Matt Mullins - How Does It Fly? Fighter Plane

Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing Ann Arbor, Michigan www.cherrylakepublishing.com Content Adviser: Jacob Zeiger, Production Support Engineer, the Boeing Company Photo Credits: Cover and page 1, Keith Williams/Alamy; page 5, Jaggat/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 7, A. T. Willett/Alamy; page 9, Chad Mahlum/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 11, Karen Hadley/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 13, Real Window Gallery/Alamy; page 15, Derek Gordon/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 17, iStockphoto/UgurDemir; page 19, Arthur Eugene Preston/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 21, Jvdwolf/Dreamstime.com. Copyright 2012 by Cherry Lake Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Mullins, Matt.

How does it fly? fighter plane/by Matt Mullins. p. cm.(Community connections) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-61080-066-2 (lib. bdg.) ISBN-10: 1-61080-066-4 (lib. bdg.) 1.

Fighter planesJuvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series. UG1242.F5M855 2011 623.74'64dc22 2010051212 Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

Please visit www.21stcenturyskills.org for more information. Printed in the United States of America Corporate Graphics Inc. July 2011 CLFA09

Maybe you have seen them on TV or at a big football game. A team of fighter planes, flying close together. The planes roll and dive together. The tips of their wings are very close! One mistake would be a disaster.

It takes a lot of practice and skill to fly close together. Have you ever heard a big BOOM! when a plane flew overhead? This sound is made when a plane is flying faster than sound. The air cannot move out of the way. The plane begins to produce a sonic boom . Most fighters are built to fly faster than sound. Fast fighters can fly into an area, attack, and escape quickly.

A cloud sometimes forms when a plane travels near the speed of sound. MAKE A GUESS! Sonic booms are not one big bang. The sound lasts as long as the plane flies faster than sound. The sound follows along behind the plane. But you only hear the sound once. Can you guess why?

Before fighters, less powerful planes were used to scout during a war.

Pilots flew over enemies on the ground. They gathered information on where an enemy was located. Pilots carried guns so they could shoot at enemy planes. Eventually, larger guns were attached to the planes. Scouting planes can get a wide view of enemy troops. Most of the first fighters were biplanes.

They had two levels of wings. Wings were usually made of wood covered in fabric. Wings give planes lift . They keep planes in the air. A biplanes extra set of wings provides extra lift. Engines give planes thrust .

Thrust pushes the plane forward through the air. Wood gives the body and wings of this plane their shape. At first, fighter planes had trouble with guns. Engines used propellers to push the plane forward. But the propeller was located near the gun. Pilots sometimes accidentally shot their own propellers! In 1915, engineer Anthony Fokker developed a solution.

He perfected a way for guns to avoid shooting the blades as the propellers turned. Guns were mounted behind the propeller. A gun had to shoot at just the right time to not hit a blade. THINK! Planes made from wood were used well into World War II (19391945). Why do you think wood was preferred over metal for some airplanes? Can you think of advantages that wood has over metal?

Fighter planes must often serve many roles. They are used in air-to-air combat.

These fierce battles between two or more pilots are often called dogfights . Fighter planes also attack enemies on the ground. Sometimes fighters take off or land on ships called carriers. Today, guns are mounted on the wings or inside the plane. Fighters shoot missiles . They also drop bombs.

Fighters are expensive to build. Still, most militaries around the world have them. The most advanced fighter is the F-22. It is only used by the United States. It costs $150 million to make each F-22. LOOK! Fighter planes have changed a lot since the old biplanes. LOOK! Fighter planes have changed a lot since the old biplanes.

Take a look at a modern fighter. What differences do you see? Do you see metal? Wood? How are the engines different?

Some of the most advanced fighters are not just fast. They are also very hard to spot on radar . These stealth fighters can hide from radar because of their shape. They are made of material that radar cannot detect. In the future, new kinds of engines may power planes at 10 times the speed of sound! New weapons may be able to hit enemy planes from great distances. In the future, new kinds of engines may power planes at 10 times the speed of sound! New weapons may be able to hit enemy planes from great distances.

Weapons such as laser beams dont require heavy metal bullets or missiles. Fighters will be lighter and able to fly faster and farther. Can you see yourself in the pilots seat of a fighter?