How Do Airplanes Fly? | Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains...

How do airplanes fly? On this explainer, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore the Bernoulli Principle and the aerodynamics of how a plane takes off.

Can you fly a plane upside down? Learn about the wings of airplanes and how they are engineered to take off into the air. Discover how differences in air speed create lift, extra features that reduce drag, and what happens when a plane stalls in the air. Plus, what is the best direction for take off and landing?

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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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00:00 Introductions
1:13 Airplane Wings
4:40 Neil’s Paper Airplane Demonstration
5:41 Taking Off From The Runway
6:28 The Bernoulli Effect
9:15 Wing Tips
12:46 Force and Speed
18:00 Airport Gates

[justintyson]

4:18 he literally describes word for word the Equal Transit Theory which has been accepted as wrong.

[Reach]

As a licensed pilot, I can offer that the best direction to fly when taking off or landing is the same as the runway heading.

[aliasog]

the explanation with bernoulli and the distances is actually not right

[RichardAmesMusic]

Alas the explanation is incorrect. Flat plates generate lift with equal distance top and bottom. All you have to do to fly is push air down. Then the air pushes you up. It really is that simple. Anything that is flying is pushing air down. Pressure differences (Bernoulli) are a consequence of that fact. They’re not independent- they’re intimately intertwined.

[AstroRamiEmad]

I think he used a common mistake to falsely explain how aerofoil works?!

[ADAMSIXTIES]

Wow, Neil deGrasse Tyson knows nothing about flight. I can't believe he got the physics so wrong. Sad.

[abrahamvivas]

Science communicators usually get aerodynamics wrong...

In fact, air from the top and bottom of the airfoil doesn't arrive at the trailing edge at the same time...

What makes airfoils to work, is that the viscous boundary layer detach at trailing Edge and in consequence air is forced to follow the airfoil to the trailing edge... Air being forced to curve around the airfoil (curved airfoil or potato airfoil with angle of attack) push the wing up as a consequence of momentum change...

[smark]

All of these shows with Chuck Nice are cringeworthy.

[ACP]

Stick to astronomy, you don’t know “everything” just because you are a “celebrity expert” and it’s very clear during this video..now what should we think about you other area of “expertise” such as virology and gender identity???

[damerval]

Bernoulli is incidental but not critical in getting an airplane to fly. Some wings (particularly those of acrobatic airplanes) have symmetrical sections - the curve is the same below as it is above, and this is to allow them to fly just as well inverted as they do right side up. Airplanes fly because of the combination between the reaction force generated by the wing and the coanda effect generated by the trailing edge. You can experience the coanda effect by approaching the back of a spoon to a flowing faucet.

[duncankoelzer]

Great video as always! I’m an aerospace engineering student who just finished Applied Aerodynamics and there is an interesting note bout how wings generate lift. The part where air moves faster on the top surface than on the bottom surface is 100% true, but the part about an air molecule needed to regroup with the other molecules it was near before encountering the wing is actually a myth. There is no requirement for “air molecule neighbors” to remain neighbors after encountering the wing. The only requirement is that air moves faster on the top. A subtle distinction, but still interesting!

[TCASAnalytics]

Aaaahhhh dang it Neil!!! You propagated the stall "speed" myth!!!! An airfoil can stall at ANY airspeed!!! Airspeed is at best indirectly related, and the traditional means of anticipating an aerodynamic stall. An airfoil stalls when the angle of the wind flowing over the airfoil exceeds that airfoil's critical angle of attack.

I know, this is meant for the laymen, but this is YOU, Neil! You do stuff right!!!

[Maddogsr]

Chuck is the perfect contrast to Neil's seriousness, the comment "too bad you're not an airplane" cracked me up

[blaaaaaaaargh]

Neil, look up attack angle and coanda effect. Air packets don’t have entanglement where they need to catch up with each other if they’ve been bisected.

[southtube]

This explanation is incorrect. His understanding and explanation are flawed. Another example is where you have a better chance of being spoonfed incorrect information on the web than actually learning something new. The tag "Doctor" is not universal. This man knows a little about a lot of things rather than a lot about specific things. Listen with caution, then proceed to someone who actually knows what they're talking about. Absolutely horrible and incorrect explanation.

[BHRxRACER]

Isn't this a common misconception? A flat wing will also make the airplane fly. What creates lift is the angle of attack, basically pushing the air down.

[steveecrume]

To fly, all you need is enough "angle of attack" and enough force. The shape of the plane is just to reduce drag. You could turn a grand piano upside down and make it fly with enough angle and power, since it has has the same "wing loading" (psi) as a 747, if you calculate the weight divided by the lifting area.!

[buzbuz-]

Entertaining as always. A couple of bits of trivia that came to mind as I was listening: 1. Airport runways are designed to align with the most common wind direction in that part of the country. In the middle of the US, they are aligned more north and south. In other parts of the country they are aligned more east and west. 2. Like a lot of early aviators, Lindbergh may gotten his information about wind direction by looking to see which direction the cowherds were pointed

[oleksiysokolov]

This video caused me to do a few facepalms as I was watching it. I didn't expect to hear so many misconceptions from the respected scientist. This is what happens when a scientist steps away from his field of expertise.

[matuliik]

I would love to see a video from Mr. Tyson where he would acknowledge how wrong he is in this video and that humility and understanding of one's own mistakes is a crucial part of scientific method.

I fear, it is very unlikely to happen, though.