A fly shuttle is a mechanical device using ropes and pulleys to deliver the weft (horizontal) thread into the warp (vertical threads). The weft yarn is wound on to a bobbin and it is placed in a fly shuttle. A fly shuttle is a long, narrow canoe-shaped instrument, usually made of wood, which holds the bobbin.

After the shuttle is loaded with the weft-filled bobbin, the weaver places the shuttle onto the shuttle race, a small, narrow shelf that the shuttle glides along as it goes in and out of the weft. The weaver pulls on a rope attached to the fly shuttle mechanism and this propels the shuttle across the weft.