History Main / NotQuiteFlight

* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'':
** Kotaro can't fly, but his shadow hounds can, and being made of darkness, he just forms them into the shape of floating wheels attached to his feet so he can run through the sky.
** Negi himself originally rode on his staff like a broomstick, but after attaining a certain level of power he can fly unassisted.
** Rakan has demonstrated the ability to fly by throwing one of his [[{{BFS}} swords]] and jumping on it. At Mach 3.2.
* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'':
** When we're finally introduced to major characters who are not inherently powerful enough for proper flight, Subaru, and later her sister Ginga, turns out to be able to rollerblade on magical tracks/pathways that can extend indefinitely and don't appear to need to anchor to anything. They anchor in the first episode, but seem to have discarded that limitation in subsequent episodes.
** Caro can summon, more specifically ''enlarge'', and ride her pet dragon, and Erio's [[BladeOnAStick spear]] has a [[SwissArmyWeapon jet-propelled form]]. A fancomic has Teana wondering if she's the only new major cast member without a means of flight.
** Teana gets to try it in a limited version, using her Device to perform {{Building Swing}}s via the use of magical [[GrapplingHookPistol grappling hooks]].
* The eponymous hero of ''Manga/InuYasha'' makes RoofHopping look easy. Doesn't matter if there are any buildings handy or not, treetops also work. And his leaps can cover kilometers (WordOfGod has stated one leap could clear ''three mountains''). He also both rises and falls rather slowly, as if he was gliding.
* ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana'': Shana starts out at RoofHopping and later uses her power over fire to sprout large flaming wings in order to get around. Margery Daw surfs on her Lord (who takes the form of a magical tome). Sydonay shapeshifts into something with wings.
* ''LightNovel/KazeNoStigma'': Kazuma uses his extraordinarily powerful wind magic to move around.

** Ninja make good use of InASingleBound combined with hopping between giant tree branches to get air travel done. [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower Taijutsu specialists]] are especially good at high jumps, and [[FastballSpecial launching others]]. Temari glides very well by riding her giant steel fan. For "by their own bootstraps," there's the occasional ninja whose summon or other type of creation can fly--these are often large enough to ride, as in the case of [[MadBomber Deidara's]] and Sai's bird mounts. Gaara can also levitate sand, and stand on it. Deva path Pain can use his gravity power to launch himself long distances. Jugo can make a rocket with his body and fire chakra out of it to greatly extend the speed and distance of his jumps.

** Among the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy can use elastic tension to launch himself into the air, and suck in/blow out air to propel himself somewhat. [[spoiler:His "Bound Man" SuperMode can do this in mid-air too.]] Robin can sprout many arms, then woven into wings, to glide, but it's incredibly tiresome for her and therefore only lasts a few seconds. Usopp has a belt with a grappling-hook feature used mostly for BuildingSwing or a variant. Brook and, through one of his transformations, Chopper can leap tall buildings [[InASingleBound in a... well, you know]] because he's only bones, so his body is very light. Franky can [[{{Squick}} launch himself using gas.]]

* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'', characters like Kuroko can teleport several times to get airborne.
* In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', Neferpitou is the only Chimera Ant Royal Guard who can't fly. Instead, he can leap incredible distances thanks to his insane leg strength. The Chimera Ant King can also do this since he [[spoiler:initially]] can't fly.
* In ''Manga/PsychicSquad'', those with teleporting ability (like e.g. Aoi) can use this ability to teleport themselves repeatedly over and over while airborne until they reach the destination. Of course, since this implies that after each teleportation the person immediately starts to fall down, it's actually a rather bumpy way of travelling.
* In ''Manga/{{Kekkaishi}}'', the eponymous magical barrier (''kekkai'') users can use airborne magical barriers as stepping stones or standing platforms.
* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', 3D Maneuvering is a process that combines gymnastics, LeParkour, and Spiderman-esque BuildingSwing to achieve rapid aerial travel almost bordering on flight. During some long shots of soldiers maneuvering through urban environments, they're effectively gliding in between the buildings. The exceptions are when it's important to the plot for characters to have somewhat lengthy conversations mid-flight, in which case they will stop visibly using BuildingSwing and seemingly fly straight through their surroundings in order to talk cohesively.

* In ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'', Miyu can create tiny energy platforms beneath her feet to stand in midair. In spite of this talent, she looks down on herself because she cannot truly fly like Illya can.
* Similar to the Hulk, (see below) Saitama from ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'' can't actually fly, but he ''can'' leap so far, high, and fast and land unscathed that you may as well call it flying. He even used this to get from the top of a building to a spaceship above the city. It might even be more impressive than Hulk's jump-flying since Saitama is such an unassuming figure compared to him. He's capable of [[spoiler:flying from the Moon back to Earth in a single bound]].
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'':
** Several quirks can be used to propel oneself in the air. For example, Bakugo uses the momentum of his [[HavingABlast Explosive]] {{Hand Blast}}s to push himself upwards, while Uraraka can use her GravityMaster Quirk on herself to float.
** Hawks (whose WingedHumanoid Quirk allows actual flight) expresses surprise that [[PlayingWithFire Endeavor]] can fly (by shooting flames out of his feet). Endeavor responds that it's more like "not falling", because all he can do is hover, not lift himself any higher than he already is. He can at the very least propel himself forward by shooting flames from his back as seen when he started chasing High End during the Pro Hero Arc.
** Hawks also inspired Tokoyami to adopt his own form of this. Tokoyami's Quirk, Dark Shadow, manifests as a [[FightingSpirit shadow creature]] that he can summon and use in combat, because Dark Shadow naturally floats in the air, Tokoyami discovers he can "fly" by having Dark Shadow carry him.
** Nana Shimura's original Quirk, Float, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin which does exactly what it says]].[[spoiler: Years after her death, the Quirk was inherited by Izuku Midoriya via [[SuperEmpowering One For All]].]]
** All Might's SuperStrength is strong enough to [[BlowYouAway create powerful blasts of wind]]. Combined with his ability to [[InASingleBound Super Jump]], he can fly around by punching or kicking and allowing the momentum of the air blast to propel him in the opposite direction. This can be seen during the Final Exam arc with his New Hampshire Smash technique and again during his fight with [[BigBad All For One]] at the end of the Hideout Raid arc, as well as the movie Anime/MyHeroAcademiaTwoHeroes.[[spoiler: During the climax of the Internship arc, Midoriya is able to do the same thing during his fight with Overhaul, when he takes advantage of Eri's power to allow him to temporarily use One For All Full Cowl at 100%, giving him the same max power SuperStrength as All Might.]]
** Gran Torino's Quirk, Jet, gives him the ability to expel the air that he breathes from the soles of his feet, granting him the ability to fly around at SuperSpeed almost as fast as All Might. However, the power of this Quirk is limited by the amount of air the user is capable of inhaling. Thus limiting how far and how high Gran Torino can go with each breath.

