How does an Airplane fly?

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Who Smarted?" – How Does an Airplane Fly?

Date: November 3, 2025
Host: Adam Tex Davis with recurring sidekick voices and trivia
Educational, fun, and engaging exploration of the science and history of airplanes for kids and families

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Main Theme and Episode Purpose

This episode of "Who Smarted?" takes listeners on a high-flying adventure to answer the big question: How does an airplane fly? The hosts use humor, storytelling, and clever character voices (including the Wright brothers!) to explain both the fascinating history of human flight and the key science concepts that make air travel possible. Along the way, they also serve up quirky trivia (Why do you want peanuts on a plane?) and memorable historical moments, all in a format that keeps kids and curious adults entertained and learning.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Magic and Accessibility of Modern Air Travel

• Adam opens up with enthusiastic travel sounds and a guessing game: "Is it A, a car, B, a boat, C, a train, or D, an airplane?"

  • [02:31] Flight Attendant: "Attention passengers. Please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full and upright positions for takeoff."

• Fact drop: Nearly 10 million people board over 100,000 flights every single day.

  • “It's easy to take it for granted, but it's pretty great that you and I get to live in a time where traveling is not only easy, but also fun and affordable.” – Adam Tex Davis [04:35]

2. Life Before Airplanes & The Wright Brothers' Big Leap

• Brief, funny re-enactments show how travel in the early 1900s was slow and difficult—by walking, horse, boat, train, or bicycle.

• The scene shifts to Kitty Hawk, NC, where the Wright brothers, originally bicycle shop owners, conduct their flight experiments. They choose the location for its "regular breezes and soft, sandy landing surfaces."

  • [06:04] Orville Wright: "Say, Wilbur, the oceanside dunes here at Kitty Hawk are the perfect place for our new experiments."

• The Wright brothers progress from kites to gliders to powered flight, finally succeeding in 1903 with the first successful airplane flight.

  • Wilbur Wright [07:34]: "Our first flight only lasted 12 seconds."
  • Orville Wright: "Yes, but if we keep at it, big brother, I know we can do better."
  • The episode notes subsequent flights lasted up to 40 minutes—a huge leap!

3. The Invention Race and Commercial Air Travel

• International inventors, like Alberto Santos Dumont, also experiment with flight.

• William Boeing’s designs introduce passenger cabins—even though early flights were very uncomfortable and “really scary for the passengers.”

  • “This ride is really bumpy and cold and then there’s nothing to eat or drink, which might not be a bad thing because there’s no bathroom.” – Orville Wright voice [09:35]

• Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 solo transatlantic flight makes headlines and inspires public trust in airplanes.

  • [10:01] Wilbur Wright (as a reporter): "Charles Lindbergh’s plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, has just landed, making Lindbergh the first person to successfully fly across the Atlantic Ocean non-stop."

• Massive growth in air travel: From a few thousand passengers to over 173,000 in just two years after Lindbergh’s feat.

4. The Science: How Do Planes Fly?

• Early planes were made of wood, wire, and fabric for lightness.
• Modern planes use titanium, steel, and aluminum—once engineers realized that design and engine power, not just weight, enable flight.
• Airplane Designer [11:27]:
  • “A plane’s engines are designed to move it forward at high speed. We call that thrust. Thrust makes air flow rapidly over specially curved wings, which pushes the air downward, generating an upward force called lift that is strong enough to overcome the plane’s weight and keep it in the sky. So to recap: the engines move the plane forward, while the wings move it upward. Thrust plus lift equals flight.”
  • Timestamps: [11:27 – 12:03]

5. The Golden Age of Air Travel and Airline Food Quirks

• Metal planes enable larger, faster, more comfortable flights.

• Nostalgic, tongue-in-cheek commentary about “the quality and lack of quantity of airline food” leads into a fun science segment on why passengers crave salty snacks at altitude.

• Taste science on planes:

  • “In a 2010 study, scientists revealed that airline passengers' taste of salty and sweet foods is dulled by around 30% when you’re in flight. So to balance out your weakening taste buds, you crave foods that are high in salt or sugar.” – Adam Tex Davis [15:48–16:08]
  • Low pressure and dry air decrease your sense of smell and taste, making salty/sweet foods more appealing.

6. The Sky’s the Limit: From Planes to Spaceships

• Airplane innovation paves the way for tremendous discoveries—including space exploration.

