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The first aircraft and the first flight
In 1896, Wilbur and Orville Wright began their research and experimentation in the science of flight at their bicycle shop in Dayton, OH. After 7 years of painstaking work, they finally made their first successful flight in their glided-design aircraft in North Caroline. This flight lasted for approximately 12 seconds and it was done in a windy beach to increase the lift on the wings Link text -
European aviation first international flight
With the arrival of the innovative science of flight, Louis Bleriot a French inventor, aircraft designer and self-taught pilot performed the first international flight in Europe in the dangerous English channel. The flight departed from Les Barraques, France and arrived in Dover England Link text -
First commercial flight
The St. Petersburg-Tampa airboat line became the world's first airline to transport passengers between St. Petersburg and Tampa, FL. Their flights had a 21 mile path along the Tampa bay and they lasted approximately 23 minutes. The first passenger was Abram C. Pheil, a former mayor of St. Petersburg. Their aircrafts had the design of a flying boat Link text -
First trans-Atlantic non-stop flight
The reliability of airplanes as means of transportation was convenient when traveling within the same country. However, in 1938 the German airline lufthansa registered the first trans-Atlantic non-stop flight from Berlin, Germany to Brooklyn, NY; a 3728 mile journey. The airplane was a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, the world's first four-engine aircraft Link text -
First jet-powered flight
The world's first turbo jet aircraft was the Heinkel HE 178. It was flown for the first time by the German test pilot Erich Warsitz. The main purpose of the Heinkel HE 178 was to create emphasis in manufacturing high-speed aircrafts. The design was based in a small, metal aircraft with an exhaust from a gas turbine to create a massive amount of thrust Link text -
Overcoming the speed of sound
One of the most remarkable events is when an aircraft was able to travel at the speed of sound. The American pilot and Air Force Captain Charles "Chuck" Yeager achieved the first supersonic flight in the Bell X-1, a rocket engine-powered and super aerodynamic aircraft manufactured by Bell Aircraft. The speed of sound is approximately 343 meters per second (767 miles per hour) Link text -
Maximum aircraft speed record
Aircrafts are known for being one of the fastest means of transportation. However, modern engineers have created flying machines that can travel at unimaginable speeds. The lockheed SR-71 blackbird holds the record for the fastest aircraft with a maximum speed of 3530 km/h (2193 mph); this is nearly almost 3.5 times the speed of sound Link text -
Computerizing the science of flight
In the past pilots and crew members required considerable effort to operate an aircraft. This completely changed with the release of the Boeing 777 in 1995. This was the first completely digitized commercial aircraft. It featured innovative system called fly-by-wire which transmits the pilot's impulses into electronic signals Link text -
The greatest tragedy in American aviation
In an unexpected shift of events in the history of aviation, 4 airplanes from 2 major airlines were hijacked and crashed by terrorists in different parts of the East Coast. In this catastrophic event almost 3000 people died, and over 6000 were injured. This is considered one of the greatest tragedies in American soil Link text -
Maximizing the passengers space
In order to increase profitability in commercial flights, airlines demanded the creation of an aircraft capable of transporting the maximum possible amount of passengers. The Airbus A380 was the solution to this problem. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world and one of the biggest airplanes. It can transport up to 853 passengers [Link text](
