Airplanes One of the first things that is likely to be noticed during a visit to the local airport is the wide variety of airplane styles and designs. Although, at first glance, it may be seen that airplanes look quite different from one another, in the long run their major components are quite similar. These similarities lie in the fuselage, wing, empennage, landing gear, and powerplant. The four forces of flight which all planes have in common are lift, weight, thrust, and drag. The fuselage serves several functions. Besides being a common attachment point for the other major components, it houses the cabin, or cockpit, which contains seats for the oc