  • “Did you guys know that your invention not only led to big passenger planes and even military fighter jets, but also spaceships?” – Adam Tex Davis [17:11]

• The show connects the Wright brothers’ legacy to Neil Armstrong’s “one small step for man” over 65 years later.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Comedic Running Gag: The Wright brothers and various passengers humorously complain about early forms of travel—“So slow!” “My butt hurts!” “Ew, smelly!”

  • [05:00–05:07]

• On Early Flight Materials:

  • “Hey, smarty pants, what do you think these early airplanes were made of? Well, today’s airplanes are made of titanium, steel and aluminum. Early airplanes were made of wood, wire and fabric.” – Adam Tex Davis [08:40]

• Making Science Simple:

  • “Thrust plus lift equals flight.” – Airplane Designer [11:27]

• Airline Food Science:

  • “Scientists revealed that airline passengers' taste of salty and sweet foods is dulled by around 30% when you’re in flight.” – Adam Tex Davis [15:48]
  • “As planes climb higher into the sky, the air pressure and humidity levels inside the cabin drop... So the combination of dry air and low pressure dry out your mouth and nose, reducing your sense of smell, which plays a key role in how you detect flavor and taste.” – Adam Tex Davis [16:25]

• Connecting to Space:

  • “It’s basically a plane that flies out of this world and into space... which was accomplished a little over 65 years after your famous first flight.” – Adam Tex Davis [17:24]

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Important Timestamps

• [02:31] — Guess the vehicle (airplane sound effects begin)
• [03:12] — Fact: 10 million people fly daily
• [05:20–06:19] — Wright brothers begin their experiments at Kitty Hawk
• [07:11] — Description of first successful powered flight
• [10:01] — Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight
• [11:27] — Science of flight explained (“thrust plus lift equals flight”)
• [12:35–13:00] — Airline food and “taste science” intro
• [15:48–16:25] — Taste science explained
• [17:11]–[17:58] — Airplanes lead to spaceships; Wright brothers’ legacy

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Engaging and Interactive Tone

Throughout the episode, the hosts address the audience as "smarty pants," present interactive quizzes, use funny voices, puns, and emphasize how learning can be "lots of fun"—making both the science and history approachable and memorable.

• “Of course we’re the Wright brothers!” – Both brothers, humorously, [15:45]
• “We’re gonna need a lot of peanuts and cookies.” – Orville Wright [18:08]

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Conclusion: Why This Episode Is Worth a Listen

Perfect for car rides or the classroom, this episode delivers a fast-paced, laughter-filled lesson on the marvels of air travel. It connects historical breakthroughs with today’s science, answers lingering questions (“Why do peanuts taste so good at 30,000 feet?”), and might even inspire young future aviators or astronauts.

Whether you’re a kid or a curious parent, you’ll come away knowing not just how airplanes fly, but also the story of the people who made it possible and the cool science that keeps planes (and snacks!) aloft.

Transcript

[Adam Tex Davis]

Happy birthday to us.

[Brandon Bayless]

That's right. WhoSmarted turned five years old this month. How exciting. That's not all. WhoSmarted also reached 25 million downloads. And that's because of you, our Smarty Pants listeners. And to celebrate, we want to give you a gift. What is this gift you're wondering? I'm glad you asked. If you love WhoSmarted, I'm sure you've heard us mention our WhoSmarted plus subscription.

[Adam Tex Davis]

You know, the one that gives you.

[Brandon Bayless]

A brand new bonus episode every week, plus every episode of WhoSmarted. Trusty trivia and Smartyq's ad free. Not to mention subscribers directly support WhoSmarted. So we can keep making the show.

[Adam Tex Davis]

For many more years to come.

[Brandon Bayless]

And to show our appreciation to you, we're offering a 50% discount on our annual subscription. We've never done this before.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Instead of $39.99 for a full year of smarting, you can subscribe to WhoSmarted.

