Evolution of Aviation

By Ayden Chamberlain

  • First Balloon Flight

    First Balloon Flight
    the first flight was invented by the French Montgolfier brothers and took place with a hot air balloon. This was called the "Montgolfière"

  • Glide Through the Sky

    Glide Through the Sky
    Otto Lilienthal, a German pioneer of aviation, was the first person to glide through the sky. This started to look more like the flying that we know today.

  • First Airplane

    First Airplane
    The Wright brothers – Orville and Wilbur - were American inventors and pioneers of aviation. Their goal was to create a motorized aircraft. Their Wright-Flyer was, therefore, the first motorized aircraft to make a controlled flight on December 17, 1903. The aircraft weighed only 605 lbs (without pilot) and the first flight took about 12 seconds for a total distance of 120 feet.

  • Controlled Motorized Flight

    Controlled Motorized Flight
    The Brazilian, Alberto Santos-Dumont, was the first person to fly a controlled and motorized flight over Europe three years later.

  • Flight Across English Channel

    Flight Across English Channel
    Frenchman Louis Blériot was the first to fly across the English Channel. His flight from Calais to Dover took about 37 minutes and with a distance of 31 miles.

  • First Female Pilot

    First Female Pilot
    In 1910, French aviation pioneer Raymonde de Laroche became the first female pilot in the world to receive her flying license.

  • First Flight Across the Atlantic

    First Flight Across the Atlantic
    American pilot Charles Lindbergh was the first pilot to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean. The flight was New York to Paris and upon arrival in Paris he was met by many people cheering him against his expectations. That's how he became famous instantly

  • Boeing 747

    Boeing 747
    January 21, 1970. On this day the first flight of the Boeing 747 took place. Until 2005 (when the Airbus A380 was built), this was the largest passenger aircraft in the world.

  • First Commercial Flight

    First Commercial Flight
    In 1976, the Concorde made its first commercial flight. The Concorde flew twice as fast as the speed of sound (1,354 mph at cruise altitude), twice as fast as a normal airliner.

  • Largest Passenger Aircraft

    Largest Passenger Aircraft
    The Airbus A380 is now the world's largest passenger airliner in the world. The plane has two floors and can accommodate up to 853 passengers!

  • First Electric Flight

    First Electric Flight
    In the Canadian city of Richmond, the airline Harbor Air made a complete electrically powered flight at the end of 2019. A seaplane with room for six people made a three-minute flight. This was in the harbor of Richmond, making it the first commercial aircraft ever to run on electricity.