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1100 BCE
Wan Hoo
Chinese emporer Wan Hoo attempted flight to the moon when he strapped rockets to a chair and got to the moon. -
100 BCE
Invention of kites
Around 100 BC the Chinese invented kites, some of them could have held people. -
Jan 1, 1452
Da Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci made many sketches involving flying machines and ideas that could revolutionize aviation, but many of his ideas were lost to the ages. -
Studies in balloon flight
Starting around 1670 studies involving balloons flying began, leading aviation down a good course. -
Discovery of hydrogen
In 1766 hydrogen was discovered as a lighter than air gas, this allowed successful balloon flight. -
First balloon flight
In 1783 the Montgolfier paper makers changed the world by pulling off the first successful balloon flight. -
The French form air power
Shortly after balloons went public the French army saw the significance of air power and formed an air branch or their army. -
The origin of the Dirigible
Jean Baptist Measnier suggested that the shape and structure of the hot air balloon be changed, in 1852 his ideas became a reality and work to change the balloon started. -
Andre Jacques
Andre Jaquis was the first person to jump out of a hot air balloon, he created and experimented with parachutes which would allow safe landing to the ground for years. -
First woman to fly alone
Sophie Blanchard was the first woman to fly alone in a hot air balloon, this was a good start for woman and peaked more interest in the aviation field. -
The birth of airplanes
George Cayley was the first person to start making plans for an airplane. -
First manned glider
George Cayley built the first manned glider, this was a new step towards the construction of airplanes. -
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Balloons in the Civil war
In the American Civil war the north used hot air balloons as scouting posts and defensive spotters, the use of air in a war would spark many new ideas in the future for air power. -
Samuel Langley
Samuel built a steam engine to use with an air craft he made, he attempted two different experiments with it and they both failed, but his idea to use an engine to power flight would bring groundbreaking changes. -
Dirigibles become a success
In 1900 the worlds first rigid dirigible was a success, before this rigid dirigibles were not successful. -
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Wright brothers rise
The Wright brothers had the first sustained powered and manned flight in 1903, in 1905 they wrote to the U.S government offering to build them airplanes. They were turned down numerous times but eventually president Roosevelt accepted their offer and the U.S government started buying planes. This was a good start for the evolution of aviation. -
Flight in Europe
Alberto Santos was the first person to fly a plane in Europe, there was very positive feedback and aviation was slowly becoming world wide. -
Flight schools open
The Wright brothers and Glenn Curtiss both opened flight schools, opening up flight to the public and expanding aviation even more. -
Commercial flight
Commercial flight began with a regularly scheduled program that costed $5 to fly 22 minutes from St. Petersburg to Tampa. -
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WW1 advancements
During WW1 military advancements brought aviation to new peaks, at the start of the war most planes could fly at 10,000 feet and traveled 70-80mph but by the end of the war the averaged 24,000 feet and could go 140-150mph. -
Aviation and mail
The U.S post office started delivering mail via planes, by august 1918 they had their own pilots and planes specifically for mail. This expanded aviation's uses even more. -
Barn stormers
After WW1 the aviation industry saw a dramatic decline, there was no longer much use for planes now that the war had ended. Barn stormers were ex-military pilots that flew across the U.S introducing planes to people who had never seen them, if not for the Barn stormers aviation in America might not have ever seen its peak. -
The Air Commerce Act
The Air Commerce Act of 1926 regulated commercial aviation, authorized to license pilots, and created the aeronautics branch of the commerce dept. The act pushed commercial aviation to a much more successful point. -
The first jet
Germany created and flew the worlds first jet, jets were much faster then previously used planes and marked new beginnings in the field of flight. -
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CAA war training
The civilian pilot training act of 1939 trained civilian pilots in case of a national emergency. By 1944 the U.S had an additional 300,000 pilots thanks to this program, spreading the influence of aviation even more and in a civilian aspect. -
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Bombing of Japan
During WW2 bombers were used frequently and they were a major strategic part of combat. In 1945 the U.S ended the war when they used a bomber to drop two atomic bombs on Japan. Aviation's primary use at this point in time was for war, which was not entirely good, but also brought many advancements. -
Invention of the helicopter
The worlds first helicopter was created by Igor Sikorsky, it was named the Sikorsky R-4 and opened up all new possibilities for flying. -
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Breaking the sound barrier
In 1945 the effort to break the sound barrier began, but it wasnt until 1947 and after numerous failures that we broke the sound barrier in Mach 1. Then in 1953 we were able to go twice the speed of sound in the Mach 2, and in 1956 using the Mach 3 and X-2 we went three times the speed of sound. -
National Security Act
The National Security Act brought about the U.S Air force, this was a milestone in aviation because one of the worlds leading powers now had a whole branch of the military devoted to the air. -
The Berlin airlift
IN June 1948 the Soviet Union put up the Berlin wall which blockaded part of Berlin from the rest of the world. Allied planes dropped supplies and food into Berlin via planes to aid the people in the city, by 1949 the Soviet Union conceded. This was a perfect example of the good that air power could be used for, and would change the minds of some people who previously thought planes were bad. -
Jet combat
The Korean war started in 1950 and was the first war in history to feature jet combat. Jets were the new face of fighters in the sky, and they would become one of the worlds greatest flying machines. -
Jet engines in commercial aircraft
The UK was the first nation to use jet engines in commercial aircraft, and by doing so they changed the way people could travel for years, and for the better. -
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Helicopters in Vietnam
Helicopters were widely used in Vietnam, this was the first major event involving helicopters. Vietnam's terrain and environment didn't allow for much plane travel, so helicopters were more widely used and this allowed them to be used more in the future as an alternative to planes or jets. -
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 was a revolutionary plane that out did every other air line at the time and was the best commercial plane in every aspect of its time. -
The Airline Deregulation act
The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 gave control of the airline industry to airlines instead of the government. For the first time in decades airlines were free to choose their own prices, routes, and standards for flying, this act changed the aviation industry dramatically.
