Fantastic Flying Machines

LEVELED BOOK • P Fantastic Flying Machines

Written by John Meyer and Elizabeth Austin I • L • P www.readinga-z.com

Fantastic Flying Machines A Reading A–Z Level P Leveled Book • Word Count: 855

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Written by John Meyer and Elizabeth Austin

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M Fountas & Pinnell & Fountas

Written by John Meyer and Elizabeth Austin Elizabeth and Meyer John by Written

LEVEL P LEVEL

Level P Leveled Book Leveled P Level Correlation

Fantastic Flying Machines Machines Flying Fantastic

Title page: The Lockheed Constellation, used to carry the U.S. president in the 1950s the in president U.S. the carry to used Constellation, Lockheed The page: Title

Back cover: A military helicopter military A cover: Back

Proteus, a very high-flying observation airplane observation high-flying very a Proteus, The cover: Front

courtesy of NASA page 19 (right): © Mark Evans/iStockphoto.com Mark © (right): 19 page NASA of courtesy

page16 (left): © Charles Shapiro/iStockPhoto.com; page 16 (right): © Louie Psihoyos/Corbis; pages 17: courtesy of NASA/JSC; page 18 (all): (all): 18 page NASA/JSC; of courtesy 17: pages Psihoyos/Corbis; Louie © (right): 16 page Shapiro/iStockPhoto.com; Charles © (left): page16

Wilkinson; page 12: © ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy; page 13 (left): courtesy of Airman Kyle T. Voigt /U.S. Navy; page 14: © iStockphoto.com/VMJones; iStockphoto.com/VMJones; © 14: page Navy; /U.S. Voigt T. Kyle Airman of courtesy (left): 13 page Inc./Alamy; Press, ZUMA © 12: page Wilkinson;

(right): © Ismaeljorda/Dreamstime.com; page 10: © iStockphoto.com/Jason Lugo; page 11: courtesy of U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James James Sgt. Staff by photo Force Air U.S. of courtesy 11: page Lugo; iStockphoto.com/Jason © 10: page Ismaeljorda/Dreamstime.com; © (right):

[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 9 page Navy; Frantom/U.S. Todd Class 3rd Mate Photographer’s of courtesy (left): 9 page PhotoStock-Israel/Alamy; © 8: page [LC-W861-35];

Div Photographs & Prints Congress, of Library courtesy 7: page Works; Image /The Museum/SSPL Science © (right): 6 page NYC; Collection,

© ArtToday; title page: © Learning A-Z, Inc.; pages 4, 5 (bottom), 15 (left): © Jupiterimages Corporation; pages 5 (top), 6 (left): © The Granger Granger The © (left): 6 (top), 5 pages Corporation; Jupiterimages © (left): 15 (bottom), 5 4, pages Inc.; A-Z, Learning © page: title ArtToday; ©

Front cover: Courtesy of Tom Tschida/Dryden Flight Research Center/NASA; back cover, pages 13 (right), 15 (right), 19 (left): (left): 19 (right), 15 (right), 13 pages cover, back Center/NASA; Research Flight Tschida/Dryden Tom of Courtesy cover: Front Photo Credits: Photo 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

flying possible. possible. flying

to fly? Let’s look at some of the fantastic machines that make make that machines fantastic the of some at look Let’s fly? to

like be would it what imagine you could airplane, an of heard

would you go? What would you see? If you had never seen or or seen never had you If see? you would What go? you would

Close your eyes and imagine if you could fly like a bird. Where Where bird. a like fly could you if imagine and eyes your Close 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 spin through the air. In the 1400s, Leonardo Leonardo da Vinci’s helicopter drawing 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 over—but they wanted to fly! These wings flapped when the person moved his arms and legs.

Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P 5

of the Wright brothers. Wright the of

designs the of many inspired notes and ideas his later, years

few A 1889. in ideas his published and glider better a invented

built the first glider that carried a person. Later, an engineer engineer an Later, person. a carried that glider first the built

Cayley George duck. a and rooster, a sheep, a were passengers

In 1783, two French brothers invented the hot-air balloon. Their first first Their balloon. hot-air the invented brothers French two 1783, In

History of Flight of History

that carried a person. a carried that

George Cayley built the first glider glider first the built Cayley George A sketch of one of Cayley’s first gliders first Cayley’s of one of sketch A Wilbur Wright watches his brother Orville make his historic flight. Orville and Wilbur Wright thought about all of 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 only carry 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

luggage. They can take you across the country or around the world. the around or country the across you take can They luggage.

