How it Flies by Richard Ferris is an interesting look at aeronautics — man’s attempt to learn to fly and the paths he took to get there.
Subtitled The Conquest of the Air: The Story of Man’s Endeavors to Fly and of the Inventions by which He Has Succeeded, the author covers flight beginning with mythological machines to da Vinci’s sketches and attempts at flight, through gliders, monoplanes, and biplanes.
Along the way we learn about:
- The vocabulary of flight.
- Air.
- Wind velocity.
- The principles of flight.
- Turbulence.
- Gravity.
- The laws of motion.
- The laws of force.
- Various flight machines.
All of this while meeting the interesting characters who shaped the path toward man’s adventure in the sky. The book includes brief biographies of prominent flyers and their contributions, along with a timeline of achievements.
Of course, we have come a long way since the book was written over 100 years ago. However, How it Flies is a great first look at man’s attempt to fly — and it’s free!
Free eBook
Suggestions
Have your students do one or more of the following:
- Create a timeline showing the major developments in flight.
- Write a brief biography for each individual mentioned and his/her contribution to flight.
- Pick an aircraft to investigate further.
- Narrate (explain) the laws of flight.
- Choose one of the contributors to the advancement of flight to investigate further.
- Experiment (see suggestions below).
- To get even more out of the book, keep a notebook on flight. Add the elements listed above. Include diagrams copied from the book, experiment sheets, and map work.
Additional Resources
Unit Study on Flight ~ Free
Dig in!
Flight Adventures Unit Study ~ Free
68-page download with great activities.
First Flight: The Wright Brothers ~ Free eBook
Beautiful picture book.
The Wright Brothers {Review & Suggestions}
Definitive and highly recommended biography!
Free Science Studies: Orville & Wilbur Wright
More resources in this portion of our free science studies based on the free book Great Inventors & Their Inventions by Frank P. Bachman.
Leonardo da Vinci: A Unit Study
Learn more about the man and his machines.
How Things Fly {Featured Site}
Experiment at the Smithsonian.
Smithsonian Space Exploration Poster & Activities {Free}
Bring things up to date a bit.
Keep Reading
The Early History of the Airplane by Wright Brothers ~ Free
Firsthand account of the Wrights’ journey to invent the plane: from hobby to their first successful powered flight in December 1903.
Fold & Fly Paper Airplane Designs ~ Summer Fun Activity
Here is a great summer fun activity to keep hands busy: experimenting with these free 47 paper airplane designs!
Model Flying Machines ~ Free eBook
Model Flying Machines will be another hands on guide to keep young investigators busy this summer!