 |
 The Wright
Brothers began testing gliders in
1900. On December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North
Carolina, they became the first men to
successfully pilot a powered flying machine. |
 The Concorde
was the first, and to date only, supersonic
passenger jet. It was developed by French and
British companies, and was in service from 1976
to 2003. In addition to being supersonic, the
Concorde is also the only passenger jet to date
to have a "titlting nose," which was
lowered during take-offs and landings so the
flight crew could see the runway. |
 Albin Kasper
Longren built an
airplane from scratch, with no blueprints,
instruction manual, or even a picture to go by.
On September 1, 1911, his Topeka I
became the first Kansas-made plane to
successfully take to the air. |
 Travel
Air Manufacturing Company was formed
in Wichita, Kansas, by Walter Beech, Lloyd
Stearman and Clyde Cessna in January 1925. What
set Travel Air apart from many of its competitors
was that it offered its customers a choice of
almost twenty different engines and a variety of
wing designs that could be combined to produce a
plane specific to the customer's needs. |
 Air Force
One Officially, "Air Force
One" is the call sign of any Air Force
aircraft carrying the President of the United
States, but in common use "Air Force
One" refers to one of two highly modified
Boeing 747-200B series aircraft, which carry the
tail codes 28000 and 29000. The Air Force
designation for the aircraft is VC-25A. |
 Alberto
Santos-Dumont claimed a record for
making the first dirigible flight around the
Eiffel Tower in 1901. He made his first
heavier-than-air flight in 1906, and in so doing
became the first man to fly a heavier-than-air
craft in Europe. In 1909 he developed what is now
considered the world's first ultralight aircraft,
the plans for which he offered to the public free
of charge. |
 Louis
Blériot designed and built the
airplane with which he became the first man to
fly across the English Channel, in 1909. Although
the flight only took 37 minutes, it also
established a new longest-duration record. |
 The
Montgolfier Brothers were paper
manufacturers who also had a lively and informed
interest in scientific matters. Both were
responsible for innovations in the paper-making
process before turning their attentions to
hot-air balloons. Their first balloon was sent
aloft in November 1782, and by November of 1783
they had built a balloon capable of carrying
passengers. |
