History Main / NotQuiteFlight

* ''Fanfic/AllForLuz'': One of Luz's Quirks is "Airwalk". It gives Luz the ability to float upward infinitely. However, she can't move in any other direction than downward. Propulsion using any other ability can be used to allow her to move in any direction she wishes. But aside from that, it is only used to scale high surfaces or stop her from falling. [[spoiler:After her "Quirk Awakening", she can now literally walk on air now, like the namesake.]]

** 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'']].

* The Manga/{{Naruto}} fanfic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6051938/1/The_Sealed_Kunai The Sealed Kunai]] gives Naruto this, as a generalization of canon's water-walking. Helps that here he's been LevelGrinding his wind element.

* In ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World'', tired of having to rely on John+George to get down off the mesa, Ringo buys a bunch of levitation potions, so he can at least go up and down. Paul uses them on occasion as well.
* In ''Fanfic/{{Kage}}'', Jade discovers that her [[WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures Ninja Shadowkhan]] outfit includes the tissue she has seen the ninjas to use in order to glide. When she glides for the first time, this trope is discussed by the amazed onlookers.
-->'''Irma''': She can fly?\\
'''Hay Lin''': I think it's gliding, not real flight.\\
'''Irma''': Same difference.
* In the ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' fan comic [[https://www.reddit.com/r/grandorder/comments/ea2wh9/lb5_prelude_the_new_twelve_labors_of_heracles/ The New Twelve Labors of Heracles]], Jason and Heracles face off against Circe and her Stymphian Birds in the air, with Jason explaining that Heracles keeps himself in the air by stomping the air so hard it lets him hover.
* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'': Naruto develops the Wind Release: Riding the Hurricane jutsu, that allows him to use wind currents to propel himself in the air. However, unlike other actual flight methods it's much harder to control, and constantly drains the user of chakra as long as it's active.
* ''Art/RealisticPokemon'':
** Lugia is depicted as a psychic levitater.
** Dragonite is portrayed as a super high jumper.

[[folder:Western Animation ]]

** In ''Literature/TheRiseOfKyoshi'' we see that the Flying Opera Company invented this for earth and waterbending, known as dust-stepping and mist-stepping respectively. They bend tiny pieces of earth or ice under they feet as they get higher and higher. They developed their technique due to the influence of one of their group's founders, who was a rogue airbender. Kyoshi's firebending sifu Rangi similalry learned how to do this for Firebending thus creating the technique we see used the most frequentely.

** Both Banshee and his daughter Siryn can fly by [[MakeMeWannaShout screaming really loud]] -- no clue given as to how this is supposed to work, as they're clearly not shouting at the ground when they do this. Or, you know, moving backward. It's explained as them projecting soundwaves off of the ground, except, you know, [[ArtisticLicensePhysics sound waves don't work that way]]. Sometimes they seem to be able to speak while doing this because TalkingIsAFreeAction. Presumably, it's just because banshees are supposed to fly as well as scream.

* 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.

* 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.

* Creator/StanLee hated superheroes, who could fly just because, and created superheroes who found other ways to get around quickly even if did not make any more sense than flying.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* In ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'', characters like Kuroko can teleport several times to get airborne.

* 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.

* ComicBook/{{Robin}} III[=/=]ComicBook/RedRobin III Tim Drake always insisted on a longer cape than his predecessors specifically because he wanted to be able to use a glider cape. It saved his life once when Damian sabotaged his grapple gun.

** ComicBook/TheMightyThor swings Mjölnir around his hand and then releases it with it still attached to his wrist. The momentum then carries him halfway across the world. That would actually work. Granted, it would take some epic deltoids or a magic hammer to avoid your arm being torn off, but Thor has both. Though his inability to fly depends entirely on who happens to be writing him at the moment. It's possible that they might still stick with the "I throw my hammer!" bit but the way it's portrayed there's no way it could be anything ''but'' true flight. In some other media he's shown to be able to achieve true flight, though normally by summoning wind or the power of Mjolnir to levitate him.
** ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Susan Storm can jump around on invisible platforms into the sky or create discs or floating spheres to carry her and anyone she is travelling with through the air.

** ComicBook/SpiderMan sometimes uses his webbing to create glider-wings, parachutes, bungee cords, and other means to send himself through the air when there are no convenient tall buildings or trees to swing from.
* Originally, ComicBook/{{Darkhawk}} got around by launching himself in the air with his GrapplingHookGun and gliding on his wings. He eventually [[HowDoIShotWeb learned how to fly]].

* Originally played straight with ComicBook/{{Morbius}} the Living Vampire who could glide because of his "hollow, bird-like bones". Not that such bones make any sense considering what gave him his other powers (bat bones, though narrow and light, are filled with marrow as average mammal bones) and none of the logical drawbacks of having hollow bones were ever explored in the comics. Later averted with [[{{Retcon}} a new explanation]] that says part of his brain has mutated, giving him psionic powers that enable him to defy gravity.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', only Karolina can truly fly; the group relies on a giant robot frog to get around which couldn't fly either, just make massive leaps. Until it was destroyed and rebuilt with real flight capabilities. In later arcs, Victor and Nico have been seen levitating, Nico also occasionally flying by conjuring wings or a griffin to ride. Xavin has two methods of flight, thanks to possessing the powers of the Fantastic Four: they can move themself and others around in their Invisible Woman forcefields, and rocket-propel themself with Human Torch powers.
* ComicBook/SpiderWoman (Jessica Drew) had small wings built into her costume that allowed her to glide, but in both her cartoon and her comic-book appearances this was often treated as full flight by illustrators (she was able to gain altitude without slowing down, indicating that she was somehow actually flying).
* Arcanna of the ''ComicBook/SquadronSupreme'' had to use her "nature magic" to levitate a nearby tree branch or other wood to ride on; later, she just learned to use air for the same purpose, effectively making her a flyer.

** Both Banshee and his daughter Siryn can fly by [[MakeMeWannaShout screaming really loud]] -- no clue given as to how this is supposed to work, as they're clearly not shouting at the ground when they do this. Or, you know, moving backwards. It's explained as them projecting soundwaves off of the ground, except, you know, [[ArtisticLicensePhysics sound waves don't work that way]]. Sometimes they seem to be able to speak while doing this because TalkingIsAFreeAction. Presumably it's just because banshees are supposed to fly as well as scream.

** [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]] can pick himself up with metal objects that he levitates with [[MagnetismManipulation his powers]]. He is sometimes stated as outright flying (or "levitating") by using the Earth's magnetic field.
** Iceman can do that thing where he makes a trail of ice in the air which he surfs on. The thing is that his "Ice Slides" as he calls him still need to be anchored to the ground somewhere. Some more realistic depictions show this as a strictly short-range transportation option.
** Kitty Pryde has been known to walk on air using the RequiredSecondaryPower that stops her [[{{Intangibility}} phasing power]] from pulling her down into the earth.

** Kal-El himself originally could not fly, but rather used his super strength to "leap an eighth of a mile" or, as the radio serial put it, [[{{Catchphrase}} "leap tall buildings in a single bound."]]

* 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.

** 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.

** 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.

* While they cannot fly, some species of spiders can create makeshift paragliders or parachutes with their webbing to float through the air like dandelions.

* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'':
** Martha can fly on chilling mist, which other characters don't understand at all.
** Asia can create dandelion fluffs to slowly descend.
* WebVideo/SolidJJ: Discussed in "The Avengers Interview Hulk". When Iron Man tells Hulk that one of his special ability is flight, Thor interrupts to say that he also can fly, but Iron Man disputes whether Thor's swing-the-hammer-and-throw-it shtick counts as flying.

* ''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.