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Feb 1, 1490
Ornithopters
Before the first airplane was invented, ornithopters were machines that could strap onto the arms of the flyer and imitated the look birds' wings. Leonardo DaVinci was a Renaissance inventor who famously drew and tested flying with the aid of an ornithopter. -
Montgolfier Hot-air Balloon
Aeronauts invented and large balloons filled with hot air or hydrogen gas that would lift the flyer, (in a basket attached to the balloon) into the sky. -
Sir George Cayley's Aircraft
This aircraft was also also the first glider. It was, crudely, a large kite mounted on a stick with a moveable tail and was the inspiration for some of the first true airplanes. -
Wright Brothers
Orville and Wilbur Wright experimented with aerodynamic surfaces to control an aircraft which lead to the first ever manned, controlled, sustained and powered airplane flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. -
Airplanes in WWI
During WWI, airplanes were viewed as weapons that could be used to cause massive casualties to the enemy forces. First aerial victory of WWI was by a German fighter aircraft armed with a machine gun in 1915. -
Transatlantic Flights
The first non-stop transatlantic flight was completed by British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown. The flight lasted for 72 consecutive hours and was used for a small delivery of mail. -
First Jet Airplanes
The German Heinkel He 178 was the first operational jet powered aircraft. -
Airplanes Exceed Speed of Sound
Bell-X was an American a rocket engine-powered aircraft and reached up to 1000 miles and hour exceeding the speed of sound. -
First Jet Airliner
The de Havilland Comet was the first commercial jet airliner developed by Great Britain. The first Comets were adapted for a variety of military uses. -
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is the worlds' largest multi-national, double decker passenger jet airliner seating up to 853 passengers. -
