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Airplane Timeline


Timeline Description: Man has always dreamed of flying, and throughout time they have experimented with flight. This timeline details the ones who were successful.

DateEvent TitleEvent Description
1804The first winged aircraft was madeSir George Cayley, in England, made the first winged aircraft. He spent many years studying flight.
1896The first powered aircraftsSamuel Langley made a steam-powered airdrome. It was unmanned, and it flew for about a half mile.
1901The first gasoline-powered modelAfter continuing his studies, Mr. Langley came up with a gasoline-powered engine for his airdromes.
1903The Wright Brothers' flightsOrville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful manned flights near Kitty Hawk in North Carolina.
1910The use of air craft carriers is thought upEugene Ely decided to try landing and taking off from a ship. He did both successfully, and it paved the way for future air craft carriers.
1914World War I brings about better airplanesDuring WWI they needed better airplanes for fighting purposes. Many advances were made at this time, including faster and lighter planes
1918Airmail is createdThe United States Postal Service began using airplanes to deliver mail across the country. It was three days faster than carrying the mail by train.
1919The first flights across the ocean beganThe US Navy made some of the first flights across the Atlantic Ocean. Soon after that, passenger flights began.
1925Better planes and better enginesIn 1925, new lightweight, air cooled engines were created. This made the airplanes run better and faster.
1927Charles Lindbergh flies across the ocean aloneMr. Lindbergh made the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He flew from New York to Paris by himself.
1933The first passenger planes are madeBoeing made the 247 plane. It could seat up to 10 people.
1939The first radars are developedWhen WWII broke out, engineers began developing better equipment to help with the war. They developed airplane radars that could detect airplanes flying, even far away.
1952The "area rule" is discoveredPilots and engineers in California tested a theory called the area rule. Using it, they were able to make sleeker, faster airplanes without using bigger engines.
1969The first larger passenger jets are madeBoeing came out with the 747. It was a huge jet that could seat many more than the previous 10 people.
1990B-2 Bombers are developed in 1990'sDuring the 90's engineers invented planes using non-metal materials that couldn't be detected by radar. Shortly after that, the stealth planes were invented. The production of bigger and better airplanes continues today, and one can only dream what will come next!