Alex Peek blog

List of posts    Blog archive    About

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Basic timeline of aviation

This post is a basic timeline of aviation. There are 34 innovations listed below chronologically by first flight. Source: Wikipedia

• 6th cen AD: man-carrying kite
• 1648: fixed glider wing aircraft
• 1783: manned hot air balloon
• 1848: triplane glider
• 1848: unmanned steam-powered propeller monoplane
• 1852: controlled steam engine aircraft
• 1871: aerodynamically stable fixed-wing monoplane
• 1874: monoplane with tailplane
• 1877: unmanned steam-powered helicopter
• 1879: monoplane with twin tractor propellers
• 1884: electric-powered airship
• 1890: steam-driven flying machine
• 1891: controlled untethered glider
• 1894: box kite aircraft
• 1896: unpiloted, engine-driven aircraft
• 1900: Zeppelin
• 1901: non-rigid airship (blimp)
• 1901: powered and controlled heavier-than-air flight (Gustave Whitehead)
• 1903: powered and controlled heavier-than-air flight (Wright Brothers)
• 1906: canard with wing dihedral
• 1907: Voisin biplane
• 1907: manned helicopter
• 1907: rotary-winged helicopter
• 1907: Demoiselle monoplane
• 1909: Farman III biplane
• 1914: commercial passenger flight
• 1919: autogyro rotorcraft
• 1929: rocket-powered flight
• 1929: flight instruments
• 1939: jet aircraft
• 1947: sound barrier broken
• 1952: commercial jet airlines
• 1961: manned space flight
• 1969: manned moon flight