Heavier-than-air – aerodynes[edit]

Heavier-than-air aircraft, such as airplanes, must find some way to push air or gas downwards,
so that a reaction occurs (by Newton's laws of motion) to push the aircraft upwards. This
dynamic movement through the air is the origin of the term aerodyne. There are two ways to
produce dynamic upthrust — aerodynamic lift, and powered lift in the form of engine thrust.
Aerodynamic lift involving wings is the most common, with fixed-wing aircraft being kept in the air
by the forward movement of wings, and rotorcraft by spinning wing-shaped rotors sometimes
called rotary wings. A wing is a flat, horizontal surface, usually shaped in cross-section as
an aerofoil. To fly, air must flow over the wing and generate lift. A flexible wing is a wing made of
fabric or thin sheet material, often stretched over a rigid frame. A kite is tethered to the ground
and relies on the speed of the wind over its wings, which may be flexible or rigid, fixed, or rotary.
With powered lift, the aircraft directs its engine thrust vertically downward. V/STOL aircraft, such
as the Harrier Jump Jet and Lockheed Martin F-35B take off and land vertically using powered lift
and transfer to aerodynamic lift in steady flight.
A pure rocket is not usually regarded as an aerodyne, because it does not depend on the air for
its lift (and can even fly into space); however, many aerodynamic lift vehicles have been powered
or assisted by rocket motors. Rocket-powered missiles that obtain aerodynamic lift at very high
speed due to airflow over their bodies are a marginal case.
Fixed-wing[edit]
Main article: fixed-wing aircraft

An Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger airliner

The forerunner of the fixed-wing aircraft is the kite. Whereas a fixed-wing aircraft relies on its
forward speed to create airflow over the wings, a kite is tethered to the ground and relies on
the wind blowing over its wings to provide lift. Kites were the first kind of aircraft to fly, and were
invented in China around 500 BC. Much aerodynamic research was done with kites before test
aircraft, wind tunnels, and computer modelling programs became available.
The first heavier-than-air craft capable of controlled free-flight were gliders. A glider designed
by George Cayley carried out the first true manned, controlled flight in 1853.
The practical, powered, fixed-wing aircraft (the airplane or aeroplane) was invented by Wilbur
and Orville Wright. Besides the method of propulsion, fixed-wing aircraft are in general
characterized by their wing configuration. The most important wing characteristics are:

 Number of wings — monoplane, biplane, etc.

 Wing support — Braced or cantilever, rigid, or flexible.
 Wing planform — including aspect ratio, angle of sweep, and any variations along
the span (including the important class of delta wings).
 Location of the horizontal stabilizer, if any.
 Dihedral angle — positive, zero, or negative (anhedral).
A variable geometry aircraft can change its wing configuration during flight.
A flying wing has no fuselage, though it may have small blisters or pods. The opposite of this is
a lifting body, which has no wings, though it may have small stabilizing and control surfaces.
Wing-in-ground-effect vehicles are not considered aircraft. They "fly" efficiently close to the
surface of the ground or water, like conventional aircraft during takeoff. An example is the
Russian ekranoplan (nicknamed the "Caspian Sea Monster"). Man-powered aircraft also rely
on ground effect to remain airborne with a minimal pilot power, but this is only because they are
so underpowered—in fact, the airframe is capable of flying higher.

Aircraft parked on the ground in Afghanistan

Rotorcraft[edit]
Main article: Rotorcraft

An autogyro

Rotorcraft, or rotary-wing aircraft, use a spinning rotor with aerofoil section blades (a rotary wing)
to provide lift. Types include helicopters, autogyros, and various hybrids such as gyrodynes and
compound rotorcraft.
Helicopters have a rotor turned by an engine-driven shaft. The rotor pushes air downward to
create lift. By tilting the rotor forward, the downward flow is tilted backward, producing thrust for
forward flight. Some helicopters have more than one rotor and a few have rotors turned by gas
jets at the tips.
Autogyros have unpowered rotors, with a separate power plant to provide thrust. The rotor is
tilted backward. As the autogyro moves forward, air blows upward across the rotor, making it
spin. This spinning increases the speed of airflow over the rotor, to provide lift. Rotor kites are
unpowered autogyros, which are towed to give them forward speed or tethered to a static anchor
in high-wind for kited flight.
Cyclogyros rotate their wings about a horizontal axis.
Compound rotorcraft have wings that provide some or all of the lift in forward flight. They are
nowadays classified as powered lift types and not as rotorcraft. Tiltrotor aircraft (such as the Bell
Boeing V-22 Osprey), tiltwing, tail-sitter, and coleopter aircraft have their
rotors/propellers horizontal for vertical flight and vertical for forward flight.
Other methods of lift[edit]
X-24B lifting body.

 A lifting body is an aircraft body shaped to produce lift. If there are any wings, they
are too small to provide significant lift and are used only for stability and control.
Lifting bodies are not efficient: they suffer from high drag, and must also travel at
high speed to generate enough lift to fly. Many of the research prototypes, such as
the Martin Marietta X-24, which led up to the Space Shuttle, were lifting bodies,
though the Space Shuttle is not, and some supersonic missiles obtain lift from the
airflow over a tubular body.
 Powered lift types rely on engine-derived lift for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL).
Most types transition to fixed-wing lift for horizontal flight. Classes of powered lift
types include VTOL jet aircraft (such as the Harrier Jump Jet) and tiltrotors, such as
the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, among others. A few experimental designs rely entirely
on engine thrust to provide lift throughout the whole flight, including personal fan-lift
hover platforms and jetpacks. VTOL research designs include the Rolls-Royce
Thrust Measuring Rig.
 The Flettner airplane uses a rotating cylinder in place of a fixed wing, obtaining lift
from the Magnus effect.
 The ornithopter obtains thrust by flapping its wings.