The Timeline Of Flight

By HadynBush
  • 400 BCE

    The Kite

    The Kite
    Kites were invented in China, where materials ideal for kite building were readily available. They were used for special celebrations and led to the invention of hot air balloons.
  • 1485

    Leonardo da Vinci

    Leonardo da Vinci
    Leonardo was the first to make discoveries of flight. His drawings helped lead to the inventions of his designs.

  • Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier

    Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier
    Joseph and Etienne were the first inventors of the hot air balloon." They used the smoke from a fire to blow hot air into a silk bag. The silk bag was attached to a basket. The hot air then rose and allowed the balloon to be lighter-than-air."

  • Sir George Cayley

    Sir George Cayley
    He was the inventor of the glider. Over 50 years, he improved the gliders and realized that there needed to be power if he wanted to fly for long distances.

  • Otto Lilienthal

    Otto Lilienthal
    He studied aerodynamics and worked to design a glider that actually had the ability to fly. He was the first person to design a glider that could fly a person and was able to fly long distances. Where Cayley failed, he succeeded.
  • Period: to

    The First Motor Powered Airplane

    Orville and Wilbur Wright, over a period of 5 years created the very first airplane to fly in the air with a motor.

  • Paul Cornu

    Paul Cornu
    Paul Cornu built and designed the first aircraft

  • Curtiss Flying Boat

    Curtiss Flying Boat
    The Curtiss Flying Boat was the first successful flying boat."Boat Plane"

  • Charles Lindbergh

    Charles Lindbergh
    Charles Lindbergh completed the first non-stop, trans-Atlantic flight.

  • Amelia Earhart

    Amelia Earhart
    Amelia Earhart was the woman to fly across the Atlantic non-stop around the trans-Atlantic.

  • Charles Yeagar

    Charles Yeagar
    He was the first pilot to break the sound barrier in an aircraft.

  • MacCreedy Gossamer Albatross

    MacCreedy Gossamer Albatross
    The plane was the first human powered aircraft to fly across the English Channel.

  • Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeagar

    Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeagar
    Dick and Jeana were the first to fly in an aircraft around the world non-stop.

  • NASA Space Station

    NASA Space Station
    The first module of the ISS, Zarya, was launched on 20 November 1998.

  • NASA Aerovironment Pathfinder

    NASA Aerovironment Pathfinder
    Pathfinder was first developed for a now-canceled classified government program in the early 1980's to develop a high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft for surveillance purposes. This plane was supposed to be able to fly all day with only sunlight for power.