What is a airplane

The airplane is by far the most widely used of all the various aircraft men have developed. Ninety-nine out of a hundred flights are made in air­planes. In the article on flight, you can read an explanation of why an airplane flies. Every airplane must have the same basic parts: a fuselage or body; wings; tail; engine; and landing gear. the fuselage The body, or fuselage, is usually long and narrow—to provide less resistance to the wind. It may be large, so that many passengers may be carried inside, as in an airliner, or small, so that only a pilot is carried, as in a fighter plane.

The pilots' seats are usually placed on the top side and toward the front, so that they may see better. Cargo when carried also goes in the fuselage. Long ago, in the early days of flying, the fuselage was merely a framework of wood with cloth stretched over it. Metals had not been developed that were light enough, especially since the engines of those days were not very powerful. But for 30 years and more, fuselages have been made all of metal, usually some alloy of aluminum, which is light but strong. Usually there is only one fuselage.