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Da Vinci's Plane
Leonardo Da Vinci drew one of the first sketches of an ornithopter in 1488. It was like a hang glider but bigger and with a tail. It was like a plane. -
Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão's Airship
Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão was a young priest full of vivid ideas. He created the first "airship" in 1709 and he pleased the king. he got inspired from soap bubbles that float so he created something that floated. It was made out of paper and propelled by fire. People could actually fit inside and it was a balloon and not a ornithopter like Da Vinci's creation. -
Otto Lilienthal's Glider
Similar to Da Vinci's plane, Otto Lilienthal made a floating glider in 1895 and was inspired from Da Vinci. The aircrafts were similar but Da Vinci's had a tail at the end. This one also had more protection for holding on. -
The Wright Brothers' First Powered Airplane
Wlibur and Orville Wright were two American brothers who designed and created the first working plane in 1903. The plane had two seats and had rectangular wings one on top of the other on both sides. This plane doesn't relate to other ones before it because the wings are different and people can sit on it. It is also powered. -
Frank Whittle's Jet Engine
The jet engine was a very big adding to the history of the plane. The jet engine was created in 1930 by Frank Whittle. It was very small then but now considered to be the most important factor of the plane. -
Heinkel He 178
This aircraft was the first to be propelled by jet power. Created in 1939, this jet was small but powerful. -
Solar Impulse (today)
Technology has led us to just about anything. And we have made great things like robots and auto drive cars. But also solar planes. The engineering and genial minds of every generation has led us to this achievement. If you wonder about how we came from then to now, it just took time. Solar planes, slick,fancy, and solar are great. But the first ideas and creations are what really matter, what really made the solar plane exist.
