Red and white smoke winding into two swirls behind the wingtips of a small white plane, flying over an open blue blueprint book

How Planes Fly: an interactive 3D physics book

The physics of flight in a blueprint book where every drawing is a working model. This sample opens two of its ten lessons. Lesson 5, drag and wingtip swirls: press SMOKE and red and white smoke winds into the two swirls that trail from a plane’s wingtips; slow down and they strengthen, add winglets and they weaken. Lesson 10, the sound barrier: speed a jet through Mach 1, watch a vapour bell form round it, and slide a glass schlieren card over it to see its shock waves close to the Mach angle. Each lesson ends with questions to check yourself.

Demos
Red and white smoke winding into two swirls behind the wingtips of a small white plane, flying over an open blue blueprint book

Interactive 3D demo

How Planes Fly

The physics of flight in a 3D blueprint book where every drawing works: make wingtip swirls with smoke and push a jet through the sound barrier.

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