Good question. In the past, Supes has exhibited the ability to hover in place. He also does not show signs of generated thrust, ruling out some form of propulsion that is understood by human physics or mechanics. Some have called this "force of will": he flies because he wills it so and bends some of the principal forces of the universe (gravity being one of them) in willing it so. One may theorize that his body can manipulate gravity in a way that he is either unaware of or unwilling to talk about. Maybe he makes inertia in the direction he wants to travel disappear. Who knows?

He throws himself at the ground and misses.

The artist draws him in the air with little swish marks behind him.:)

It has to do with Kryptonian physiology and genetics. The yellow sun of earth and its lighter gravity give natives of Krypton the natural ability to fly. I feel my wings have broken in your hands I feel the words unspoken inside When they pull you under And I would give you anything you want Well all I wanted All my dreams have fallen down Crawling around somebody save me And two warm hands break right through me Somebody save me I don't care how you do it Just stay Stay Come on I've been waiting for you I see the world has folded in your heart I feel the waves crash down inside And they pull me under I would give you anything you want Well all I wanted And all my dreams have fallen down Crawling around somebody save me And two warm hands break right through me Somebody save me I don't care how you do it Just stay Stay Come on I've been waiting for you And all my dreams are on the ground Crawling around somebody save me And two warm hands break right through me Somebody save me I don't care how you do it Just save me I've made this whole world shine for Just stay Stay Come on I'm still waiting for you

To answer this question, we need only compare the powers of other Kryptonians. You see, not every Kryptonian gets the same power set under a yellow sun. Superboy, a flawed clone of Superman, got much less raw power than his genetic template, but he did get a power called "tactile telekinesis" (he can move things without touching them, only he has to touch them--it sounds dumb, but in practice it's like super-strength with more flexibility. For instance, Superboy could lift a tugboat just by touching it with his toe--he wouldn't have to pick it up, just make skin contact). This is in addition to flight. Supergirl, along with flight, also had a very powerful telekinesis (she was able to stop bullets in mid-air, rather than just bouncing them off her--er--chest). So we have three Kryptonians with similar but slightly different powers. All of them can fly, and two of them are telekinetic. Ergo, Superman's flight is telekinetic in nature. It's just that Superman can only focus his telekinetic potential through this one specific ability (although arguably, it's also what lets him lift buildings and battleships without the structures crumbling under their own weight). Superboy and Supergirl, while possessing less raw power than Superman, have more fine telekinetic control, allowing them more versatility when using that ability. Theoretically, if Superman worked at it and really practiced, he could develop straight telekinesis in the future. But why bother? It's not like he needs more powers.

Two Words... Chuck. Norris.

Lets put this into a deeper perspective.To simply put it i would have to say that because superman is able to absorb the energy generated by the sun, which in its own majestic form doesnt obey gravity at all, superman is easily able to just resist the pull of gravity.its like powering up a little to block some attack or oppose a force that pulls on the body. and with so much light energy n his body his cellular bond is obviously going to be stronger which gives him impervious flesh.Now kryptonite gives off a radiation which blocks inhibits his cells to controll the suns energy which hurts him due to the fact that his body is being changes at a cellular level and being basically destroyed so thats why hes weak and powerless when in contact with the kryptonite.Anyone think i'm wrong let me know your theory that makes sense.thanks.. D@rkone

It was stated by one of the writers in Superman that his ability to fly is tactile telekinesis. The same way that Superboy was able to fly. The reason Supergirl and Superboy aren't as strong as Superman is because they haven't been absorbing solar radiation as long as superman has. For those of you who have been reading, before Superboy died, he had by that time absorbed enough solar radiation to gain supes other powers as well. What's funny is how some kyrptonians show up with powers like superman immediately upon arrival. But superman's powers developed slowly. But anyways. that's my answer.

Originally, in the very first stories, he couldn't fly. He could just jump essentially as far as he wanted to. The original idea didn't have anything to do with the effect of solar energy on his body, but the fact that he came from a planet with vastly greater gravity and air pressure, and generally much harsher conditions, to which the Kriptonian race had adapted. The idea was that an individual from such a race if removed from that environment and placed in Earth's lower gravity, lower air pressure, and more temperate climate would be many times stronger and faster than humans (or than he would have been himself on his home planet), have a body that was basically impervious to physical blows and earthly weapons, have amazying tolerances to heat and cold, and be able to hold his breath for much much longer. Superman's creator, Jerry Siegel cited the "John Carter of Mars" stories as an influence: "Carter was able to leap great distances because the planet Mars was smaller that the planet Earth; and he had great strength. I visualized the planet Krypton as a huge planet, much larger than Earth."

The dispelling of Kryptonic emissions through his anal cavity aka 'Krypton Farts'

His original ability to leap tall buildings with a single bound made him look silly hopping all over the place. So they made him able to fly without explanation but improving his style.