Why Do Airplanes Have Tails?

Book excerpt: "Plane!"""a word squealed in delight by toddlers who hear, look up, and see a big gray object, a jet, sometimes leaving a billowy trail of white smoke (vapor), flying overhead. What is it? How did it get up there when I am down here? Can you take me to see a real plane? Can I touch it? Can we go inside? Can I ride in one? The wonders of the airplane never cease to amaze us. Endless questions come from our fascination with airplanes and flight. What is an airplane? Is an airplane any different from an aircraft? Why do they look different from each other? Can they fly without power? What are all the different parts of a plane called? Why Do Airplanes Have Tails? will take the reader from top to bottom, from left to right, from inside to outside, and in between, discovering a light aircraft and its basic parts. To be sure, they are complicated pieces of machinery. However, they operate under simple principles and with its many parts operating together, each contribute to lifting this piece of metal (or wood or composite) into the air. The language of airplanes is straightforward. When visual differences of airplanes are pointed out, it sometimes becomes obvious and even logical as to why they are called what they are called, whether a biplane, a high-wing, a low-wing, or even a three-wing. Many airplanes have made history""the Concorde, the Wright Flyer, the Voyager, the Spruce Goose, the Harrier jet, and the Spirit of St. Louis to name a few. There is a story behind the creation of each of these airplanes. Airplanes also have jobs""the airliner, the crop duster, the fire plane, the weather plane, and the exhibition plane, along with others""each designed and used for a specific purpose. Don't wait""read and get answers to what you've been wondering about airplanes! David Stanley was a 16-year-old Lafayette High gifted student when I met him and he was asked to illustrate this book. He gladly accepted and 14 illustrations were hand-drawn. We took field trips to airports and hangers and I took photos from which he used to illustrate. Since David wants to become a missionary in his home country of Burma after college, and in appreciation of his top-notch work, 25% of the profits of every book sold will go into an account for his future mission work. God bless you, David!