Do You Know Enough About Aviation To Be A Pilot?

The curve that's on top of a plane's wings reduces air pressure at that location. The bottom of the wing, however, is flat … which increases pressure, providing lift.

The altimeter is one of a plane's most vital instruments. It measures how high the plane is above sea level. So if the altimeter drops to 0 and you're still cruising at 500 MPH, you have a problem.

Airplanes are fantastic contraptions. Their primary job is to push air toward the ground. This generates lift … which helps planes fly.

The pilot must deal with an entire cockpit worth of controls and buttons. The floor pedals help her control the all-important rudder.

Most airplane wings feature a gentle curve on the top surface. This is part of what's called an "airfoil," and it helps the aircraft fly.

Yaw refers to the plane's side to side turning. The rudder is what controls yaw. Unless the rudder is broken, in which case, you'll have to try to remember whether you packed a parachute for this flight.

The pilot must maintain careful control of the throttle. Pushing forward on the throttle increases engine power; pulling back does the opposite.

Each wing is fitted with an aileron that moves up or down. When one goes up and the other goes down, the plane goes into a roll.

As planes climb into the skies, air pressure drops dramatically. So too do oxygen levels, which is why planes require pressurized cabins to provide a normal breathing environment.

Supersonic planes can, by definition, exceed the speed of sound. They can go 760 MPH or even faster.

Your plane isn't anywhere without some type of engine. Without thrust, there is no lift, and without lift, there is no flight.

Modern plane engines don't often fail. But when they do, the planes still work … you just have to glide them to a safe landing area.

The yoke is the "W"-shaped control wheel of the aircraft. Pilots push, pull and turn the yoke from side to side.

The rudder pedals also serve as the brakes. These are the pedals the pilot will be frantically stomping as your out-of-control jet hurtles across the tarmac toward the long-term parking lot.

The elevators are mounted to the plane's tail section. The pilot moves the elevators up and down to control pitch.

The nose is how pilots control pitch. By pushing forward on the yoke, the plane's nose tilts downward. Craterville, here we come!

Thrust gets your plane moving. Drag tries to slow it down. There are several types of drag, but bigger planes always have to overcome more drag than small planes.

When a plane suddenly experiences a reduction in lift, you have a problem. This is called a stall, and it has caused many crashes in aviation history.

It's one of the basic fundamentals of takeoffs. Pilots pull back on the yoke, increasing airflow under the wings, thus, generating lift and sending the craft soaring.

You only have to be 15 years old to take the recreational pilot knowledge test. If you only want to fly a balloon or glider, you take the exam at just 14.

Commercial jets are mostly subsonic, meaning they fly between 350 and 750 MPH. And on those red eye flights, even 750 MPH never seems fast enough.

As planes zoom along, the air swirls behind them in a vortex. At airfields, pilots must be wary of the vortices caused by planes in front of them.

Maybe you should stick to sports cars. If you have a recreational license, you can only fly planes with engines that max out at 180 hp or less.

It takes a lot of flight time to qualify for an airline transport pilot's license. Pilots need to log at least 1,500 hours of flight time to qualify.

In the early days of aviation, airplanes were rickety death traps. These days, anyone who applies themselves to coursework can learn to fly a plane.

Sport pilot licenses are very restrictive. You obviously will never have afterburners at your disposal, and you'll never fly at night, either.

A recreation pilot's license offers very limited range. The laws only allow you to fly up to 50 nautical miles from your home airport.

Every part of the plane generates lift. But the wings obviously are what create the most lift, and without lift, you're going nowhere.

There are thousands of planes in the skies at any given moment. Without radios, the skies would resemble one big game of high-speed chicken.

By raising (or lowering) the nose of the plane, the pilot adjusts pitch. As you can imagine, pitch is one of the most basic (and important) flight fundamentals.