Aeronautics

Act Directs, April 1818, by Rest Fenner, Paternoster Row.

Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacture of flight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft. The term aeronautics literally means "sailing the air", originally referred solely to the science of operating the aircraft, but then expanded to include technology, business and other aspects related to aircraft.

One of the significant parts in aeronautics is a branch of physical science called aerodynamics, which deals with the motion of air and the way that it interacts with objects in motion, such as an aircraft. Aviation is a term sometimes used interchangeably with aeronautics, although aeronautics includes lighter-than-air craft such as airships, while aviation does not.