[Brandon Bayless]

Plus for just 1998 a year. That's right. Who Smarted plus is half off? Quick quiz, smarty pants. Is 1998 a year the same as a $1.67 a month, B38 cents a week, or C a nickel a day? Did you say all of the above? You're right. Just think of all the time you'll save not listening to ads while enjoying subscriber only special episodes. That's got to be worth at least five cents a day, right? Of course, in offer, this good can't last forever. So you must subscribe by November 15th to lock in your 50% off WhoSmarted plus subscription. Again, that's 50% off our WhoSmarted plus subscription, just $19.98 for the entire year by November 15th. To join the celebration, go to our website WhoSmarted.com and click Birthday Subscribe. This offer is only available directly through our [e-mail] and don't worry, you can play your subscription on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. But to get the special birthday price, you have to go to whosmarted.com and click Birthday subscribe in the top menu. But remember, you only have until November 15th, so sign [e-mail] today. And now it's time for who Smarted.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Hey, Smarty pants, I'm about to go on a trip. Listen to the following sounds and see if you can guess what kind of vehicle I'll be traveling in. Is it A, a car, B, a boat, C a train, or D an airplane?

[Flight Attendant]

Attention passengers. Please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full and upright positions. For Takeo.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Did you say an airplane?

[Brandon Bayless]

That was easy, right? And when it comes to going long.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Distances, airplanes are one of the most.

[Brandon Bayless]

Popular ways to travel.

[Adam Tex Davis]

In fact, worldwide, nearly 10 million people board over 100,000 flights every single day. But have you ever wondered how the airplane was invented? Or how something so big and heavy can fly at all? And why do you crave peanuts or potato while you're cruising at 30,000ft? It's time for another whiff of history and science on who's smarted?

[Wilbur Wright]

Who's smarted? Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science or history? Listen up, everyone. We make smarting lots of fun. But who's smart and smart?

[Orville Wright]

Cabin crew, prepare for landing.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Thank you.

[Flight Attendant]

Thank you for flying Smarty Pants Airlines.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Ah, travel. It's one of my favorite things to do. I can hop on a plane and be in a completely different country or time zone in a matter of hours. Once I'm at my destination, I get to see all kinds of cool sites, taste exotic cuisines. Or just local pizza.

[Wilbur Wright]

Pizza.

[Adam Tex Davis]

And I get to visit friends and family around the world. It's easy to take it for granted, but it's pretty great that you and I get to live in a time where traveling is not only easy, but also fun and affordable. This was not always the case. Huh? Way back in 1900, if you wanted to get anywhere, you had to either Walk.

[Wilbur Wright]

So slow.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

Boring.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Ride a horse.

[Orville Wright]

Pee.

[Passenger]

Ew, smelly.

[Wilbur Wright]

My butt hurts.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Take a boat.

[Passenger]

This is taking forever.

[Adam Tex Davis]

I'm getting seasick. Take a train.

[Wilbur Wright]

So loud.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Ugh.

[Passenger]

So dirty.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Or hop on a relatively new invention sweeping the planet. The bicycle. Wee. But also slow. However, everything was about to change, and it was actually two brothers working in a bike shop who would take traveling to completely new heights. It's 1900, and Wilbur Wright and his younger brother Orville have just arrived in the coastal town of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They left behind their own successful bike shop in Dayton, Ohio, where they first sold and then started making their own bicycles. But why Kitty Hawk?

[Orville Wright]

Say, Wilbur, the oceanside dunes here at Kitty Hawk are the perfect place for our new experiments.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

Quite right, little brother. The regular breezes and soft, sandy landing surfaces should be perfect for our studies in how to build a flying machine.

[Adam Tex Davis]

That's right. The Wright brothers put bike making aside in order to experiment with machines that flew. They first conducted tests with kites before experimenting with gliders, which are like planes, only without engines. Then, after three years of trial and error, mostly error.

[Wilbur Wright]

Look out.

[Adam Tex Davis]

They were finally ready to move on to something much bigger. An airplane.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

Orville, I think this design with wooden propellers and a gasoline engine, might finally take flight.

[Orville Wright]

I agree, big brother. We've had nothing but failure the past few weeks. But that extra fabric used to increase the stiffness of the wings might be the key we've been missing.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

All right then, Orville, you take the controls of the aircraft while I run alongside to balance the fragile machine as you glide down the guiding rail.

[Orville Wright]

And then the sky's the limit.

[Adam Tex Davis]

And they were right. On the morning of December 17, 1903, the Wright Flyer one soared into the air, traveling an incredible distance of 120ft. But while that's not even half the distance of a football field, it was a start.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

Our first flight only lasted 12 seconds.

[Orville Wright]

Yes, but if we keep at it, big brother, I know we can do better.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

20 seconds.