* Franchise/WonderWoman was [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 originally]] unable to fly directly in the manner of Superman but (as with original Superman) they simplified all the handwaves to just give her flight. In [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]] during the UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, and the tail end of the UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, Wonder Woman used to "glide on air currents"--which somehow always seemed to be going in the right direction unless it became a plot point (like one story in which the villain encased a city in ice, which apparently meant that there were only downdrafts). This was retconned into full flight in the [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 1987]] revamp.
* Diana and ComicBook/SteveTrevor's Earth-Two (Golden Age) daughter Lyta could glide on air like her mother, and acted as the superhero Fury who joined ComicBook/InfinityInc.
* [[ComicBook/TeenTitans All three]] [[ComicBook/PowerGirl characters]] that have gone by the code name "Terra" can fly by using their [[DishingOutDirt powers]] to pull out a large mound of land and riding around on it.

* ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': When Link is about to pack off to the desert, the boy gives him a "bird" that Link can ride on — actually a sort of hang-glider in the shape of wings woven by the Hylian Sages, replacing the Flute Boy's Bird from the video game.

* In ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', Sean's flight deals with using his supersonic screams to help him glide.
-->'''Hank''': You need the sound waves to be supersonic. Catch them at the right angle and they should carry you.\\
'''Sean''': They ''should'' carry me... that's reassuring.

* In ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', Mr. Freeze of all people turns out to be capable of falling with style. While his PoweredArmor is too heavy to fly, it does have mechanical wings he uses to glide to safety after a fall from a great height. When Batman latches onto him, Freeze simply detaches the wings and instead uses the blast from his freeze ray to slow his descent.

* Sorcerors in the ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'' series can create solid projections of force and stand on them, essentially allowing them to walk through the air.
* ''Franchise/{{Mistborn}}'': Steel or Iron allomancy allows for telekinetically pushing or pulling (respectively) against metals to propel themselves through the air. Mistings"get only one of the metal powers while [[ComboPlatterPowers full Mistborn]] get all 16. In ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'', Steel Mistings and Mistborn carry pouches of coins to drop and then push against to "fly", and Kelsier plants metal bars along specific cross-country routes in order to cover longer distances. Iron Allomancers can only pull on metals, so their approximation of flying is more of launching themselves towards a fixed piece of metal. Vin (who is a Mistborn) is able to simulate a sort of long distance flight similar to Kelsier's by pushing off horseshoes then pulling them up behind her to drop again. ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'' sequel series is industrialized enough that Iron and Steel Mistings find flying significantly easier due to the presence of skyscrapers and a generally much more metal-rich urban areas.
* A fun one in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', also from Brandon Sanderson; [[MagicByAnyOtherName surgebinders]] with the Gravitation trait (Windrunners and Skybreakers) can alter the gravitational vector of a subject, including themselves, basically making them "fall" with desired acceleration in a chosen direction. Not traditional flight, but just as good if not better is most ways, as long as you don't run out of [[{{Mana}} Stormlight]] in midair. At one point a character asks another if they plan to fly all the way to their destination. He replies that technically he's going to fall, but it's close enough.
* In the ''Literature/GreenSkyTrilogy'' (set on a low-gravity planet), the Kindar, a tree-dwelling culture, have a garment that effectively functions as [[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/patagia patagia.]] This also factors into the video game based on the series where a shuba is needed to get most anywhere, and having it ripped is a ''major'' hassle.
* In'' Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' Jason, who is the son of Zeus' Roman aspect, can manipulate air currents to carry himself into the air.
* In Diane Duane's ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series, wizards can walk on air by suggesting to the air that it be as solid as stone for a while.
* In the Literature/{{Discworld}} series, [[TheGrimReaper Death]] rides [[CoolHorse a pale horse named Binky]] who can choose his own ground level to stand on, even in places where there ''is no'' ground.
* ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'': Son Wukong learns a slow and impractical cloud-climbing technique to get around. Then he figures out how to basically circle the globe [[InASingleBound with one backflip]].
* The novel ''VideoGame/StarCraft: Ghost: Nova'' reveals that very powerful telepaths are able to use their [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]] to lift their own bodies, although it takes great concentration. In-game, Protoss High Templars are shown constantly levitating, presumably using this method.

