Man has always had a fascination with flight. The quest of one led to that of another, and from kite flying to the very first hydrogen-powered hot-air balloons in the 18th century – we now have airplanes, helicopters, and fighter jets for various purposes. But the innovation is not over. We have contemporary aircraft built with such sophistication that it is undetectable by radar or the human eye. It is only going to get better.
It all started with the dreams of one man – Da Vinci, his vision for flight and his plans, which were later materialized into nothing short of greatness.
There are 10 key events in the history of early flight (pre-WWII) that lay the groundwork for the future of aviation. More events followed, and of course, man is not going to stop. Let’s discuss these events a little bit in detail.
One: 1505-06 – Da Vinci’s Dream of Flight
Italian artist and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci, is known for his vivid imaginings and theories on aviation that brought it all into existence. He turned his scribbles into ideas, his sketches and plans into models that later influenced the creation of the initial aircraft known to man. Da Vinci published his findings, and this gave inventors of his time the base they needed to continue his work.
Da Vinci’s dreams were later realized. What we know as the modern aircraft today would not have been possible without Da Vinci’s vision.
Two: 1783-18th Century – Hot-Air Balloon Flights
French brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier were successful in conducting a test flight with the following passengers:
- a duck
- a sheep, and
- a rooster
This led to their sending two human beings in the Montgolfier-designed balloon over Paris. How was this flight powered? With just hand-fed fire. The Montgolfier craft of paper and silk reached its intended flight milestone of a vertical 500 feet and some 5.5 miles.
However, in an 18th century rival balloon built by Alexander Charles and Nicholas Louis Robert, a feat of 25 miles of travel was achieved. Also, this hot-air balloon was able to stay afloat for more than two hours, unlike its predecessor.
Three: 1809-1810 – Sir George Cayley’s “Aerodynamics”
English philosopher George Cayley revolutionized the aviation industry. He published “On Aerial Navigation,” a series of papers that are said to have introduced the masses to the concept of aerodynamics, which later evolved into modern aerodynamics known to us today. It was with these papers that we were able to establish the four forces of flight – weight, lift, drag, and thrust.
This, in turn, was able to help engineers develop the first concept of fixed-wing flying.
Four: 1852 – Powered Air Travel Made Possible!
Almost half a century before the Wright Brothers took the world by storm, Henri Giffard was behind the first-ever powered and controllable airborne flight. The “steam injector” he invented and added to his “Giffard Dirigible” traveled a surprising 17 miles to Élancourt from Paris. The Dirigible was a 143-foot-long airship based on the design of a cigar loosely steered with a tri-blade propeller. This was powered by a 250-pound, 3-horsepower engine lit by a 100-pound boiler.
This was more than just a mechanical contraption. It proved to the world that a steam-powered airship was possible – steerable and controllable.
Five: 1876 – The Internal Combustion Engine Changes the Game
Using all the knowledge available to him passed down by the French, Nikolaus Otto (German engineer) came up with a much improved and efficient gas-powered combustion engine.
And this changed the game.
Apart from revolutionizing the concept of “automobile travel,” this engine brought to us the era of longer air travel and more controlled flight.
Six: 1903 – The Famous Wright Brothers Take to the Skies
Orville and Wilbur Wright devised the very first controlled, sustained flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft. Each brother flew his wooden, gasoline-powered propeller biplane – which they named the “Wright Flyer” – two times in a row (a total of four flights). Their shortest flight lasted about 12 seconds, whereas the longest lasted about 59 seconds. The Wright brothers’ achievement was ignored by the then media. The reason? Experts claimed their flights were not long enough to hold any real importance.
But their achievement today is considered a historic event that helped us speed ahead of our time a bit more.
Seven: 1907 – The First Ever Helicopter Lifts Off!
A bicycle-maker-turned-engineer in France, Paul Cornu, is credited with becoming the first person to ride a rotary-wing, vertical-lift aircraft. This was, of course, only a precursor to the “helicopter” we all know today. There came many more “rotary-wing, vertical-lift” aircraft next. But the most immediate predecessor to the modern helicopter was Italian engineer Enrico Forlanini’s rotorcraft.
This would later be improved upon in the future when American designer Igor Sikorsky would dabble into standardizing its design.
Eight: 1911-12 – Harriet Quimby Scores Two Firsts for Women Pilots
Harriet Quimby, an American journalist, became the first American woman ever to be awarded a pilot’s license in the year 1911. With only four months of flight lessons, Quimby became legendary. Her charismatic personality won people’s hearts. While her pilot’s license was her first “first,” the second first was when she became the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel.
But the Titanic tragedy, not two days later, greatly overshadowed her second achievement.
Nine: 1911 – Aircrafts Go Military
Italy was the first to militarize aircraft during the Turkish-Italian war. Both monoplanes and airships were deployed for warfare and transportation. This was the first application for aircraft to gain military/political advantage – the darkest application yet in the field of aviation.
Later in WWI, aircraft like this would play a determining role.
Ten: 1914 – The First Commercial Passenger Flight
Pilot Tony Jannus transported a single passenger, Mayor Abe Pheil of St. Petersburg, Florida, across Tampa Bay. This was a 23-mile flight. Undoubtedly, this became the foundation for the commercial airline industry.
Taking inspiration from a legendary uncle and his escapades as a pilot, Paul E. Doutrich writes “The Many Adventures of Donnie Malone.” Though a work of fiction, it does take into account some real-life events that helped shape the American twentieth century. “Donnie” gets caught up in the patriotic swirl of World War I and enlists in the U.S. Army, becoming a pilot.
Give the book a read, and you will want to put Donnie Malone as number 11 on this list.
Doutrich’s page-turning, engrossing novel is available for purchase on Amazon and other leading publishing platform sites – alternatively, you can place your order here.
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