Properties of Air and Characteristics of Flight Properties of Air and Characteristics of Flight Lesson 06 – Aircraft with Motors

Aircraft with Motors

Vocabulary

Read the vocabulary terms to understand the reading better.

Amphibious

Amphibious means to be able to live or be used on both land or water.

Propellors

Propellors are devices that have 2 or more metal blades, that spin at high speed to cause an aircraft or boat to move.

Rotor

The rotor is a device on top of a helicopter that has blades coming out of a central point; it is rotated, or turned, quickly to produce thrust to lift and move a helicopter.

Radar

Radar is a system that sends out radio waves, which bounce off far-away objects, then bounce back; the time the radio wave takes to return shows the location of the object.

Stealth Aircraft

Stealth aircraft are aircraft that uses a variety of technologies to make it very difficult to detect, or spot, with radar.

Military Aircraft

Military aircraft are aircraft used by the armed forces (e.g., army, navy, air force).

Amphibious Aircraft

Aircraft that can land and take off either on land or water are amphibious. Some have skis so they can also land on snow or ice. Amphibious aircraft are especially useful in remote areas where they can land on runways, lakes, or rivers.

Helicopters

Helicopters get lift and thrust from the propellers—a rotor on the top. This rotor allows helicopters to take off and land vertically. It also lets the helicopter hover, and fly forward, backward, and sideways. Helicopters are often used in areas where there is no room for an airplane runway.

Stealth Planes

Stealth aircraft are military aircraft. These planes use advanced technology to avoid being detected by radar. Stealth planes have features that interfere with radar. These features make the plane difficult to see, hear or detect with hi-tech equipment. However, these aircraft can be detected when they use their weapons. Stealth planes can have human pilots. They can also be flown by remote control.