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Flight

This topic covers the principles of flight, aeronautics, spaceflight, how birds and insects fly, kites, and the science behind feathers and wings. Also included is the history of aviation from the Wright brothers to today’s aircraft. SCIS no. 1816049

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History tells us that the Wright brothers were the first to invent the aeroplane in December 1903 however, it might have been Richard Pearse who built and flew the world’s first powered aeroplane. ...

Flight and Flying

Flight and Flying

This Digital NZ set provides a collection of flight related resources.

Flight to Venus

Flight to Venus

A claymation anti-nuclear film during which an earth man flies a rocket to Venus.

Story of two beautiful kites allowed to fly free.

Kingfisher call

The speed of a kingfisher or kōtare when diving on moving prey is legendary.

Returning after a flight

Returning after a flight

Two pilots returning after a flight.

A photograph of gannets in flight.

The Tasman road

The Tasman road

Advertising poster shows a flying boat, the ZK-AME, in flight, in front of a globe turned to show the arrowed route between Australia and New Zealand (specifically Sydney and Auckland).

Jetpack flight offered on Trademe

Jetpack flight offered on Trademe

The concept of the Martin Jetpack was developed by Glenn Martin in 1981. However, as good things take time, it was 24 years before a prototype was made. This invention starred with James Bond in th...

The photograph shows the pilot of a small float-plane helping two tourists out of the plane onto a sandy beach at Lake Te Anau. The plane has the Mount Cook lily, symbol of Mount Cook Airlines, on ...

100 Years of flight

An interactive timeline that looks at the advances and history of flight from 1900.

Solar Impulse 2 lands in California

An experimental plane flew around the world without a single drop of fuel.

Understanding flight

The desire to fly is as old as human culture. Ancient Egyptians studied birds in an attempt to learn how to fly.

Nature inspired design

A photograph showing similarities between a Peregrine falcon and a Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit airplane.

Is it a bird? Is It a plane?

Presents images of modern aircraft.

Why can’t humans fly like birds?

What would it take for humans to fly like birds?

How bird wings work

Slow motion examination of how birds fly.

Presents a range of activities and experiments connected with air and flight.

How do birds fly?

An animation that investigates how birds fly.

14 Animal-inspired inventions

These 14 examples of biomimicry based on animal and human biology illustrate the wonderful adaptations of nature.

Man flies like a bird

Did this inventor achieve man powered flight like a bird, or is it a fake?

A robot that flies like a bird

Plenty of robots can fly — but none can fly like a real bird.

Birds and biomimicry

Students learn how humans use nature to solve problems and invent solutions

Birds and people

The study of birds has global implications.

Feather biology

Looks at the science behind flight and feathers.

The Frigate bird

What can the Frigate bird teach us about flight?

Eastern bar-tailed godwits

Eastern bar-tailed godwits

Migration route of the Eastern bar-tailed godwits.

Drones, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), droids and flying robots are fast becoming the latest must-have technology.

Physical World – Forces

Flight explores the physics fundamentals of gravity, lift, drag and thrust – using birds and planes as the context

Wilbur and Orville Wright

In 1903, two U.S. inventors named Wilbur and Orville Wright designed, built, and flew the first airplane.

These sketches of various Māori kites were made by Titiri and Tui, two young rangatira (chiefs) from the Bay of Islands, while they were in England in the 1800s.

This Māori birdman kite is held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines

The painter of the Mona Lisa was also an inventor!

A brief history of the airship

A timeline from the hot air balloon to zeppelins.

Birds have many physical features that enable them to fly.

How does a helicopter fly?

Aerial recreation

These fun-loving Kiwis just want to fly!

The Museum of Flight

Take an online tour inside these iconic aircraft.

The first hot air balloon

Meet the Montgolfier brothers.

The boy who flew too high

Meet the ill-fated Icarus.

Pre-European Maori used manu tukutuku (kites) for a variety of purposes. The staff of Te Manawa (the Science Centre and Manawatu Museum) made a manu kahu (hawk kite).

Kuaka: The Marathon Bird

Over its lifetime, a kuaka will fly more than 384 000 kilometres.

When the mystery airship came to town

Between June and August of 1909, a wave of mysterious aircraft sightings were reported in New Zealand.

Dynamics of flight

Find out how airplane flight is possible using science.

What’s the latest in flight technology?

Air travel in the 1840s?

Meet Henson and Stringfellow, pioneer aviationists

Professor Geoll’s flight

Professor Geoll’s 1843 flight, which was later revealed to be a journalistic hoax.

Paper airplane designs

Which paper plane flies the best?

The aerial machine

A description of Henson’s plane from 1843.

Fun flight facts

Interesting fast facts about flight.

The facts of flight.

Interesting fast facts about airplanes.

Aotearoa’s awesome aviators

A lesson plan on New Zealand aviators.

This award-winning TV film dramatises the life of the reclusive young inventor.

Garbo of the skies

A documentary about Jean Batten.

Turangaarere: the John Pohe Story

Find out about John Pohe, a WWII hero and the first Māori pilot in the RNZAF.

Could humans fly like birds?

Will clip-on bird wings allow us to fly?

How does an owl fly so silently?

Find out how an owl can fly so silently.

Richard William Pearse

A biography of Richard Pearse.

An in-depth look at Richard Pearse’s life.

An in depth look at Jean Batten’s life.

Aviation photographs

Explore MOTAT’s planes from home.

Flight potential

How does a bird’s egg shape reflect its flying ability?

Stunning POV wing suit flight over Auckland

Watch the first ever wing suit flight across Auckland's skyline.

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