Aeroplanes over time

  • The Boy Carrier

    The Boy Carrier
    Sir George Cayley was known as the 'father of the aeroplane' as he not only paved the way in avaition research but also constructed a full sized air-craft called the 'boy carrier'.
  • The first successful airplane was invented

    The first successful airplane was invented
    The Wright brothers made 4 flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with their powered aircraft. The Wright brothers had invented the first successful airplane.
  • European pioneer

    European pioneer
    Alberto Santos Dumont made the first successful powered heavier-than-air flights in Europe in a flight of 220 m (722 ft) on the grounds of the Parisian Chateau de Bagatelle. This resulted in him winning an Aéro-Club de France prize for a flight of over 100 m.
  • Aeroplanes used for military use

    Aeroplanes used for military use
    Airplanes began to be used for military purposes. The first country to use them for this purpose was Italy, whose aircraft made reconnaissance, bombing and artillery correction flights in Libya during the Italian-Turkish war.
  • World war I

    World war I
    Aeroplanes were used during World war I as fighter planes to enable people to shoot at their enemies from above. To do this machine guns were attached to the front of the plane.
  • World war II

    World war II
    The world's first operational jet( that had a jet engine) aircraft, the Me 262, was flown and used throughout World war II.
  • The sound barrier

    The sound barrier
    Chuck Yeager took the rocket-powered Bell X-1 through the sound barrier. This was the first controlled, level flight to exceed the speed of sound.
  • First commercial jet airliner

    First commercial jet airliner
    British Overseas Airways Corporation's jet by the name of De Havilland Comet was the first jet airliner to fly.
  • New York to London

    New York to London
    The Boeing 707 began service on the New York to London route. This marked the first year that more trans-Atlantic passengers traveled by air than by ship.
  • Boeing 747

    Boeing 747
    The Boeing 747 also nicknamed the 'jumbo jet' had it's first flight.It had two and a half times greater capacity than the Boeing 707.
  • Around the world

    Around the world
    Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager flew the Rutan Voyager around the world non-stop and without refuelling.
  • Unmanned plane

    Unmanned plane
    Unmanned aircraft Global Hawk flew from Edwards AFB in the US to Australia non-stop and unrefuelled. This is the longest point-to-point flight ever undertaken by an unmanned aircraft, and took 23 hours and 23 minutes.
  • A350 launch

    A350 launch
    The A350 was launched at he Farnborough Airshow.