1. Vapor
   Air
2. Water
   Gas

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

1. Engine power
   Airspeed​
2. Rudder
   Height

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

1. To reduce drag
   To reduce air pressure
2. To measure height
   To measure heart pressure

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.

1. Offers more space for missiles
   Decreases pressure on top of the wing
2. Controls yaw
   Makes it look cooler

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.

1. Spirals
   Dive
2. Roll
   Speed

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.

1. It decreases.
   It increases.
2. It stays the same.
   Both

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.

1. Pilot's seat ejects
   Engine power increases
2. Wing angles drop
   The doors lock

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

1. Engines
   Yoke
2. Midsection
   Wings

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

1. You'll pass out from lack of oxygen.
   You are going to die.
2. You can glide to the ground.
   Sudden plummet to the ground

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.

1. Fidget
   Driver
2. Yoke
   Axel

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

1. The brakes
   The throttle
2. The windshield wipers
   The amount of gas

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.

1. Fuselage
   Wings
2. Rudder
   Pressure gauge

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.

1. The plane spins.
   The nose tilts down.
2. Everyone on board screams.
   The plane flies up

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

1. Gravity
   Drag
2. Teasing
   Stall

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.

1. increases airflow under the wing
   slides the ailerons gently off the wings
2. creates churning sensation in stomach
   the plane tilts down

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.

1. Stall
   Downwash
2. Suicide
   Drop

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.

1. Angle of attack
   Pitch
2. Specific gravity
   Height

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.

1. Hypersonic
   Supersonic
2. Subsonic
   Transonic

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.

1. 10 years old
   15 years old
2. 22 years old
   18 years old

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.

1. 180 hp
   480 hp
2. 2,030 hp
   90 hp

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.

1. Wake
   Death spiral
2. Vortex
   Hurricane

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.

1. At least 1,500
   At least 4,000
2. At least 10,000
   At least 500

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.

1. Not very hard
   Pretty tough
2. Impossible for ordinary people
   Anyone could do it

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.

1. no afterburners
   no night flying
2. no flying to the moon
   no flying more than 50 miles away

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

1. Radius
   Pitch
2. Which floor of the plane you're on
   Wings

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

1. 350 MPH
   760 MPH
2. 4,200 MPH
   5000 MPH

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

1. 50 miles
   500 miles
2. 5,000 miles
   100 miles

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.

1. auto-pilot
   laser sights
2. radios
   yoke

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.

1. Every part
   Just the wings
2. The nose
   The engine

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

1. bald eagle insignia
   a slight curve
2. small terrified children
   vents

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.