A pilot does not need to be an aeronautical engineer to learn how to fly a plane. However, it is advisable to have good knowledge of aerodynamics and flight theory to be able to fly safely. There are four basic elements to flying, lifting, dragging, pushing and weighing an airplane. All of these elements work in unison to keep a plane in the air. If any of the first three are taken out of the equation, gravity and weight will take over and cause the plane to descend. It is up to the pilot to understand how to make them equal to keep the plane flying or descending at an acceptable rate, to land the plane safely. Before you start working towards getting a pilot's license, it would be a good idea to understand several aspects before embarking on the journey to one day pilot an airplane. How the flight of an airplane began, aerodynamics and controls of an airplane. This is a good starting point and should be understood by all pilots. Almost everyone assumes that the Wright brothers were the first to create a flying machine. After all, the slogan on all North Carolina vehicle license plates says “First in Flight,” which is true when it comes to human flight. However, the first artificial wing was created by an English gentleman named Geoprge Cayley in 1799 (Highfield). In the 18th and 19th centuries, scientists and the general public scoffed at the possibility of flying with an artificial wing. Cayley paid no attention to all the negative rhetoric and continued his experiments, building more sophisticated flying machines until 1853, when he made a full-size glider piloted by his grandson (Highfield). He tried to include combustion engines in his flying machines, without success. It was 50 years later, the Wright brothers would include the...... middle of paper ......y. With lots of practice and perfecting flight skills, a pilot will learn that these effects can be controlled. Works cited by Eberhardt, David Anderson and Scott. How planes fly. February 1999. The web. 29 12 2011.Eichenberger, Jerry A. “Your Pilot’s License, Eighth Edition.” Eichenberger, Jerry A. Your Pilot's License, Eighth Edition. New York: McGraw Hill, 2003. Print. Frazier, David. “The ABCs of Safe Flying Fourth Edition.” Frazier, David. The ABCs of Safe Flying, Fourth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999. Gardner, Bob. “The Complete Private Pilot.” Gardner, Bob. The complete private pilot. Newcastle, WA: Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc., 2011. Print. Heppenheimer, T A. First Flight: The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Airplane. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. Print. Highfield, Roger. “Flying machines”. New Scientist (2010): 38. Print.