Our Flying Days Have Only Just Begun
Flight is everywhere nowadays; children play with kites, people hurl boomerangs and Kongming lanterns are released on Chinese New Year. Growing numbers of people are choosing aeroplanes as their favoured method of transport for holidays and you can even experience piloting an aeroplane through one of the flying days that many companies now offer. This article looks at the history of flight, aeroplanes in particular, how it's progressed and now has become commonplace in most societies.
Aviation for people began in the 18th century, if you don't include the ancient Greek story of Icarus; the first hot air balloon was designed by the Montgolfier brothers in November 1783. The biggest problem with this was that the balloon could only travel downwind, so in the following year Jean-Pierre Blanchard invented the first manoeuvrable balloon. After this development, the face of aviation continued to be altered for years.
The next notable advancement in aviation came on December 17th 1903 when the Wright brothers developed the first heavier than air craft, which solved the issue of trying to control a craft while in flight. Ten years after this saw the beginning of World War I which caused aircraft to become popular for investigation, artillery spotting and aerial attacks.
Although the aeroplane continued to improve, and did start to be used for the transportation of people and cargo, the airship was still preferred as it could travel over much greater distances than the aeroplane. However, following the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, the 'Golden Age' of the airship came to an abrupt age. This meant that the progression of the aeroplane could really begin.
There was great advancement of the aeroplane in the 1920s and 1930s, especially with the first transatlantic flight in 1927 by Charles Lindbergh and the first transpacific flight by Charles Kingsford Smith in 1928. By the start of World War II, many towns and cities across the world had their own airports and there were many qualified pilots available. The first widely used passenger jet was the Boeing 707 in 1957 and the Boeing Airplane Company continues to produce commercial aeroplanes today.
The ability to fly to foreign countries is often taken for granted nowadays, yet it was only at the beginning of the last century when aeroplanes were invented. Now you have the ability to not only fly to foreign countries, but fly inside your own country and give someone the chance to try their hand at flying an aeroplane with one of the many flying days that are now on offer.
Aviation for people began in the 18th century, if you don't include the ancient Greek story of Icarus; the first hot air balloon was designed by the Montgolfier brothers in November 1783. The biggest problem with this was that the balloon could only travel downwind, so in the following year Jean-Pierre Blanchard invented the first manoeuvrable balloon. After this development, the face of aviation continued to be altered for years.
The next notable advancement in aviation came on December 17th 1903 when the Wright brothers developed the first heavier than air craft, which solved the issue of trying to control a craft while in flight. Ten years after this saw the beginning of World War I which caused aircraft to become popular for investigation, artillery spotting and aerial attacks.
Although the aeroplane continued to improve, and did start to be used for the transportation of people and cargo, the airship was still preferred as it could travel over much greater distances than the aeroplane. However, following the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, the 'Golden Age' of the airship came to an abrupt age. This meant that the progression of the aeroplane could really begin.
There was great advancement of the aeroplane in the 1920s and 1930s, especially with the first transatlantic flight in 1927 by Charles Lindbergh and the first transpacific flight by Charles Kingsford Smith in 1928. By the start of World War II, many towns and cities across the world had their own airports and there were many qualified pilots available. The first widely used passenger jet was the Boeing 707 in 1957 and the Boeing Airplane Company continues to produce commercial aeroplanes today.
The ability to fly to foreign countries is often taken for granted nowadays, yet it was only at the beginning of the last century when aeroplanes were invented. Now you have the ability to not only fly to foreign countries, but fly inside your own country and give someone the chance to try their hand at flying an aeroplane with one of the many flying days that are now on offer.
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