2025 Flight Transportation Vocabulary

A force that helps an object fly

• Lift

• Thrust

• Drag

• Gravity

Air friction (molecules of air) rubbing against an object slows it down

• Lift

• Thrust

• Drag

• Gravity

Force by which a planet or other body draws objects toward its center. 

• Lift

• Thrust

• Drag

• Gravity

A sudden firm push on an object that usually propels it (makes it move).

• Lift

• Thrust

• Drag

• Gravity

The forces of lift, drag, thrust, and gravity are all in balance.

• Aerodynamic

• Flight

• Airfoil

• Bernoulli’s Principle

An imbalance of airspeed creates lift.

• Aerodynamic

• Flight

• Airfoil

• Bernoulli’s Principle

A substance that has no one shape and moves easily to pressure; a gas or (especially) a liquid.

• Aerodynamic

• Flight

• Gravity

• Fluid

A teardrop-shaped wing that makes flight possible.

• Aerodynamic

• Flight

• Airfoil

• Fluid

The force exerted on the surface of objects by the weight of air particles.

• Air pressure

• Thrust

• Drag

• Gravity

A shape that can move through the air with as little drag as possible.

• Aerospace

• Aerodynamic

• Aviation

• Arial