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1st Zeppelin: LZ-1
Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin invented the first hot air ballon flying machine, also known as a Zeppelin. The first flight lasted about 18 mins flying about 3 and a half miles over a lake near Manzell, Germany. The LZ:1 was 420 ft. long and had two 14 h.p. engines. -
Experimental Glider
Wilbur Wright flies a glider at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. These experiments and tests were key leading up to successful flight with a engine. They choose Kitty Hawk beach because high winds helped the glider stay in flight longer. -
First Powered Flight
The Wright Brothers first engine powered flight took place at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The flight only lasted about 12 seconds and covered about 120 feet. The plane was ran with a small custom built engine that the brothers had designed. Orville Wright was the first person in history to take flight "controlled." -
Wright Flyer 2
The Wright Flyer 2 is made by the Wright Brothers. This model is slightly heavier and had a better center of gravity. They had a few succesful flights in 1904, the best being on the 9th of November where they flew for over 5 minutes and more then 3 miles. The plane was "launched," by a catapult and a rail system to get a quick launch. -
Wright Flyer 3
The Wright Flyer 3 is made by the Wright brothers and first flown by Orville Wright. The plane had a larger elevator, which increased control. On Oct. 5th 1905 Willbur flew 24 miles in 39.5 minutes. Four days after that, they offered to sell it the Secretary of War, but he did not buy it. -
Archedon Prize for Flight
1st "Achedon Prize," was awarded to Alberto Santos-Dumont for flying in a smaller Zeppelin style aircraft, the 14-BIS. He flew 220 meters, above ground by 6 meters in Paris, France. The average speed was 37,358 km/h. -
Wright Model A
The Wright Model A was the first two seater plane. It was considered the first plane to convince the world that flight was possible. The Wright Model A had independant steering mechanisms, which made it confusing, but added more control. -
Wright Military Flyer
The U.S. Army purchased the Wright Military Flyer from the Wright brothers. The U.S. Army paid them a total of $30,000 total for making the plane to go as fast as 42 mph. This plane had a shorter wing span then previous model, but more horse power. Willbur trained the first U.S. Army pilots during Oct. 1909. -
First Wireless Transmission
Albert H. Reiner was the first person to send a wireless transmission from a plane. This took place at Sheepshead, NY. He was also the first person to recieve a wireless signal in a plane. -
First Parachute Jump
Captin Albert Berry makes the first parachute jump in history from a plane. He jumped at 1500 ft near St. Louis at Jefferson's Barracks military post. Spectators watched as at first he was falling, then the parachute opened up, with cheers all around. He dropped about 500 ft before the chute opened up! -
First Women to Fly
Harriet Quimby was the first women to ever fly a plane. She flew over the English Channel, near France. She landed on a beach, "instead of tearing up a farmers field," in her words. The picture is of her in her custom suit she designed. -
First War Plane
The first fighter plane was flown by French Pilot Roland Garros. It had a machine gun in the front that shot literally threw the steel re-inforced propeller. Roland went down behind enemy lines in Germany and they developed a machine gun that would shoot periodically with the propeller, increasing damage and accuracy. -
Germany Makes AEG Fighter
This German war plane had a flight time of 3 hours and could shoot from the front and the back! It was a two seater plane and could climb to alttitudes of 16,404ft. It used a Mercedes engine that had 160 h.p. with a top speed of 98 mph. -
Across the Atlantic
John Alcock and Athur Brown are the first one's to cross the Atlantic in a non-stop flight. They almost died 3 times as the planed stalled, lost speed, and was covered in ice at some points. They managed to stay alive though and keep the plane in the air. The trip took approx. 16 hours going 118 mph. -
First Flight Around The World
The first flight around the world started on April 6th, 1924 and ended on Sept. 28th, 1924. It was accomplished by Major Frederick Martin, Lieutenant Lowell H. Smith, 1st Lieutenant Leigh P. Wade and Lieutenant Erik Nelson. They left from Seattle, Washinton and arrived back there 25,000 miles later. -
Solo Atlantic Trip
Charles Lindbergh was the first person to do a solo flight across the Atlantic. It took him 33 and a half hours, covering 3,610 miles. Huge ceromonies were held in France, Paris where he landed and back home in the U.S. He recieved the Medal of Honor from President Coolidge in 1929. -
Boeing B-17
The Boeing B-17 was called the Flying Fortress and for a good reason. It had 5 .30 cal machine guns mounted on it and was the first Boeing with a flight deck, instead of a open cockpit. A later version, the B-17E had 9 machine guns and could drop a 4,000lb load. -
Around the World Non-Stop Flight
Lucky Lady 2 was the first plane to fly around the world non-stop. It left from Carswell Airforce Base, Texas. It took 94 hours and 1 min to go around the world. It was flown by Capt. James Gallagher and had 14 other crew members. It covered 23,452 miles, averaging a ground speed of 249 mph. Made by Boeing. -
B-52
The B-52 was made by Boeing and had 8 engines, weighing 390,000 lbs! It was the U.S. first long range bomber. It cut numerous speed and distance records, cutting the world record in half in the 1950's. It could carry eighty four 500lb bombs and twenty four 800lbs to drop a killer load. (http://www.boeing.com/boeing/) -
Douglas A3D Sky Warrior
The Douglas A3D was the U.S. Navy's first twinjet nuclear bomber. It had a top speed of 621 mph and could drop a payload of 12,000lbs. 282 were built and they only had a crew of three people. -
A-5
The A-5 was built by North American Aircraft. It was the only Mach 2 bomber to serve aboard the U.S. Navy. It had two twin GE engines and also had a crew of two people. It could be used to spy or kill, which made it very versitile. It was decomissioned in 1979. -
A-10 Thunder Bolt 2
The A-10 was made by Fairchild-Republic. It has twin engines and a 30 mm cannon on the front, which is the heaviest ever gun put on a aircraft. It was designed for close support for ground troops and made out of titanium so it could take hits and still fly. (http://www.navy.com/about/history.html) -
AH-64 Apache Helicopter
Hughes Helicopters Inc. made the Apache to be tough, durable, and deadly. It only had a top speed of 192 mph, but with all its missles, speed doesn't matter. It was armed with a 30mm chain gun in the middle lower fuselage, and Hellfire/Hydra 70 rockets on the sides. -
F-117 Night Hawk
The F-117 was developed by Lockheed. It had a top speed of 617 mph and was the "poster child," for stealth fighters. It was retired in April 22, 2008 much to my dismay. It costs between $42-$116 million per unit. (http://www.lockheedmartin.com/) -
AC-130
The AC-130 was made by North American Rockwell. While slower with a top speed of only 300 mph, this warship could drop a 20mm, 40mm, and 105mm load on targets at the same time with a 13 man crew. It is still used today, only modified with newer weapons. -
F-22 Raptor
The F-22 Raptor was developed by Lockheed Martin, along with the help of Boeing. It was the first U.S. aircraft to be stealthy, deadly, and be able to out run enemy aircraft. It can go as fast as Mach 2 and has sidewinder missles, M61A cannon that can shoot 100 rounds per second, and has air to surface missles. (http://www.lockheedmartin.com/) -
F-35 Lightning 2
Developed by Lockheed, the F-35 has a top speed of 1,200 mph and is considered a stealth fighter. It has begun the testing stage and is available in some countries like the UK. While some people think it's top of the line, others think that this stealth fighter is over rated and 10 years behind.
