Observing wings for flight
In this activity, students use an online interactive or paper-based graphic organiser to consider how wing size and shape influences the specific flight capabilities of both birds and aircraft.
The activity helps students practise the science capability ‘Interpret representations’.
Wings for flight
Soaring
Speed
Gliding
Havering
Manoeuvering
Endurance
Unused items
- Falcon
- King vulture
- Hawk
- Albatross
- Hummingbird
- Godwit
- Spy plane
- Glider
- Swing-wing bomber
- Spitfire
- Helicopter
- Airbus
Wings for flight
Different wing sizes and shapes allow fliers to have specific flight capabilities. Match birds and aircraft with similar capabilities.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
identify and discuss some flight capabilities shared by birds and aircraft, such as soaring and hovering
use wing size and shape to match a bird species and an aircraft to a specific flight capability
consider how designers have observed and adapted birds’ wing shapes for use in modern flight technologies.
Download the Word file (see link below).
Related content
The articles Wing loading and Wing aspect ratio explain how the shapes and sizes of birds and planes determine how they might perform and what they might be capable of doing.
Related activity
The activity Birds and planes extends some of the science ideas introduced in this activity and provides opportunities to calculate wing loading.
