• Question: Why can planes fly upside-down?

    Asked by to Edward, Ian, Mathew, Naomi, sakshisharda on 16 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Ian Stephenson

      Ian Stephenson answered on 16 Jun 2014:

      By using lots of thrust.

      The engines move the plane forwards, and (when they’re the right way up) the aerofoils of the wings provide lift.

      However if you’ve got enough thrust you can just point the nose of the plane up and use the force of the engines to lift you straight up! (most planes can’t do this – but fighter jets can).

      When upside down, the wings can be angled to provide some lift, so if you’ve got enough thrust you can make up the difference.

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