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Wright Flyer
The wright flyer was the first ever powered plane. They used the design of a glider and stuck a car motor on it with a propellor. The wright flyer was made out of fabric and wood and for the first flight it covered 120 feet. -
Concept of a fixed "boundary layer"
A German professor named Ludwig Prandtl presents one of the most important papers in the history of aerodynamics - an eight page document explaining the concept of a fixed "boundary layer" which is the layer of air on the surface of the wing. During the next 20 years Prandtl and his graduate students would go on pioneering the theoretical aerodynamics of a plane. -
Curtiss Biplane - The first plane to take off a ship
The Curtiss Biplane was a plane very similar to the Wright Flyer. It was made from fabric and wood, but had two wings instead of one. The Curtiss Biplane was the first plane to ever take off from a ship. In November 1911 Eugene Ely took off from a cruiser and landed on the coast of Virginia. -
WW1 Planes
During the WW1 the war demanded better and better planes. At the start of the war, planes weren't all that significant but by the end of it, the planes played a crucial part to the war. A classic example of a WW1 plane was the Bristol F.2 Fighter, this was a massive improvement on the Curtiss Biplane because it was thinner, faster and more manoeuvrable. It was a two seater biplane and was capable of dogfights and dropping small bombs. -
Junkers J4
Hugo Junkers, a German professor of mechanics introduced the Junkers J4 to the war. This plane was a massive improvement because it was completely made out of metal, which protected it from other aircraft trying to destroy it. The Junker was a biplane bomber used by the Germans and was a significant victory to Germany. -
Ryan Monoplane
The Ryan monoplane was the first ever plane to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Charles Lindburgh flew 'Spirit of St. Louis' from New York to Paris in a non-stop flight across the ocean. The plane was a massive improvement on the WW1 planes because it had a 4000 mile range compared to the 400 miles of the planes of WW1. -
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 was a major improvement to the aeroplane. It was the first plane to seat 14 people and have a range of 1500 miles. It was mass produced and was used all over the world. In WW2 it also served as a plane to transport soldiers and also supplies. -
WW2 Planes
Like WW1, WW2 demanded better and better planes. Because of this there were many different types of planes, most of them being fighters. The fighters had to be manoeuvrable and fast, but also have a good amount of firepower. A classic example of this was the Supermarine Spitfire. This particular aircraft was extremely manoeuvrable and was one of the most deadly planes in the war. In total there were 20,351 Spitfires made. -
Heinkel He 178
The Heinkel He 178 was the first plane to ever have a jet turbine engine. This was one of the biggest improvements ever known in the history of plane evolution, because it created a different thrust mechanism which was able to put out much more power which gave it more speed. The Heinkel was able to reach 700km/h. -
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
The B-52 was a long range jet powered strategic bomber with 8 jet engines, 4 on each side. It had a top speed of over 1000 km/h and a wing span of 56m. This was a major improvement on the other bombers because it could take a much bigger pay load and was much faster than any other bomber.