[Orville Wright]

Try 20 minutes.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Well, the Wright brothers were wrong. On a following flight, they were able to keep their plane airborne for 40 minutes. And once the Wright brothers showed it was possible to build a heavier than air machine that could take flight and stay in flight, other inventors around the world began designing their own airplanes. This included Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos Dumont, whose aircraft flew 197ft in 1906. Ah, soon engineers and inventors were building planes based on these breakthrough designs, including a man in Seattle named William Boeing, whose company would go on to build some of the most popular planes ever made. In fact, if you've ever flown on an airplane within the United States, say from New York to Miami or Chicago to Houston, there's a 90% chance it was on a Boeing airplane. Hey, smarty pants, what do you think these early airplanes were made of? Well, today's airplanes are made of titanium, steel and aluminum. Early airplanes were made of wood, wire and fabric. Since designers believed they needed the lightest materials possible to stay in the air. The planes were also small, and the only people who could fit inside were the pilot and co pilot and sometimes a few bags of mail.

[Wilbur Wright]

Air mail.

[Adam Tex Davis]

But in the 1920s, William Boeing thought the future of travel was in the air. And he began experimenting with a radical new idea. Planes with cabins for passengers. He put two seats on one of his early designs and it was really scary for the passengers.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

This ride, ride is really bumpy and cold and then there's nothing to eat or drink, which might not be a bad thing because there's no bathroom.

[Adam Tex Davis]

While today's air travel is relatively fun, and comfortable. Back then it was neither. And people were not interested in flying. Then in 1927, something happened to change everything.

[Wilbur Wright]

This is Chet Nickerson reporting live from Paris where Charles Lindbergh's plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, has just landed, making Lindbergh the first person to successfully fly across the Atlantic Ocean non stop. Oh, what a day for air travel. What a day for humanity. What a day for crazy croissants. Delicious.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Lindbergh's flight was the number one news story across the globe, proving that airplane travel was safe and effective. Soon, people everywhere wanted to fly in planes. Two years after Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, the number of annual airplanes passengers went from a few thousand to over 173,000. This led to the birth of commercial airline companies like Delta, American and United.

[Flight Attendant]

Thank you for flying Smarty Pants Airlines.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Over the years, plane makers began to switch from wood and wire designs to all metal aircraft. While many thought this idea was crazy.

[Passenger]

I'm not getting that metal tube. It's way too heavy to fly.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Engineers discovered the design of the wings, coupled with the power and speed of the engines allowed heavier objects to take flight and stay airborne. Here, I'll let this airplane designer explain.

[Airplane Designer]

A plane's engines are designed to move it forward at high speed. We call that thrust. Thrust makes air flow rapidly over specially curved wings, which pushes the air downward, generating an upward force called lift that is strong enough to overcome the plane's weight and keep it in the sky. So to recap, the engines move the plane forward while the wings move it upward. Thrust plus lift equals flight. Can I get some more peanuts, please?

[Adam Tex Davis]

Once metal airplanes proved to work, it opened the gates for planes to not only get bigger and faster, but also more comfortable and therefore more popular, ushering in what became known as the golden age of air travel.

[Narrator]

Welcome aboard the spacious cabin. Attractively decorated, air conditioned, but draft free, delicious food adds to the enjoyment. It's prepared in four simultaneously operating galleys where dishes can be cooked in five minute ovens.

[Orville Wright]

Look, Wilbur, they have food on aeroplanes now.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

What will they think of next?

[Adam Tex Davis]

Orville, there's been countless jokes about the quality and lack of quantity of airline food. But did you ever stop to wonder why people get so hungry for certain foods like peanuts, chips and candy when they're flying?

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

Because they're bored?

[Orville Wright]

Because they're trapped inside a flying metal tube?

[Adam Tex Davis]

Nope. It's got to do with your nose. And we'll tell you all about it right after this break.

[Brandon Bayless]

This show is sponsored by Wayfair. You know how the holidays kind of sneak up and suddenly your home needs.

[Adam Tex Davis]

To feel warmer and cozier and, yeah, ready for guests.

[Brandon Bayless]

That was me. I realized our living room was looking a little tired, so I jumped on Wayfair's Black Friday sale, and I ended up with the perfect cozy upgrades. I got a new rug that instantly pulled the whole room together. I got some great couch covers that.

