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First to Fly
It was afternoon at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright brothers (Wilbur and Orville) had just become the first people to fly in the first powered aircraft. This flight being only but 12 seconds, opened the doorway to the future of aviation.
-https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/1903-wright-flyer -
Aviation spreads to Europe
Soon after the Wright Flyer, Britain came out with its first powered aircraft; the "Cody 1". After hearing about the success of the Wright Brothers, the British army began work on their own aircraft, Cody 1 (named after Samuel Franklin Cody) being the first.
-http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=840 -
First Commercial Flight
The first ever scheduled commercial flight was in a Benoist XIV, from St. Petersburg to Tampa, Thus sparking the creation of commercial flight.
-http://www.firstflightcentennial.org/the-first-commercial-flight/ -
A world at War
It was the start of WWI, it was during this war, the first real "dog fighting" began. The aircraft consisted mostly of bi-planes and tri-planes (one famous bi-plane being the Sopwith Camel). This was the first time aircraft with mounted guns became prominent.
-http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/topics/dogfight -
First to Circumnavigate The Earth
Wiley Post, on July 22, 1933, was the first person to fly around the world. It took him 7 days, 18 hours, and 49 minuets. He completed this fight in his plane: the Winnie Mae, a Lockheed Vega monoplane.
-http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wiley-post-flies-solo-around-the-world -
A New Player in the air: Jets
The first jet powered aircraft was the Heinkel He 178, flown by Erich Warsitz. The aircraft was created in Germany, by the Heinkel company, in order to create the technology for high-speed flight. The real aircraft was put into a museum but it was bombed 1943, so only a replica remains.
-http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/edn-moments/4394772/1st-jet-aircraft-takes-flight--August-27--1939 -
Jet Power Reaches Commercial Flight
The British De Havilland Comet was the first jet powered commercial airliner created, this would revolutionize commercial flight forever. Commercial airlines could now go from point A to point B much faster
-http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-jet-makes-test-flight -
Aircraft Today
Today's Aircraft are still ever more advancing, becoming more efficient, better safety, better computers and so on. Jet power is still the dominating force today, but propeller power is still very prominent, mostly in personal aircraft.
