Have you ever dreamed of flying like a bird? Or wondered how a 300-ton airplane can stay in the air? The exhibition FLIGHT invites you to explore how animals and humans manage to defy the clouds.
Half of all known animal species on Earth can fly: the sky above us is full of life! Between nature’s feats and technological achievements, FLIGHT takes you into a world where birds, bats, insects, drones, airplanes, and helicopters cross paths. In this striking panorama mixing preserved animals and models, discover the fascinating diversity of flying creatures!
The evolution of flight
To understand the origins of flight, we must dive into the distant past. Through animated fossils and digital reconstructions of their environments, you can trace the history of flight across the ages.
The first flying creatures appeared 400 million years ago! They were flying insects. 230 million years ago, pterosaurs conquered the skies: they lived at the same time as dinosaurs. Then, 150 million years ago, birds began to evolve. They actually descend from feathered dinosaurs! Archaeopteryx is often considered the very first bird. 54 million years ago, bats appeared. They are the only mammals capable of true powered flight.
Finally, on December 17th 1903, humans took flight, nearly 400 million years late. On that day, the Wright brothers, inspired by the flight of birds, successfully flew a motorised airplane with a pilot on board for the first time. The flight lasted only 12 seconds and covered 36 meters, but it changed history!
Play, experiment, and unravel the mystery of flight
By combining physics, biology, and technology, FLIGHT reveals the astonishing mechanisms that make flight possible. How can a plane stay suspended in the air? How do birds soar through the clouds? What forces are at work in the mechanics of flight?
It’s your turn to play: make your paper airplane glide, or flutter as fast as a hummingbird. Test different wing shapes and discover which one generates the most lift. Levitate a beach ball by manipulating air currents and analyse the similarities of bird and plane wings....
The masters of the air
The exhibition FLIGHT Compares nature’s champions with their mechanical counterparts. Whether from nature or created by humans, birds and airplanes are capable of remarkable performances. Let’s take a closer look at the masters of the air.
- Kings of soaring
Andean condors spread their large wings to ride slowly rising columns of air, allowing them to cover over 200 kilometers per day without moving their wings. Similarly, a glider pilot uses thermal updrafts to rise into the air and extend their time in flight.
- High speed
Do you know the Concorde? It was an Anglo-French supersonic passenger plane and the fastest commercial airplane ever flown. It could reach about 2,400 km/h, nearly twice the speed of sound! But nature is just as breathtaking. For example, a peregrine falcon can reach over 180 km/h in a dive, making it an extremely efficient predator.
- The art of hovering
Hovering in place is not as simple as it seems: most animals and airplanes would fall from the sky if they stopped moving. Helicopters, drones, hummingbirds, and several insect species are exceptions!
Hummingbirds are the only birds capable of hovering for extended periods. Their secret? They can flap their wings at lightning speed. The smallest species reach up to 80 wingbeats per second!
But the amazing performances don’t stop there: the bar-headed goose has been observed at 6,900 meters altitude, crossing the towering Himalayas to reach its wintering grounds in India. Owls, in turn, are remarkably stealthy and barely make any noise with their broad wings. You could compare them to stealth fighter aircrafts like that remain nearly invisible to enemy radar.
First flight: When young birds challenge the sky
A bird’s first flight is a true feat! When it leaves the nest, it defies gravity, faces the void, and takes an enormous risk. Didier Vangeluwe, ornithologist at the Institute of Natural Sciences, reveals the secrets behind these first flights.
“Understanding and mastering flight in all its complexity is an extremely sophisticated exercise,” explains Vangeluwe. Yet young birds become virtuosos of the air on their very first jump. This learning process also takes place at altitude, where a fall can be fatal and predators are a constant threat. Birds brave many dangers to take to the skies!
The big leap: Instinct vs. fear of the void
So what makes them leap into the void and face all these risks without prior training?
For most species, instinct takes over. There’s no external stimulus pushing young birds to take flight. “During their first weeks of life, a chick’s instinct is to avoid the void, associated to certain death,” says Vangeluwe. “Then, overnight, this abyss that once threatened their life becomes their natural habitat. It’s remarkable!”
“But this stage remains perilous. For birds that nest high up, such as peregrine falcons, eagles, or storks, a fall is usually fatal,” he adds. Unable to take off from the ground, these birds can no longer fly once they fall (unless helped by humans). They must launch from an elevated spot, like a cliff or church tower.
Built-in GPS
“It’s not only the technical learning of flight that’s spectacular in birds — their knowledge of migratory routes also fascinates ornithologists,” says Vangeluwe. All migratory birds know the route to follow across the world to perfection, though not all acquire this knowledge the same way.
Geese, cranes, and swans migrate as families, so parents pass the route to their young.
Young white storks usually travel in groups that include experienced individuals, so the group as a whole shows the way to the novices.
Swallows, swifts, warblers, and songbirds migrate solo — relying entirely on an innate sense of direction. Each knows the route from birth!
Banding and GPS tracking: Tools for observation
For Vangeluwe, bird banding and GPS tracking are essential tools. They help him better understand birds’ migratory behaviours and population dynamics. This is crucial for identifying real problems and proposing appropriate solutions.
Research and observation reveal and celebrate extraordinary behaviours, like the amazing adventure of the first flight - that magical moment when a young bird takes to the sky for the very first time.
Discover FLIGHT, the exhibition that lets you reach new heights!
Ready for take-off? Come aboard alone, with family, or with your class. For ages 10 and up.
An exhibition jointly created by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, the Air and Space Museum, Universum, and Parque de las Ciencias.
Most of the animals featured in this exhibition come from the collections of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and have been specially restored for the occasion.
The Brussels Times is an official Media Partner for the FLIGHT exhibition - discover more here.
