
where the wind pushes them. Gas burners warm the air inside the
balloons, making them rise in the colder air around them. People
fly in hot-air balloons for fun. It’s a quiet and unusual way to see
the countryside from above.
Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P 15

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attention, so companies put their names on them for advertising.

and can be steered by a pilot—but they fly slowly. Blimps attract
gas, such as helium. They usually have two small propeller engines
events. Blimps are large, long balloons filled with lighter-than-air
Blimps are flying machines that are often seen above large sporting

Riding in a blimp gives an amazing view. Blimps are often used to film sporting events.
 Rockets and Spaceships
Rockets are very powerful engines
that force hot gases out behind them
to create thrust. In 1957, the Soviet
Union surprised the world when
it used a rocket to launch the first
satellite. The satellite’s name was
Sputnik. It captured everyone’s
imagination. People thought about
space travel—and being astronauts.
Since then, rockets have carried
people to the Moon and have
helped build a space station.
The Saturn V rocket carried astronauts to the Moon.

Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P 17

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to Earth, its wings let it land like an airplane.
supplies to the International Space Station. On its return trip
A space shuttle rides a rocket into space. It carries astronauts and
A space shuttle in orbit A space shuttle uses rockets to lift off.
A hang glider flies over a beach. A modern glider aircraft soars in the air.

Other Ways to Fly

Today, there are many ways to fly. Hang gliders take off from cliffs and
glide to the earth, drifting on air currents. In sleek, thin glider aircraft,
people can soar for hours. Long ago, people could only imagine flying
like birds. Now, many people have the chance to fly. Where would you
like to fly?
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Wright, Orville and Wilbur, p. 6, 7

space shuttle, p. 18

rotor, p. 12, 13

propeller, p. 5, 10, 16

Leonardo da Vinci, p. 5

jet engines, p. 9
Index