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1490
The first supposed airplane to be designed by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1490.
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Beginning in 1783, a few aeronauts made daring, uncontrolled flights in lighter-than-air balloons, filled with either hot air or hydrogen gas. There was no way to get from here to there unless the wind was blowing in the desired direction.
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Sir George Cayley built the first true airplane — a kite mounted on a stick with a movable tail.
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In 1874, Felix duTemple made the first attempt at powered flight by hopping off the end of a ramp in a steam-driven monoplane.
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Wilbur and Orville Wright work lead them to make the first controlled, sustained, powered flights on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
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The Dunne flying wing, built and tested by the British in 1910, was the first top secret aircraft.
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In 1911, Harriet Quimby became the first licensed woman pilot in the United States.
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The U. S. Postal Service inaugurates airmail service from Polo Grounds in Washington, D.C., on May 15.
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On May 21, Charles Lindbergh completes the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic, traveling 3,600 miles from New York to Paris in a Ryan monoplane named the Spirit of St. Louis.
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Edwin A. Link introduces the Link Trainer, the first electromechanical flight simulator. Mounted on a base that allows the cockpit to pitch, roll, and yaw, these ground-based pilot trainers have closed hoods that force a pilot to rely on instruments.
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In February, Boeing introduces the 247, a twin-engine 10-passenger monoplane that is the first modern commercial airliner. With variable-pitch propellers, it has an economical cruising speed and excellent takeoff.
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The prototype De Havilland Comet makes its first flight on July 27. Three years later the Comet starts regular passenger service as the first jet-powered commercial aircraft, flying between London and South Africa.
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Boeing makes the B-52 bomber. It has eight turbojet engines, intercontinental range, and a capacity of 500,000 pounds.
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The prototype Learjet 23 makes its first flight on October 7. Powered by two GE CJ610 turbojet engines, it is 43 feet long, with a wingspan of 35.5 feet, and can carry seven passengers in a fully pressurized cabin.
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Boeing conducts the first flight of a wide-body, turbofan-powered commercial airliner, the 747, one of the most successful aircraft ever produced.
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Aircraft designer Burt Rutan crafts Voyager for flying around the world nonstop on a single load of fuel.
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Northrop Grumman develops the B-2 bomber, with a "flying wing" design.
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Lockheed designs the F-117 stealth fighter, also difficult to detect by radar.
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Boeing debuts the twin-engine 777, the biggest two-engine jet ever to fly and the first aircraft produced through computer-aided design and engineering. Only a nose mockup was actually built before the vehicle was assembled.
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The centerpiece is the Tu-144LL, a first-generation Russian supersonic jetliner modified into a flying laboratory. It conducts supersonic research comparing flight data with results from wind tunnels and computer modeling.
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The first F-22 was built in 2005. F-22's are the most lethal airplanes in the U.S.A.F.
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