* In ''Literature/WarlockOfGramarye'' series by Christopher Stasheff male wizards can levitate, but witches can only telekinetically move objects other than themselves. Thus witches always need something to fly on, like a broomstick.
* In ''Literature/TheZombieKnight'', many [[CameBackStrong servants can do this]]. For instance, Karkash can [[MagnetismManipulation magnetically levitate]] iron armor worn under his clothes, Stoker can use ExplosionPropulsion, [[DishingOutDirt Asad]] creates hurtling masses with handles for him to grab, and Parson can [[ElementalShapeshifter turn part of his body into animate oxygen]] and [[BlowYouAway propel himself with winds and vortices]].
* ''Literature/MissPeregrinesHomeForPeculiarChildren'': Olive Abroholos Elephanta levitates--it's her peculiarity. She's lighter than air, and floats up, but can't ''fly'' per se. Her peculiarity lifts her up, but any sideways motion must be provided manually.
* In ''Literature/SuperPowereds'', it's eventually discovered that Alice's flight ability is actually a byproduct of her [[spoiler:GravityMaster power]]. Violet also learns to use her density manipulation power to make her lighter than air. She then perfects a technique for throwing her body in a specific direction by punching at the air, while temporarily making her fist heavy. She actually gets pretty good at aerial movement, although not quite as good as Alice. Her body is also more vulnerable in this state. In the ''Literature/{{Corpies}}'' spin-off, Gale, being an air elemental, flies by manipulating the air currents under her.
* In ''Literature/TheWitchlands'', Airwitches fly by making air currents carry them.
* In ''Literature/ForgingHephaestus'', the one power Ivan doesn't have in his [[ComboPlatterPowers combo platter]] is flight. While he ''could'' cast a flight spell on himself, it takes too long and leaves him vulnerable in a fight. Instead, he uses his InASingleBound ability to hop around, creating temporary magical surfaces in the air for him to leap off, which has the added benefit of allowing him to change direction mid-leap. Tori herself learns to sort-of levitate by directing her [[ManOnFire flames]] downward, but she's not even close to being as nimble with it as [[Comicbook/FantasticFour Johnny Storm]]. This is one of the reasons she wants to make her PoweredArmor fly [[spoiler:she manages to do it, when Ivan gives her a gravity-reducing device, allowing her suit's jump thrusters to keep it aloft for extended periods]].

* Simon Bloom of the eponymous ''Literature/SimonBloom'' books flies by manipulation of gravity. To be more precise though, he falls sideways. The book points out how risky that is since you'll need to slow yourself down every once in a while to avoid reaching terminal velocity, not to mention what happens if you muck it up and start falling upwards.
* In ''Literature/TheHauntingOfDrearcliffGrangeSchool'', Miss Steps uses her telekinesis to create blocks of solid air, with various applications including the one she takes her name from: arranging them into invisible staircases and walkways so she can elevate herself and walk around on apparently thin air.
* Vanessa in ''Literature/DaughtersOfTheMoon'' can use her invisibility to fly since it is molecular-based. When she extends her molecules and becomes a weightless cloud, she is then able to fly wherever she wants although she can unfortunately be shoved around by rough wind patterns.

* In the ''Literature/{{Bounders}}'' novel ''Fractured Futures'', Mira teaches the other kids to fly without [[JetPack blast packs]] by using their bounding gloves to manipulate the air around them.
-->Mira is always quick to remind us that we're not really flying, we're manipulating matter to move and stay aloft. In other words: flying.

* In ''Series/MutantX'', Brennan's [[ShockAndAwe electricity-throwing power]] turns into an ion engine coming out of his hands after the MidSeasonUpgrade.
* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' brings us Film/PumaMan, who has [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands the ability]] to rear-project major cities-- er, fly like a moron-- er, "leap" great distances (yet somehow change direction while in midair).
* ''Series/TheMostExtreme'' had the episode "Freaky Fliers", which showcased 10 animals that fly without the use of "proper" wings. (The ''bat'' got in, because its "wings" technically aren't.)
* On ''Series/NoOrdinaryFamily'' the father learns he can leap long distances [[InsistentTerminology in a single bound.]] However, once he jumps he has next to no control over where he's going, and tends to make craters wherever he lands.
* Ninjor, the guy who gives the ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' the Ninja Megazords, uses a flying rock which he rides into battle.

* The titular ''Series/BlackLightning'' is able to propel himself upward by firing electricity out of his hands toward the ground. Because LightningCanDoAnything.
* ''Series/WonderWoman1975'': Wonder Woman could leap over trees and to the upper stories of buildings. For flight, she used her [[CoolPlane invisible jet]].
* ''Series/{{Taken}}'': In "Beyond the Sky", John uses his PsychicPowers to make Becky Clarke levitate. He passes it off as a magic trick.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' people who can't afford Flight can get: Super Jump, Walk on Air, Glide, Super Bounce, Lighter than Air. The pulling yourself up by your bootstraps can be done with TK or Control. Absurdly high Jumping skill or just the Flying Leap skill also allow for travel that's similar to flight.

* In ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'' the Lunans seem to have been a lot like bats, having winglike membranes, but appear to have been unable to truly fly.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Dodrio (which doesn't even have wings) seems to use Fly by jumping really high. In the 3D games, a Dodrio using this move will be shown ''running in place'' about 30 feet above ground to keep aloft while waiting for the opponent to make a move.
** Mantine, Gligar/Gliscor and Emolga are all flying-type, but cannot learn the aforementioned HM. This is because they are only able to catch the wind and to glide - impressive, but not quite flight.
** There is also the fire-type Blaziken, whose Pokédex entry says "it cannot fly, but can jump so high that it doesn't matter."
** To a lesser extent, there's the ability Levitate, which amounts to the Pokémon gaining immunity to Ground attacks without any of the other strengths, weaknesses, or moves inherent to true Flying types.

* ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'': Pit is an angel whose wings are too small to allow him to fly on his own, a major sore point for him; the irony of being a flightless angel named after a hole in the ground is not lost on him. He can get around this temporarily through a few different means:
** The Angel Feather item in the first game allows Pit to fly out of a bottomless pit [[AccidentalPun (Heh)]], but is used up after one time.
** The Wings of Pegasus grow Pit's wings to full size and give him unlimited flight, but are only available to use at the very end of the first game [[spoiler:and are later destroyed by Hades early on in ''Uprising'']].
** In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', his up special grants him a limited flight duration in a similar manner to the Angel Feather. He can also perform a glide by holding the jump button, an ability shared by fellow winged combatants Charizard and Meta Knight. The glide mechanic was removed in ''for [=WiiU/3DS=]'', and his up special was revised to a quick burst of directional flight for more timely recovery.
** In the very late sequel ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', Palutena can grant Pit the Power of Flight. It once again grants perfect flight, but he can't fly freely, as his wings are controlled by Palutena. These segments resemble on-rail shooters. The Power of Flight can only be given for five minutes at a time, or otherwise Pit's wings will burn up.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'', you can get wings in four different styles, depending on the upgrade - but they don't allow you to fly so much as they let you glide for progressively longer periods. No matter how much you press the jump button, you ''will'' come back down to earth eventually. The Galactic Adventures expansion does, however, let you fly, but only by placing jump pads far away from the planet at the right angle, teleporting to them, and being launched into orbit.

* ''VideoGame/AvalonCode'' features the hammer's special attack, which involves flinging oneself in a straight line to cross gaps both large and small, since the player character apparently doesn't know how to jump.
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'':
** Has Levitation spells which allow for the "walking through the air" form of flying. This spell was removed from [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion later]] [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim games]] ([[TheyChangedItNowItSucks to some people's annoyance]]) due to its potential for breaking walled-city cells, not to mention [[ScriptBreaking scripts]] and [[SequenceBreaking sequences]]. It's much harder to constrain a player to a specific path when they can just "fly" ''anywhere''.
** The Scrolls of [[IcarusAllusion Icarian Flight]] allow you to jump [[InASingleBound incredible distances]], but wear off mid-jump meaning you'll die when you land (which is exactly what happened to the scrolls' inventor and previous owner). This can be circumvented by using a 2nd scroll before landing ([[TooAwesomeToUse though you only get three of them]]), using a slowfall or levitation spell before landing, or by landing in [[SoftWater deep enough water]], making them NotCompletelyUseless and potentially even a LethalJokeItem in the right hands.
* ''VideoGame/PsiOpsTheMindgateConspiracy'': Allow you to levitate an object you are standing on to reach certain areas. [[http://psiops.wikia.com/wiki/TK_surf "TK surfing"]] started out as quirk of the physics system but was kept when the developers realised what they could do with it.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Bug}}'', Bug has a pair of wings, but they're too small to allow him to fly. In ''Bug Too!'', he does get the ability to slow his descent for a short while... by flapping his arms like wings.
* The Windham Classics ''Alice in Wonderland'' had two objects that granted this. The parasol allowed you to make a controlled downward glide, but the Mad Hatter's hat let you catch updrafts. It also used the same engine as the Literature/GreenSkyTrilogy game.
* Most of the later ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' games give you an ability that allows you to infinitely super jump into the air. A few characters get true flight though. [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Alucard]] and [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Soma Cruz]] can [[VoluntaryShapeShifting turn into a bat]], and [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia Shanoa]] can manifest a pair of black angel wings with the Volaticus glyph.
* In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' Batman can use his improved GrapplingHookPistol and cape to move through the city much easier than he did in the [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum first game]]. By diving and using the grapple to increase his speed and altitude, Bats has essentially gained Spider-Man's web swinging ability. Lampshaded in one of Riddler's comments in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'': he notes that bats are the only flying mammals, only to point out Batman ''glides'' and is thus more of a squirrel.
* Shows up in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn''. First you get the Grip Crystal, which allows you to use a grappling-hook power for short distances (a later dungeon even includes an area where you have to Grip your way to several spires in short succession without falling). Then you find platforms made of a wind-sensitive mineral, that Whirlwind powers will lift into the air for you to hop across. Lastly, you gain an ally who can convert warm updrafts into Thermals capable of carrying the entire party, armor, weapons, and all (which completes a BrickJoke from the beginning of the game when it was mentioned that Mars Adepts can't fly). ''VideoGame/GoldenSun: The Lost Age'' did it first with Hover. In fact, Hover is mentioned to be how the GlobalAirship upgrade on Piers's ship works.
* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' as of Version 1.9 has elytra. When worn in the chest armor slot, they trade protection for the ability to glide, much like a hang glider. You can get a speed boost by using a firework rocket or a trident with the Riptide enchantment (the latter only in water or during rain), which can allow for temporary powered flight.
* In ''VideoGame/TheQuestOfKi'', Ki's magical tiara allows her to continue floating upwards when she jumps so long as she doesn't hit the ceiling.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': Unlike in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'', Elite Rangers in ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' onward can't actually fly. Instead, their jetpacks act more like the Brutes' [[InASingleBound jump packs]] in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}''. Ditto for the jetpack the player can use.
* In ''[[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo-Tooie]]'', the Glide ability can be learned for use by Kazooie when she is not in Banjo's backpack. This allows her to assume pseudo-flight at any time in the air without requiring a Flight Pad, but it's pseudo-flight in the sense that red feathers cannot be used while gliding, preventing Kazooie from gaining altitude in any way.

* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'':
** In both games, the characters gain a power that allows them to sustain brief gliding. It can be lengthened with a couple of special moves, but eventually what's gone up ''will'' come down.
** There's another, slightly faster and considerably more destructive example in the first game: the Hammertoss. Alex, while running, concentrates a lot of biomass in a giant rocky fist and hurls it - with himself attached, Mighty Thor style - a dozen stories up and several city blocks across. Basically, it's just a fancy form of jumping. It also [[GroundShatteringLanding leaves a huge crater at the landing point]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{InFamous}}'' despite flight being one of the more common Conduit powers, Cole can't fly [[spoiler: until his EleventhHourSuperpower]]. Instead he has jumping, gliding and grappling hook powers which are admittedly slower and less cool (and less gamebreaking in the series that focuses on roof hopping and parkour).
* Both ''VideoGame/{{Trine}}'' games feature an extremely limited form of levitation. When playing with the mage it's possible to create an object, jump on it and levitate it with you on it. The catch is that this is not only entirely unofficial - the puzzles ''always'' have a solution that doesn't require flight, which prompts some to consider self-levitation a form of cheating - but also quite hard to pull off and ''extremely'' slow. Self-levitate at more than crawling pace and the effect will stop - as it will if the game suddenly decides to change camera view and your character is no longer where the mouse cursor is pointing. This is quite effective at discouraging it as anything other than an emergency "I can't think of a better way but I've run out of patience" solution.
* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'':
** In ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'' shortly after you get the Super Jump ability, you can purchase the ability to dash in midair and glide in an X-formation by holding down the Super Speed button.
** ''VideoGame/SaintsRowGatOutOfHell'' improves upon this by giving you wings and [[WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}} gargoyle-esque]] gliding which you can extend the duration of by diving to gain momentum and a limited number of wing flaps. It is tied to your stamina meter, so infinite flight isn't really a possibility, but this can be mitigated through upgrades.
* ''{{VideoGame/Firefall}}'' is well known for its maneuverability of an eight-ton power armor, using jetpacks/jetboots and hardlight gliders to get around. However, the maximum jet energy in a battleframe is limited and needs to recharge to prevent overloading the core, and the jets burn through energy if you are not standing still while rocketing upward. Slowly. Gliders don't do well when pointed skyward (you lose momentum trying to invoke troll physics), will disintegrate after their use, and are summoned by arkfolding a stationary molecular printer on the ground, which has a cooldown of about 120 seconds or less. The Celestial Wings item, on the other hand...
--> '''Aero:''' Just remember, it's falling with style.
* ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' has an anti-gravity jump, which lets you hover to the ground. Another example is the Witch Queen using her [[MindOverMatter Telekinesis]] to make the [[NonPlayerCharacter ally witch]] hover in front of herself when you attack her.
* In ''[[Videogame/BattleZone1998 Battlezone II: Combat Commander]]'', the various high-thrust {{Hover Tank}}s normally designed to only hover a meter off the ground could rocket themselves hundreds of meters into the air and hover for quite some time with careful use of the jump and reverse thrusters, allowing them to rain dakka on enemies from on high. The ability was regarded as a glitch by the developers due to it completely nullifying natural terrain obstacles, leading to it being significantly toned down in the 1.3 update.
* ''VisualNovel/AnOctaveHigher'' has several ways of going about this. Mages who are [[PersonalityPowers gifted with]] [[DishingOutDirt Willpower]], like Frederic, can [[GravityMaster Nullify gravity]] to send themselves or others rising high into the air. Similarly, mages gifted with [[BlowYouAway Faith]], like Franz, can create strong air currents to lift themselves off the ground. Combining these two effects through [[{{Magitek}} magic machines]] is also what allows [[FlyingCar carriages and omnibuses to fly]].
* ''VideoGame/PonyIsland'': [[spoiler:The Pony Wings, which gift your pony with the ability to glide over gaps and obstacles by holding the Jump button in midair]].
* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' and its sequel ''Brotherhood'', Ezio gets to use Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine. Despite the name, it's really a glider and all use of it requires Ezio to use large fires to create upward drafts of air to keep flying (though ''Brotherhood'' has the flying machine equipped with incendiary weapons to make your own while, in the previous game, you're stuck on a linear path). It's briefly revisited in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' for RuleOfFunny: the carpenter at Davenport Homestead finds the designs for the flying machine and makes one, which Connor decides to take for a test drive and immediately crashes it into the sea.
* ''VideoGame/{{Carnivores}}'': in Debug Mode, the player has two options of motion--either actually activate the flying cheat, or combine the fast-motion movement of Debug Mode in general with the jump button to go leaping around the map like [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'', the JetPack mod for PoweredArmor allows boosted jumps for certain distances depending on the player's maximum Action Points.
* In ''VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet 2'' and Vita, the Hero Cape from the Creator/DCComics Pack allows Sackboy to glide around. He can get momentum from flying down, then use it to fly upwards. If the player lowers the gravity settings, the glide physics also change, and allow Sackboy to do a high jump and change mid-jump to a glide. With lower gravity, however, it's impossible to glide downwards and use the momentum to fly back upwards.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'', players can use Wraith's warp ability, as well as Warp Blast, to teleport themselves higher into the air as they move forward before falling to the ground.
* After receiving the Paraglider in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', Link can use it to glide through the air (at least, so long as he has enough stamina to retain his grip on it). He can catch updrafts to gain height with it, such as from open flames or from the use of the Revali's Gale power.
* ''VideoGame/{{Sundered}}'': The corrupted form of the [[DoubleJump Leaping Device]], Z’toggua’s Wings, allows Eshe to glide long distances after a double jump by [[LovecraftianSuperpower transforming into a bat-like shadow monster]].
* In ''VideoGame/FarCry1'', the Hang Glider has no way of gaining height due to the lack of updraft physics, so you can only glide downwards.
* ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'''s first expansion, Heart of Thorns, introduces the mastery system, one mastery of which is gliding. Improving your character's mastery of gliding allows players to ride {{Ley Line}}s across the sky. The second expansion, Path of Fire, gives players mounts. The skimmer's special ability lets the player float higher, and the speed at which you fall is lowered. The griffon's ability to flap its wings is practically flight, but it cannot fly any higher than its starting point.
* ''VideoGame/ArkSurvivalEvolved'':
** Neither the Archaeopteryx nor the Terror Bird can fly, but both of them can flap hard enough to "fall with style" in a given direction ''with a rider''. Until the Overseer boss was implemented, the last cave in the game could be shortcut by "flying" a Terror Bird from the entrance to the exit, avoiding numerous powerful hostile creatures.
** The Microraptor can glide at high speeds along the ground, but cannot gain altitude or carry a player.
** The Aberration DLC introduces the Rock Drake, a large dragon-like lizard that glides using feathers on its front legs. This combined with it's WallCrawl abilities make it one of the most mobile mounts in the expansion. ''Aberration'' also gives players the ability to build their own glide suits.
** The ''Extinction'' DLC introduces the Gasbags, a giant tardigrade that puffs up like a balloon and then expels air to launch itself skyward. [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman Just when you thought the Oxygen stat was useless]]...
* ''VideoGame/BugFables'': Leif uses his ice magic to create a block of ice that he floats while riding on it, while also carrying whoever accompanies Team Snakemouth at a time. Vi can actually fly, and carries Kabbu while Leif does this so that all of them can cross gaps.

* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' has the "organic jetpack" which can grow out of your body if you exercise too much. It allows you to fly with [[{{Gasshole}} methane and hydrogen]] as fuel.
* ''Webcomic/ABeginnersGuideToTheEndOfTheUniverse'': The protagonist acquires armors that weaken the gravitational pull on him.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'', spellwrights can "fall with style" for short periods by suspending or redirecting their momentum. Fine-tuning this into true flight has been Rahm "the Raptor" Ripa's lifelong ambition, which [[spoiler:he eventually achieves with a highly sophisticated {{Magitek}} design]].
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Damien [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2004-04-28 appears]] to fly through by directing his [[ManOnFire flames]] downward and in the direction he wishes to go.

* ''Webcomic/JoJopolis'': Wolfman Jack's Stand, Free Bird, lets him instantly change directions while preserving momentum. If he uses it while falling, he can make himself "fall" upwards or forwards, basically letting him fly.

* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': Most of Team Alchemical can use their respective ElementalPowers to achieve something close to flight. [[BlowYouAway Alchemical Air]] can use the wind to lift herself off the ground, [[MakingASplash Alchemical Water]] can ride the water present in the atmosphere, [[DishingOutDirt Alchemical Earth]] can raise the ground beneath her, and [[ElementNumberFive Alchemical Aether]] can use her power over PureEnergy to [[{{Roofhopping}} leap from rooftop to rooftop]]. The one member who ''can't'' use her powers to enhance her mobility is [[PlayingWithFire Alchemical Fire]] -- it is noted that she once tried using her fire abilities for jet boots, but "[[NoodleIncident never again.]]"

* ''Literature/{{Ward}}'':
** Snag from the Mall Cluster adjusts gravity so he can literally fall horizontally or even upwards.


* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'':
** Martha can fly on chilling mist, which other characters don't understand at all.
** Asia can create dandelion fluffs to slowly descend.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'':
** When they're not in a vehicle, Cyborg is always being carried around by one of the fliers. Robin usually just uses BuildingSwing, but for longer distances he might hitch a ride.
** There was that time with the bird flyer suit, but it never showed up again.
** Terra can also ride on rocks she's levitating.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}},'' the Gargoyles glide on air currents, and need to jump off high places or find rising hot air to leave the ground. Nominally, at least. They swoop and swerve very high upwards whenever the plot requires that they do so. Still, they can't manage a vertical or running takeoff, or hover--WordOfGod specifically stated that they ''can't'' hover, but some of the animators never got the memo.
* WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack learns to: "[[InsistentTerminology Not fly. Jump good.]]" So good, in fact, that he's jumping around not just [[Film/SuperTroopers nimbly-bimbly from tree to tree]] by the end of the episode, but between individual leaves on trees in the ''canopy'' of a forest. However, future episodes [[SnapBack severely restrict his jumping skill.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheHollow'': [[spoiler: After regularly attempting to do so after discovering his fire powers, in the penultimate episode, Kai figures out how to fly by shooting flames out of his hands, which is useful during the dragon BossBattle]].
* In "I Am Legion" of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', Fire is carrying Flash after bailing out of their Javelin [[ItMakesSenseInContext while battling robot condors]]. Flash tells Fire to drop him so that she can go help Hawkgirl, who is struggling in her battle with one of the condors, and Fire reluctantly does so [[TheCharmer after Flash gives her a smile and tells her to trust him]]. When Fire mentions this to Shayera, she says, "You know he can't fly, right?" He manages to improvise a quick way to "fly" on the way down:
-->'''Flash''': Hey, ladies, check me out! I'm just like a helicopter-*WHAM*...I'm...sorta like a helicopter.
* Creator/{{Seanbaby}} points out instances where this made [[http://www.seanbaby.com/superfriends/hawkman.htm Hawkman]] of ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' so [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway useless]]. He also noted events where OffModel animation allowed ''Flash'' and '''Batman''' to fly under their own power.

