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Wright Brothers' First Flight
The Wright brothers invented and flew the first powered airplane. This invention showed that people could eventually have a way of transportation through flight and would lead to much advancement on the airplane. -
Ludwig Prandtl Paper
He presents one of the most important papers in aerodynamics. It was an eight-page paper about the concept of a fixed “boundary layer”. The “boundary layer” is the molecular layer of air on the surface of an aircraft wing. -
Half Hour Flight
The Wright brothers built an airplane that could fly for a half hour. This made the idea of traveling via airplane was possible. -
Over an Hour Flight
Orville made a flight of over one hour in a demonstration for the U.S. army. This led to the U.S. army having airplanes, which could advance our military. -
First Take Off From a Ship
Eugene Ely piloted the first take off from a Curtiss biplane on a ship and landed on land. This made the idea of traveling off ground and over oceans possible. -
First Automatic Pilot
Lawrence Sperry demonstrates an automatic gyrostabilizer. It is linked to sensors that keep the craft level and traveling in a straight line without a human pilot. -
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
A federal agency advanced aeronautical research in the United States. -
All-Metal Airplane Introduced
A German professor of mechanics, Hugo Junkers, introduced the Junkers J4. It is an all-metal airplane built mainly from a lightweight aluminum alloy called duralumin. -
Dramatic Improvements
Airplanes needed to be much more advanced in World War I. These ideas lead to many advances in aerodynamics. -
First Passenger Flight
The first flight with passengers was made across the English Channel. The importance in this was that now people could actually fly from place to place by airplane making this reality. -
Introduction of New Engine
In 1925 a new engine was invented that was lighter and air-cooled. This made bigger and faster plains more possible. -
First Electromechanical Flight
Edwin A. Link introduced the first flight simulator, Link Trainer. It was the first electromechanical flight similar. This allowed pilots to train with out putting them selves in danger. -
12-Passenger Twin Engine DC-1
Douglas introduced a 12-passenger twin-engine airplane. It was a creation that could actually bring in money. It allowed groups of people to fly for vacation. -
First Practical Radar
British scientist Sir Robert Watson-Watt patented the first practical radar system for meteorological use. It was used for radio detection and ranging. It was used in World War II This was for radio detection and ranging. This was a big advancement because pilots could now detect surrounding objects and helped during war time to incoming aircrafts. -
Jet Engines Designed
Frank Whittle and Hans von Obain made their first test runs of jet engine. -
Instrument Landing System
This landing system allowed pilots to land there aircraft in bad weather. -
Sound Barrier Broken
A plane was flied faster than the speed of sound. This showed the public that now we have more advancement then ever which would help us in the war and travel. -
First Jet Powered Commercial Aircraft
This allowed regular passenger service flying from London to South Africa. Now airplane flight was real and people could all use it to travel in a much quicker way. -
B-52 Bomber
This bomber had eight turbojet engines and a capacity of 500,000 pounds. This was a huge advancement by now being able to carry so much weight on one aircraft. Transportation of goods and other objects was made much easier. -
First Small Jet Aircraft to Enter Mass Production
This aircraft could carry 7 passengers including 2 pilots. It became the first small jet aircraft to enter mass production with over 100 sold by the end of 1965. This now allowed more travel from many more places. -
Boeing 747
Boeing conducts the first flight of a wide-body, turbofan-powered commercial airliner. This was one of the most successful airliners ever made. Made the transportation of more than just 7 people a reality. -
Concorde SST
The Concorde SST is introduced into commercial airline service. It carries a hundred passengers at 55,000 feet and twice the speed of sound. It was expensive so it was a privilege of the wealthy. -
B2 Bomber Developed
Northrop Grumman develops the B-2 bomber, with a "flying wing" design. Made of composite materials rather than metal, which couldn't be detected conventional radar. -
First Aircraft Produced through Computer-aided Design and Engineering
Boeing introduces the twin-engine 777, the biggest two-engine jet ever to fly and the first aircraft produced through computer-aided design and engineering. Aircrafts now were about to entire the next generation with advancements like this, it will not be long before everybody is on a plane flying some where.
