One day a little bird hatched from its shell. His name was Boe.

As Boe grew older, he wanted to fly like other birds. His mom decided to explain how birds fly before he could practice.

Boe's mom said "there are many different things and animals that fly. Some are birds, planes, hot air balloons, kits, and butterflies. When you fly you need to be careful and avoid colliding with these objects and animals."

Boe's mom said "there are four forces of flight! They are lift, drag, weight, and thrust. All of them have a role in flying."

"Lift is what helps keep us in the air when we fly. When there is lower pressure above the wing and higher pressure underneath the wing, there is lift" Boe's mom said.

Higher pressure

Lower pressure

"Drag is a force that occurs in the opposite direction of motion. This force is caused due to the difference in air pressure" said Boe's mom.

Drag

Direction

"Weight is the force that works to pull the object down toward the Earth. It is the force of gravity" said Boe's mom.

Weight

"Thrust is the force that propels the object into the direction of motion. The thrust has to overcome the drag and weight of the object to fly" said Boe's mom.

Thrust