A fixed-wing aircraft, typically called an airplane, aeroplane or simply plane, is an aircraft capable of flight using forward motion that generates lift as the wing moves through the air. Fixed-wing aircraft include planes, which are propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine or propeller, as well as unpowered aircraft (such as gliders), which use thermals, or warm-air pockets to inherit lift. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from ornithoptersin which lift is generated by flapping wings and rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast.
Most fixed-wing aircraft are flown by a pilot on board the aircraft, but some are designed to be remotely or computer controlled.
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