Images

Aviation

By mgdarnell

  • First powered flight

    First powered flight
    Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first recorded powered, sustained, and controlled flight in a heavier-than-air flying machine.

  • First trans-Atlantic flight

    First trans-Atlantic flight
    Charles Lindbergh completes the first solo non-stop trans-Atlantic flight.

  • Jet engine invented

    Jet engine invented
    British inventor Frank Whittle invents the jet engine.

  • First woman flies across Atlantic

    First woman flies across Atlantic
    Amelia Earhart is the first woman to fly a solo non-stop trans-Atlantic flight.

  • Record-breaking flights

    Record-breaking flights
    New Zealander Jean Batten makes record-breaking flights around the world.

  • First jet-propelled aircraft

    First jet-propelled aircraft
    Germany’s Heinkel 178 is the first fully jet-propelled aircraft to fly.

  • Aerial agriculture developed in NZ

    Aerial agriculture developed in NZ
    Seed sowing, top dressing and crop dusting are developed in New Zealand with ex-WW2 pilots and planes. Ossie James, in particular, is noted for his role in this.

  • Aircraft exceeds speed of sound

    Aircraft exceeds speed of sound
    Charles Yeager pilots the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in level flight.

  • First supersonic transport flight

    First supersonic transport flight
    First flights of supersonic transport – Soviet TU-144 and Anglo-French Concorde.

  • Concorde passengers

    Concorde passengers
    Concorde begins its first passenger-carrying service.

  • First non-stop flight around world

    First non-stop flight around world
    Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager fly the US ultralight Voyager around the world in a 9-day non-stop flight from California to California.

  • First non-stop world solo flights

    First non-stop world solo flights
    Steve Fossett makes the first non-stop solo flight around the world (2005) and in 2006 lands in England after flying around the world once and crossing the Atlantic twice – a distance of 26,389.3 miles (42,469.46 kilometres).

  • Solar flight around the world

    Solar flight around the world
    Solar Impulse 2 is the first plane powered by a renewable energy source to tour the globe.

  • Electric aircraft

    Electric aircraft
    In December the world’s first fully-electric aircraft for commercial flight completed a test in Canada.

  • New Zealand's first electric flight

    New Zealand's first electric flight
    On 1 November 2021 Gary Freedman flew New Zealand's only electric plane, (just one of around 30 in the world), from Blenheim to Welllington, see this Kea Kids news story on Stuff.