These types of planes can carry about 450 passengers and their their and passengers 450 about carry can planes of types These

trip? vacation a on airplane an in flown you Have see. people

passenger airplanes are the first type of flying machine that most most that machine flying of type first the are airplanes passenger

Planes have improved a lot since the early days of flight. Large Large flight. of days early the since lot a improved have Planes

Airplanes This commercial airplane carries hundreds of passengers around the world every day. every world the around passengers of hundreds carries airplane commercial This Many slower or older airplanes have propeller engines. Each blade on a propeller acts like a wing. The blades create air suction when they spin, like blades on a fan. This force pulls the plane forward. Stunt pilots use small propeller planes to do tricks at air shows. Farmers use them to spray crops. This crop duster uses a propeller engine.

9 Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P Level • Machines Flying Fantastic

than the speed of sound. of speed the than

stream, or jet, of hot gas out behind them. Some jets can fly faster faster fly can jets Some them. behind out gas hot of jet, or stream,

engines are powerful. They push an airplane forward by forcing a a forcing by forward airplane an push They powerful. are engines

Jet engines. jet use fast or high fly to built are that planes Many

A Navy jet fighter takes off from an aircraft carrier. aircraft an from off takes fighter jet Navy A Jet gases form streaks of cloud in the sky. the in cloud of streaks form gases Jet Some planes are built for a particular task. Mail planes deliver packages overnight. Military cargo planes move trucks, supplies, and troops. Planes set up as offices allow people to work while they fly to business meetings.

This plane can hold 132,000 kilograms (291,000 lbs) of cargo.

Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P 11

hover in midair! midair! in hover

planes, helicopters can fly backward and rotate. They can even even can They rotate. and backward fly can helicopters planes,

the pilot steer. Unlike Unlike steer. pilot the

A helicopter lands on top of a building. a of top on lands helicopter A

helps tail the on one

smaller A helicopter.

rotor on top lifts the the lifts top on rotor

two rotors. The large large The rotors. two

Most helicopters have have helicopters Most

almost anywhere. anywhere. almost

They can fly and land land and fly can They

of flying machine. machine. flying of

another common type type common another

Helicopters are are Helicopters Helicopters A helicopter ambulance transports sick and injured people. Helicopters travel faster than cars. Hospitals use helicopters as ambulances to reach injured people quickly. Police use helicopters to find and chase criminals. Rescue teams use them to look for people who are lost.

13 Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P Level • Machines Flying Fantastic

to fight forest fires in remote areas. areas. remote in fires forest fight to

helicopters these use sometimes Firefighters top. on rotors two need

Some helicopters are designed to lift heavy loads. These helicopters helicopters These loads. heavy lift to designed are helicopters Some

bucket of water over a wildfire. a over water of bucket

Troops board a military helicopter. military a board Troops big a carries helicopter large A Blimps are often used to film sporting events. Riding in a blimp gives an amazing view.

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

15 Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P Level • Machines Flying Fantastic

the countryside from above. above. from countryside the

see to way unusual and quiet a It’s fun. for balloons hot-air in fly

People them. around air colder the in rise them making balloons,

where the wind pushes them. Gas burners warm the air inside the the inside air the warm burners Gas them. pushes wind the where

Hot-air balloons fly very slowly. They can’t be steered, so they drift drift they so steered, be can’t They slowly. very fly balloons Hot-air

Blimps and Balloons and Blimps

Hot-air balloon passengers ride in a basket. a in ride passengers balloon Hot-air Beautiful balloons dot the sky. the dot balloons Beautiful A space shuttle uses rockets to lift off. A space shuttle in orbit A space shuttle rides a rocket into space. It carries astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. On its return trip to Earth, its wings let it land like an airplane.

17 Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P Level • Machines Flying Fantastic

to the Moon. the to

astronauts carried rocket V Saturn The

helped to build a space station. space a build to helped

have and Moon the to people

carried have rockets then, Since

space travel—and being astronauts. astronauts. being travel—and space

imagination. People thought about about thought People imagination.

Sputnik. It captured everyone’s everyone’s captured It Sputnik.

satellite. The satellite’s name was was name satellite’s The satellite.

first the launch to rocket a used it

when world the surprised Union

to create thrust. In 1957, the Soviet Soviet the 1957, In thrust. create to

them behind out gases hot force that

engines powerful very are Rockets Rockets and Spaceships and Rockets 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?

Fantastic Flying Machines • Level P 19

6, 7 6, Wilbur, and Orville Wright,

18 shuttle, space

12, 13 12, rotor,

5, 10, 16 10, 5, propeller,

9 engines, jet Index