[Adam Tex Davis]

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[Brandon Bayless]

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[Adam Tex Davis]

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[Brandon Bayless]

Up your space before the holidays, this is the moment. Don't miss out on early Black Friday deals.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Head to Wayfair.com now to shop Wayfair's.

[Brandon Bayless]

Black Friday deals for up to 70% off. That's W A Y F A I R.com sale ends December 7th. WhoSmarted is brought to you by Squarespace. Now, you know I'm good about creating new adventures and episodes of Whosmarted, but you don't know that I procrastinate on other stuff, like a website for one.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Of our new projects.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

Oops.

[Brandon Bayless]

When the website builder Squarespace reached out about sponsoring WhoSmarted, I decided to test it out. And now I feel silly for putting off building that website. Squarespace's blueprint AI thing literally built me a custom website in minutes. I just told it a few details about the project, and boom, it generated everything. And everything you need is right there. I can schedule guest interviews, send email campaigns, even sell merch, all from one dashboard. Now it's your turn to stop procrastinating and start building. You can use Squarespace to launch that business site or any site that you've been dreaming about. But putting off today, there's no excuse anymore. Especially since you can head to squarespace.com smarted for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, you can use Code smarted to save 10% on your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com smarted code smarted.

[Adam Tex Davis]

And now back to who smarted. If you've ever been on an airplane, have you ever noticed that you or the people around you seem to crave certain foods? In particular, peanuts, pretzels, chips, and cookies seem to be very popular snacks for those flying the friendly skies. What do you think?

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

Right, brothers I think it's because salty food tastes better when you're high up in the air.

[Orville Wright]

I think it's because you get thirstier while flying.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

Tastes better.

[Orville Wright]

Thirstier.

[Brandon Bayless]

Stop.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Stop. In a way, you're both right.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

Of course, we're the Wright brothers.

[Adam Tex Davis]

No, I meant both your answers are right. In a 2010 study, scientists revealed that airline passengers taste of salty and sweet foods is dulled by around 30% when you're in flight. So to balance out your weakening taste buds, you crave foods that are high in salt or sugar.

[Narrator]

Ah.

[Adam Tex Davis]

That's why when the snack cart comes rolling down the aisle, many people go for options they might not typically want while on the ground. Salted nuts, chips, pretzels, or sugary cookies and soda.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

But why do our tastes for salty and sweet things get dulled while flying?

[Adam Tex Davis]

Good question. As planes climb higher into the sky, the air pressure and humidity levels inside the cabin drop. Even though today's planes have pressurized cabins, the atmosphere is still significantly drier and the air pressure is much lower than on the ground. So the combination of dry air and low pressure dry out your mouth and nose, reducing your sense of smell, which plays a key role in how you detect flavor and taste. The dry air also makes you dehydrated or really, really thirsty, which is why you should drink plenty of water when flying.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

Fascinating.

[Orville Wright]

Out of this world?

[Adam Tex Davis]

Yes. Oh, and speaking of out of this world, did you guys know that your invention not only led to big passenger planes and even military fighter jets, but also spaceships?

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

What in the world is a spaceship?

[Adam Tex Davis]

Well, it's basically a plane that flies out of this world and into space. Back in the 1960s, at the height of people's love for airline travel, engineers around the world were racing to figure out how to take the principles of air travel and convert them into a rocket ship that could launch humans into space and onto the moon. Which was accomplished a little over 65 years after your famous first flight.

[Narrator]

That's one small step for man, one.

[Wilbur Wright]

Giant leap for mankind.

[Adam Tex Davis]

So, in a way, you Wright brothers didn't just fly the first piloted engine powered airplane. You created a whole new way for us to explore the universe.

[Orville Wright (alternate voice)]

We're gonna need a lot of peanuts and cookies.

[Orville Wright]

Where is that flight attendant?

[Brandon Bayless]

A high flying shout out to Nico and Maggie in Portland, Oregon. You said you love the characters and all the smarty sounds.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Well, so do we.

[Brandon Bayless]

Thanks for smarting with us, smarty friends.

[Adam Tex Davis]

This episode, Airplanes, was written by Jason Williams and voiced by Jason Williams. Brandon Bayless, Thea Garlett Jenna Hoban, Kim First Class Davis, Gia Davis, Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn, who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room studios. Our associate producer is Max Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Baggage Handler Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis, who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. This is an Atomic Entertainment production.