The Science of Flight

Master the principles of flight with an award-winning professor and Smithsonian curators.

• By This Professor
• 01: Fundamentals of Flight: Gliding
• 02: Balloons, Buoyancy, and the Atmosphere
• 03: Takeoff: How Wings Produce Lift
• 04: Drag Trade-Offs and Boundary-Layer Turbulence
• 05: Stall Events and Lift-Induced Drag
• 06: Wind Tunnels and Predicting Aerodynamics
• 07: Propeller Aircraft: Slow and Efficient
• 08: Jet Aircraft: Thrust to Fly Fast
• 09: Aircraft Structures and Materials
• 10: Aircraft Stability and Flight Control
• 11: Flying Faster and Higher
• 12: Breaking the Sound Barrier and Beyond
• 13: Long-Distance Flight and Predicting Range
• 14: Aerobatics and Dogfighting
• 15: Mission Profiles and Aircraft Design
• 16: Primary Cockpit Instruments
• 17: Air Traffic Navigation and Communication
• 18: Flight Autonomy and Drones
• 19: Helicopters and Vertical Flight
• 20: Rocket Science and the Evolution of Launch
• 21: Orbiting Earth Means Always Falling
• 22: To Mars and Beyond: Gravity-Assist Flight
• 23: Atmospheric Reentry: Ballistic, Skip, Glide
• 24: The Future of Air and Space Flight
• 25: Bonus Material: Gustave Eiffel's Wind Tunnels
• 26: Bonus Material: Engineering Faster Flight Speeds
• 27: Bonus Material: Why the Wright Flyer Succeeded
• 28: Bonus Material: The Wright Brothers' Innovations
• 29: Bonus Material: Higher, Farther, Faster