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Aviation

By mgdarnell
  • First powered flight

    First powered flight

    Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first recorded powered, sustained, and controlled flight in a heavier-than-air flying machine.
  • First trans-Atlantic flight

    First trans-Atlantic flight

    Charles Lindbergh completes the first solo non-stop trans-Atlantic flight.
  • Jet engine invented

    Jet engine invented

    British inventor Frank Whittle invents the jet engine.
  • First woman flies across Atlantic

    First woman flies across Atlantic

    Amelia Earhart is the first woman to fly a solo non-stop trans-Atlantic flight.
  • Record-breaking flights

    Record-breaking flights

    New Zealander Jean Batten makes record-breaking flights around the world.
  • First jet-propelled aircraft

    First jet-propelled aircraft

    Germany’s Heinkel 178 is the first fully jet-propelled aircraft to fly.
  • Aerial agriculture developed in NZ

    Aerial agriculture developed in NZ

    Seed sowing, top dressing and crop dusting are developed in New Zealand with ex-WW2 pilots and planes. Ossie James, in particular, is noted for his role in this.
  • Aircraft exceeds speed of sound

    Aircraft exceeds speed of sound

    Charles Yeager pilots the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in level flight.
  • First supersonic transport flight

    First supersonic transport flight

    First flights of supersonic transport – Soviet TU-144 and Anglo-French Concorde.
  • Concorde passengers

    Concorde passengers

    Concorde begins its first passenger-carrying service.
  • First non-stop flight around world

    First non-stop flight around world

    Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager fly the US ultralight Voyager around the world in a 9-day non-stop flight from California to California.
  • First non-stop world solo flights

    First non-stop world solo flights

    Steve Fossett makes the first non-stop solo flight around the world (2005) and in 2006 lands in England after flying around the world once and crossing the Atlantic twice – a distance of 26,389.3 miles (42,469.46 kilometres).
  • Solar flight around the world

    Solar flight around the world

    Solar Impulse 2 is the first plane powered by a renewable energy source to tour the globe.
  • Electric aircraft

    Electric aircraft

    In December the world’s first fully-electric aircraft for commercial flight completed a test in Canada.
  • New Zealand's first electric flight

    New Zealand's first electric flight

    On 1 November 2021 Gary Freedman flew New Zealand's only electric plane, (just one of around 30 in the world), from Blenheim to Welllington, see this Kea Kids news story on Stuff.