The Wright Brothers—Wilbur (1867–1912) and Orville
(1871–1948)—were the first men to successfully fly an airplane. They
did it in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. They
flew 120 feet (37 meters) in twelve seconds. The brief flight was the result of years of experimentation, research, and sheer determination. And
it was the dawn of mechanical flight.
Before the Wright brothers took to the air in their powered airplane,
the only means of air transportation was the hot air balloon. The first
human flight in a balloon took place in Paris, France, in 1783.
Ballooning became a favorite pastime in Europe in the late eighteenth
century, but those balloons were not steerable, so passengers were at the
mercy of the weather and wind. Gliders followed, and then the Wright
brothers made their famous first airplane flight. They used the research
and experiments of their predecessors to build the first aircraft that could
sustain flight.
Military aviation
Airplanes proved a major asset in time of war. Bulgaria was the first
country to use airplanes for military service, in the First Balkan War
(1912–13). Both sides fighting in World War I (1914–18) relied heavily upon airplanes as weapons. In 1914, the French attached a machine
gun to the front of one of their planes, thus allowing aircraft to shoot at
one another. Pilots of such planes were known as aces, and they were
publicized as modern-day knights. One German ace, Manfred von
Richthofen (1892–1918), became known as the Red Baron. He shot
down eighty planes in air-to-air combat.
Technological advancements led to improved aircraft for use in
World War II (1939–45). This era of advancements is known as the
Golden Age, and it was during this time that Amelia Earhart
(1897–1937) became the first woman aviator to cross the Atlantic Ocean
on a solo flight. The zeppelin, a hydrogen-filled airship, named
Hindenburg crashed and burned in New Jersey in 1937, killing thirtyfive people and bringing an end to the airship.
One of the most impressive achievements of the Golden Age was the
development of instrument flight, for which aviator Jimmy Doolittle
(1896–1993) is credited. He was the first pilot to use nothing but instruments to guide him in taking off, flying, and landing. Prior to that, aviators relied on sight.
Aircraft production increased during World War II, and a German
aviator flew the first jet plane in 1939. Germany also led the way in developing the first cruise missile, ballistic missile, and manned rocket. By the end of the war, America had produced more than 160,000 aircraft of
various types.
Commercial aviation
Once World War II ended, military aircraft were used to transport people and goods. Soon many airlines were established, with routes that
crossed North America and other continents. The first American airliner
took to the skies in 1949. In 1956, the Boeing 707 was introduced, raising the level of comfort, speed, and safety. As passengers began to consider flying as commonplace as driving a car, the military continued
making progress in aviation technology. The sound barrier was broken in
October 1947, and soon the space race was in full swing as America and
the Soviet Union competed to be the leader in space exploration.
The space race resulted in the first men landing on the moon.
American astronauts Neil Armstrong (1930–) and Buzz Aldrin (1930–)
made their lunar landing in 1969, the same year Boeing announced its
747, the largest aircraft ever to fly. Even in the first decade of the twentyfirst century, the 747 is one of the largest planes, and it transports millions of passengers each year.
Britain unveiled the first supersonic passenger airplane in 1976. The
Concorde remained in service for twenty-seven years before it was retired. It remains an icon of success for the aviation industry.
Modern aviation
The Federal Aviation Act was passed in 1958, thereby establishing the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The major roles of the FAA include regulating U.S. commercial space transportation and civil aviation,
promoting safety, and encouraging new aviation technology. One of the
FAA’s first tasks was to develop an air traffic control system to prevent inair collisions.
The industry was deregulated throughout the 1980s, which resulted
in an influx of smaller airlines and the merging of larger airlines. In order
to compete, airlines dropped their ticket prices in the 1990s as the number of cities served increased.
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, airline security became top priority as regulations were tightened and strict airport security
procedures were implemented.