Flying machine Flying machines ( aka aircraft ) are a product of gnomish , goblin , and dwarven ingenuity . They are mechanical marvels that serve alongside the famed Wildhammer gryphon rider s of Aerie Peak to form the backbone of Alliance air power . Overview . Flying machines are by definition mechanical devices capable of flight . Gnomes , dwarves , and goblins have all been known to create flying machines , and they have been put to extensive use as weapons of war by the Alliance . There are several general families of flying machines each corresponding to a specific mechanism being exploited in order to provide lift ( the force which allows flight ) . " Lighter - than - air " flying machines , typified by goblin zeppelin s , are machines which employ bags filled with gas to make them buoyant in the air . " Heavier - than - air " flying machines employ wing surfaces and movement to produce lift , either using a fixed wing , or a spinning rotor . Since their invention , flying machines have been employed for all the same tasks for which flying creatures have been used , including personal transportation , combat , and observation . It moves at 60 miles per hour and has a crew of 1 . History . It is known that flying machines predate the First War . By the time of the Second War , they could be constructed by gnomish inventors for the Alliance . Similarly , it was in this conflict that the horde encountered the goblin race and began to make use of their zeppelin s . Although flying machines were initially employed as observers , by the time of the Third War they were frequently employed as combatants and transports . Types of flying machines . Gnomish . Gnomes are particularly smitten with flying machines . The first flying machines built by the gnomes were the Whirligig and the Sky - engine . The gnomish flying machines that served the Alliance during the Second War were unarmed gnomish copters , but today , Gnomish bomber s and gnomish biplane s can be found serving in a variety of theaters for the Alliance . There are even fabulous flying machines like gnomish airship s . The gnomes were also partly responsible for the creation of the gunship " The Skybreaker " , although the influence of dwarven aesthetics is quite evident . Dwarven . During the Third War , when Gnomeregan was besieged by the trogg s , the inguenious dwaven engineers of Ironforge provided aircraft to the Alliance . They constructed the ultimate airborne scout vehicle , the armed gyrocopters that were large enough to seat a dwarven pilot . In the aftermath of the Third War the dwarves developed a practical and sturdy twin - engine fixed - wing flying machine with a grappling hook and a variety of weapons . While the gnomes have emerged from their isolation and are now living amongst the dwarves as neighbors , the dwarves continue to use their homegrown design extensively . Goblin . The goblin zeppelin consists of a gondola of varying size suspended beneath one or more bags of lightweight gas that serve to keep the craft aloft . In keeping with the goblin fixation upon profit , these large craft tend to packed with cargoes or paying passengers . On occasion the goblins have been persuaded or paid to construct zeppelins for the purpose of making war , such as the " Orgrim ' s Hammer " or the zeppelins used during the Second War . Alliance . Scout balloon s have been employed by the Alliance to explore Kalimdor , although when this occurred and who can be credited for their construction is unknown . Engineer Flying Machine . In patch 2 . 3 , engineer - only flying machines ( also known as " zoomers " ) were released . They come in both epic and non - epic versions . It has the tiltable wing turbine / propeller rotors of the dwarven flying machine , and a retractable lift rotor for higher altitudes . In action , it looks like this . Wintergrasp flying machines . In Wrath of the Lich King , flying machines were to be included as siege vehicles . Two variants exist at the moment . Fighters are single seat flying machines that look identical to the dwarven flying machines seen in Ironforge and occasionally in quests or protecting cities in Outland . Bombers are tandem seat flying machines that are based on a stripped down version of the gnomish biplane . The second seat replaces the boiler , and the upper wing has been removed . Flight paths . In addition , several flight masters provide some kind of aircraft instead of the usual gryphon : Flying battleships . The Alliance and Horde have also constructed flying gunship bases for their assault on Icecrown .