Timeline: Aeroplanes over time

Apr 16, 1849

The Boy Carrier

Sir George Cayley was known as the 'father of the aeroplane' as he not only paved the way in avaition research but also constructed a full sized air-craft called the 'boy carrier'.

Dec 17, 1903

The first successful airplane was invented

The Wright brothers made 4 flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with their powered aircraft. The Wright brothers had invented the first successful airplane.

Nov 12, 1906

European pioneer

Alberto Santos Dumont made the first successful powered heavier-than-air flights in Europe in a flight of 220 m (722 ft) on the grounds of the Parisian Chateau de Bagatelle. This resulted in him winning an Aéro-Club de France prize for a flight of over 100 m.

Oct 23, 1911

Aeroplanes used for military use

Airplanes began to be used for military purposes. The first country to use them for this purpose was Italy, whose aircraft made reconnaissance, bombing and artillery correction flights in Libya during the Italian-Turkish war.

Nov 19, 1914

World war I

Aeroplanes were used during World war I as fighter planes to enable people to shoot at their enemies from above. To do this machine guns were attached to the front of the plane.

Jul 10, 1942

World war II

The world's first operational jet( that had a jet engine) aircraft, the Me 262, was flown and used throughout World war II.

Oct 30, 1947

The sound barrier

Chuck Yeager took the rocket-powered Bell X-1 through the sound barrier. This was the first controlled, level flight to exceed the speed of sound.

Mar 17, 1949

First commercial jet airliner

British Overseas Airways Corporation's jet by the name of De Havilland Comet was the first jet airliner to fly.

Feb 24, 1958

New York to London

The Boeing 707 began service on the New York to London route. This marked the first year that more trans-Atlantic passengers traveled by air than by ship.

Feb 9, 1969

Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 also nicknamed the 'jumbo jet' had it's first flight.It had two and a half times greater capacity than the Boeing 707.

Dec 14, 1986

Around the world

Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager flew the Rutan Voyager around the world non-stop and without refuelling.

Apr 18, 2001

Unmanned plane

Unmanned aircraft Global Hawk flew from Edwards AFB in the US to Australia non-stop and unrefuelled. This is the longest point-to-point flight ever undertaken by an unmanned aircraft, and took 23 hours and 23 minutes.