* Multi Man of ''WesternAnimation/TheImpossibles'' can "fly" by duplicating himself, disappearing, duplicating himself, disappearing, and so on.

* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'':
** Putting the Eye of Dashi onto the hilt of the Sword of Storms gave the sword the power to fly around, and the user with if by holding on. The same goes for the Serpent's Tail, which also [[{{Intangibility}} made you intangible.]]
** The wings of Tanabi supposedly give you flight, but actually fly on their own and you have to hold onto it. The Jet Bootsu can count as well.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** Scootaloo, despite being a {{pegasus}}, has trouble flying, which is attributed to the size of her wings. She compensates by using her wings [[MundaneUtility to propel herself when riding her scooter.]] She can use this to catch some major air when jumping and can hover a short height above ground.
** The unicorn Twilight Sparkle briefly demonstrated magical self-levitation at one point, but never needed it after [[WingedUnicorn becoming an alicorn]]. Starlight Glimmer, another unicorn, mastered it to the point where she [[IBelieveICanFly might as well be flying]].
* Levitating platforms are often provided for heroes who can't fly by either Zatara or Green Lantern in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''. Artemis (along with the other archers) and Robin sometimes use grappling hooks of some kind to get around, as well.
* ''The Incredible Hulk'' cannot fly. But in ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelSuperHeroes'', The Hulk is known to undertake lengthy "mountain leaps" that look remarkably similar to flight.

* ''WesternAnimation/KidCosmic'': [[spoiler:The superpower that the green Stone of Power brings is mistakenly believed to be {{Flight}} by Kid. It eventually turns out that it isn't flight at all-- it's [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]]. Kid just believed it was flight due to levitating himself with the stone.]]

** One should remember, however, that the Wright Brothers are not acknowledged as the first to actually pull off manned flight everywhere. France and Brazil both disconsider their efforts, having Santos Dummont as the inventor of the airplane. However, this is largely due to nationalistic reasons - it is uncontested that the Wright Brothers flew the first fixed-wing aircraft, the French and Brazilians merely claim that it [[MovingTheGoalposts didn't count because the Wright Brothers' planes used rails and skids instead of wheels.]] France has later retracted such claims. Brazil, not so much.
** Interestingly, both hot air balloons and dirigibles were invented considerably prior to the first fixed-wing aircraft - in the case of hot air balloons, more than a century prior. The first manned "flight" in one was by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783, over a century before the Wright brothers; however, because the craft were lighter than air, it was not really the same thing, as rather than relying on lift they used buoyancy - rather than flying like a bird, they floated like a boat.

* ''VideoGame/BugFables'': Leif uses his ice magic to create a block of ice that he floats while riding on it. Vi can actually fly, and carries Kabbu while Leif does this so that all three of them can cross gaps.

* ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'':
** Pit is an angel whose wings are too small to allow him to fly on his own, a major sore point for him; the irony of being a flightless angel named after a hole in the ground is not lost on him. He can get around this temporarily through a few different means:

** The Wings of Icarus grow Pit's wings to full size and give him unlimited flight, but are only available to use at the very end of the first game [[spoiler:and are later destroyed by Hades early on in ''Uprising'']].

[[folder:Web Comics ]]

* ComicBook/CosmicBoy can lift himself with his magnetic powers using the metal in his suit, or if he has to the iron in his own blood but that's dangerous and painful. He has also used the earth's magnetic fields to levitate when he's on earth. As he usually has a [[ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}} Legion]] flight ring he generally just uses that instead.

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''. Buzz Lightyear, being a simple child's toy, cannot actually fly, though he believes he can for most of the film. He does, however, know some fancy acrobatics, and his wings seem to at least be aerodynamic enough to glide for a bit. The page quote is Woody's InsistentTerminology for it. When Woody later exclaims that Buzz is flying while he carries Woody, Buzz denies it and calls it [[MeaningfulEcho "falling with style"]], showing that he has accepted his true nature as a toy.

* In ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'', Dame Vaako threatens the air elemental Aereon by opening the bomb bay of the ship they are in and pushing her towards it; she then reveals that while she can't fly, she can hover very well.
* In ''Film/{{Condorman}}'', the titular hero invents a flying suit with giant wings. It doesn't actually fly per se, but it does glide sort of well. Except, of course, for the trial run, where he leaps off the Eiffel Tower and ends up crashing into the Seine.
* In ''Film/BatmanBegins'' Bruce develops a short-range glider due to his cape being made out of "memory cloth".

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' as of Version 1.9 has elytra. When worn in the chest armor slot, they trade protection for the ability to glide, much like a hang glider.

-->-- '''Woody''', ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''. Buzz Lightyear, being a simple child's toy, cannot actually fly, though he believes he can actually fly for most of it. He does, however, know some fancy acrobatics, and his wings seem to at least be aerodynamic enough to glide for a bit. The page quote is Woody's InsistentTerminology for it. When Woody later exclaims that Buzz is flying while he carries Woody, Buzz denies it and calls it [[MeaningfulEcho "falling with style"]], showing that he has accepted his true nature as a toy.

** Franchise/SpiderMan sometimes uses his webbing to create glider-wings, parachutes, bungee chords, and other means to send himself through the air when there are no convenient tall buildings or trees to swing from.

