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Jan 1, 1490
Helical Air Screw
Leonardo Da Vinci had used his great mind to create drawings of a design which we now call the helicopter. He called it the "Helical Air Screw", as it was screw shaped, and would spin in the air. He himself once quoted, "...I have discovered that a screw shaped device such as this, if it is well made from starched linen, will rise in the air if turned quickly..." Unfortunately, without the technology to make this design at this time period, the design was never put into practical use. -
First Human Flight
Brothers Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier created a hot ait ballon. Hot air coming from underneath the balloon created by fire inflated the colourful balloon. The balloon's first passengers were a sheep, rooster, and a duck- the hot air balloon flew up 6 000 feet! After its first success, the brothers started sending up people in the balloon. The first manned flight was on November 21, 1783. These passengers were Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Francois Laurent. -
Creation of First Glider
Sir George Cayley of England spent almost his whole life studying animal flight to design a glider to carry humans. He worked really hard to discover a way that man could fly. Cayley built and flew model gliders when he was young, starting around 1799.
In the 1840's, Cayley built a glider big enough to carry a small boy several meters above the ground. In 1853, he built the first monoplane glider to lift a fully grown man in the air. -
First Controlled Flight
Otto Lilienthal was a German engineer, who studied aerodynamics. He was amazed by flight, and he studied how animals like birds could fly. This flight was very similar to the gliders that we have today. To steer this glider, you would shift your weight to the side you wanted to turn to, and you would turn in that direction. It is very similar to how you would steer a bicycle. -
"Aerodrome"
Samuel Langley was an American astronomer. He realized that power was needed in order to fly. He built a model of a plane, called an aerodrome, which had a steam powered engine. This model flew 3/4 of a mile, but then it ran out of fuel. Langley was paid to guild a full sized aerodrome, but when it was tested, it was too heavy and it failed. After that, he mostly just tried adding power plants to gliders. He is most well known as the director of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. -
First Powered Flight
American brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright from Ohio were the inventors of the first powered flight. They were the first humans to truly fly. After many attempts, they built their own motor and propeller to create planes. Their final attempt, the one that succeeded was named the Kitty Hawk, and many planes after that were based on this plane. -
Paul Cornu
On November 13, 1907, French pioneer Paul Cornu lifted a twin-rotored helicopter in the air without assistance for 30 centimeters above the ground, but this flight only lasted 20 seconds. -
First Powered Flight in Canada
The first powered flight in Canada was on February 23, 1909. This plane, the Silver Dart, was made by a group of inventors, including Alexander Graham Bell. The Silver Dart was made of pipe, wire, wood, and balloon cloth. At the first glance, the plane looked fragile, rickety, and unsafe. The plane was able to fly at the height of 3-9 meters, and could fly at 50 kilometers per hour. Unfortunately, the plane crashed during a military demonstration, it's 46th flight, in Petawawa, ON. -
First To Fly Over the Canadian Rockies
Ernest Hoy was the first man to fly over the Canadian Rockies. The plane that he had used was called the Curtisss JN4. His trip was from Alberta to B.C. The plane was supposed to go above, but the plane's altitude levels were only able to go in the passes of the mountains. Unfortunately, while going back to Alberta, as he stopped for fuel, two boys suddenly ran out in front of him, but as Hoy tried to swerve around them, the tip of his wing touched the ground and the plane was destroyed. -
First Functional Helicopter
The first functional helicopter was the German Focke-Wulf FW 61. There were only two of these machines built. The company that had manufactured them was called Focke-Achgelis. The Focke-Wulf FW 61's first flight lasted 28 seconds, but after it started flying more, it got better and better. -
First Rocket Launched Into Space
The first rocket launched into space was a V2 missile from Germany, on October 3, 1942. The first rocket that actually reached space was on their fourth test. The first rocket that launched SOMETHING into space was the R-7 ICBM by the USSR on May 20, 1957. This rocket launched the first satellite, the Sputnik 1. -
First Jet Airliner is Introduced
The first jet airliner, the Boeing 707, was introduced in October 1958. This American jet has four engines, and was manufactured by Boeing Airplane Company. It is a commerical plane. There were 1,010 built, and its first flight was on December 20, 1957 -
First Man On Moon
On July 20, 1969, human history was created. Mankind had landed on the moon! The American spacecraft that had brought them too the moon was called the Apollo 11. The booster base of this rocket was called the Saturn V. The man who first stepped down, Neil Armstrong, later joined by Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, stated; "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." -
Human Powered Aircraft
American inventor Paul MacCready created a working plane using balsa wood, cardboard, Mylar plastic, and piano wire! This plane only used a single pedar-driven propeller to function, and you would steer it by turning and twisting the wing tips. This plane had a wingspan of 29 meters, and only weighed 32 kilograms! This plane was called the Gossamer Condor. This plane was famous because it flue a 1.6 kilometer long route at a height of 3 meters and a speed of 10 kilometers per hour. -
First Canadian In Space
Marc Garneau was from Quebec. He was a naval officer in the Canadian Forces. On October 5-13, 1984, he helped with the STS-41G mission on the American Spacecraft, the Challenger. -
Renewable Aviation Fuel
I predict that soon, since aviation technology pollutes so much, people will create renewable fuel for this transport- for all transport. Right now, planes use fossil fuels, which are not reneweable, to run. I think this will happen because people will get more concerned about the enviroment and the hole in the ozone layer. -
Hovering Planes
I think that soon, inventors will create newer technology planes that can hover. I predict this because helicopters can hover, and it will be much more convenient for planes to hover. For example, there have been many plane crashes, but not so many helicopters. I think it will be more helpful so then if the plane goes out of control, the pilot will still be able to stop the plane from crashing. -
A More Enviromental Choice
I predict that in 10 years, hopefully sooner, there will be a more enviromental choice in aviation technology. I think this will happen because now, a lot of people are getting involved with the earth, and soon, airports and the government will. Because aviation technology is the worst out of all transport, they will hopefully start with this.
