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The first successful powered flight was in 1903. On December 17th, 1903, near Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, Wilbur and Orville Wright flew the first powered airplane. This is reported as "the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight" by the record-setting body, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.
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In 1914, the first passenger service began. The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line launched a service between St. Petersburg and Tampa across Florida's Tampa Bay in January of that year. This 20-minute flight was a huge landmark, signaling the beginning of commercial aviation.
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One of the first countries to fly combat reconnaissance aircraft was Italy (during the Italian Turkish war in 1911). And several nations used newly or adapted aircraft for photography, reconnaissance, bombing, and air-to-air combat during World War I.
The emergence of World War I in 1914 led to the expedition of aircraft design for military purposes by many businesses and individuals. -
The other massive change since the early jet aircraft is the production of larger aircraft. The best illustration here is the introduction of the Boeing 747 in 1970, which has been the best selling wide - body aircraft to date.
The inspiration for it though came from Pan American World Airways. -
At the Farnborough Air Show in 1990, the A380 was formally unveiled, with a goal of 15 percent lower operating cost than the 747.
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The near future of airplanes for the moment lies in additional technologies and productivity improvements. The next Boeing 777X aircraft, one of the most awaited, is expected to enter service in 2021.