** Franchise/WonderWoman has been confirmed to just be able to "leap tall buildings in a single bound", instead of flying. In ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'', she is shown hovering in the climactic fight against Ares, as she's revealed to be the daughter of the Olympian god Zeus himself and starts using her god-tier powers.

** Nana Shimura's original Quirk, Float, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin does exactly what it says]].[[spoiler: Years after her death, the Quirk was inherited by Izuku Midoriya via [[SuperEmpowering One For All]].]]
** All Might's SuperStrength is strong enough to [[BlowYouAway create blasts of wind]]. Combined with his ability to [[InASingleBound Super Jump]], he can fly around by punching or kicking and allowing the momentum of the air blast to propel him in the opposite direction. This can be seen during the Final Exam arc with his New Hampshire Smash technique and again during his fight with [[BigBad All For One]] at the end of the Hideout Raid arc, as well as the movie Anime/MyHeroAcademiaTwoHeroes.[[spoiler: During the climax of the Internship arc, Midoriya is able to do the same thing during his fight with Overhaul, when he takes advantage of Eri's power to allow him to temporarily use One For All Full Cowl at 100%, giving him the same max power SuperStrength as All Might.]]
** Gran Torino's Quirk, Jet, gives him the ability to expel air that he breathes from the soles of his feet, granting him the ability to fly around at SuperSpeed almost as fast as All Might. However, the power of this Quirk is limited by the amount of air the user is capable of inhaling, making it a lot weaker than other examples.

** Hawks also inspired Tokoyami to adopt his own form of this. Tokoyami's Quirk, Dark Shadow, manifests as a physical shadow creature Tokoyami can use in combat. Dark Shadow floats in the air when he is out and, with Hawks' help, Tokoyami discovers he can "fly" by having Dark Shadow carry him.

** All Mights' SuperStrength is strong enough to [[BlowYouAway create blasts of wind]]. Combined with his ability to [[InASingleBound Super Jump]], he can fly around by punching or kicking and allowing the momentum of the air blast to propel him in the opposite direction. This can be seen during the Final Exam arc with his New Hampshire Smash technique and again during his fight with [[BigBad All For One]] at the end of the Hideout Raid arc, as well as the movie Anime/MyHeroAcademiaTwoHeroes.[[spoiler: During the climax of the Internship arc, Midoriya is able to do the same thing during his fight with Overhaul, when he takes advantage of Eri's power to allow him to temporarily use One For All Full Cowl at 100%, giving him the same max power SuperStrength as All Might.]]

** Gran Torino's Quirk, Jet, gives him the ability to expel air that he breathes from the soles of his feet, granting him the ability to fly around at SuperSpeed almost as fast as All Might. However, the power of this quirk relies heavily on the amount of air the user is capable of inhaling, making it a lot weaker than other examples.

** Several quirks can be used to propel one's self in the air. For example, Bakugo uses the momentum of his {{Hand Blast}}s to push himself upwards, while Uraraka can use her [[GravityMaster powers]] on herself to float.
** Hawks (whose [[WingedHumanoid quirk]] allows actual flight) expresses surprise that [[PlayingWithFire Endeavor]] can fly (by shooting flames out of his feet). Endeavor responds that it's more like "not falling", because all he can do is hover, not lift himself any higher than he already is. He can at the very least propel himself forward by shooting flames from his back as seen when he started chasing High End.
** Hawks also inspired Tokoyami to adopt his own form of this. Tokoyami's quirk, Dark Shadow, manifests as a physical shadow creature Tokoyami can use in combat. Dark Shadow floats in the air when he is out and, with Hawks' help, Tokoyami discovers he can "fly" by having Dark Shadow carry him.
** Nana Shimura's original Quirk "Float" is this.[[spoiler: Years after her death, the Quirk was inherited by Izuku Midoriya.]]
** All Mights' SuperStrength is strong enough to [[BlowYouAway create blasts of wind]]. Combined with his ability to [[InASingleBound Super Jump]], he can fly around by punching or kicking and allowing the momentum of the air blast to propel him in the opposite direction. This can be seen during the Final Exam arc with his New Hampshire Smash technique and again during his fight with [[BigBad All For One]] at the end of the Hideout Raid arc.[[spoiler: During the climax of the Internship arc, Midoriya is able to do the same thing during his fight with Overhaul, when he takes advantage of Eri's power to allow him to temporarily use One For All Full Cowl at 100%, giving him the same max power as All Might.]]

** In chapter 187, pro hero Hawks (whose [[WingedHumanoid quirk]] allows actual flight) expresses surprise that [[PlayingWithFire Endeavor]] can fly (by shooting flames out of his feet). Endeavor responds that it's more like "not falling", because all he can do is hover, not lift himself any higher than he already is.

** Nana Shimura's original Quirk "Float" is this. Years after her death, the Quirk was inherited by [[spoiler:Izuku Midoriya.]]

** When battling the Ginormouse, Oprah is revealed to have wing flaps hidden in a flying suit she wears that allow her to glide, which she uses to catch up to the creature in an attempt to slow it down.

* In ''VideoGame/FarCry'', the Hang Glider has no way of gaining height due to the lack of updraft physics, so you can only glide downwards.

[[quoteright:200:[[ComicBook/SilverSurfer https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/terrax.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:200:[-Yes, Terrax, herald of ComicBook/{{Galactus}},\\

* ''WesternAnimation/KidCosmic'': [[spoiler:The superpower that the green Stone of Power brings is mistakenly believed to be {{Flight}} by Kid. It eventually turns out that it isn't flight at all-- it's [[MindOverMatter
telekinesis]]. Kid just believed it was flight due to levitating himself with the stone.]]