By Tim Lambert
Early Planes
On 17 December 1903, the Wright brothers flew a plane. Once the plane had been invented, aircraft technology developed rapidly. In 1908, Henri Farman became the first recorded passenger in a plane. In 1906, a Brazilian named Alberto Santos-Dumont made the first airplane flight in Europe (in France). The first flight in Britain was in 1908.
Planes flew longer and longer distances. In 1909, Louis Bleriot became the first man to fly across the English Channel. Harriet Quimby was the first woman to fly across the Channel in 1912. Also in 1912, Henri Seimet became the first man to fly nonstop from Paris to London. Meanwhile, in 1910, Henri Fabre flew the first successful seaplane.
A pig flew for the first time in 1909. John Moore-Brabazon carried a piglet in a basket on his plane. In 1930, Nellie Jay became the first cow to fly. To prove livestock could be transported by air, she flew in a plane from Bismarck, Missouri, to St Louis.
In 1909, Elise Deroche became the first woman to fly solo. In 1910, Raymonde de Laroche became the first woman to gain a pilot’s licence (in France). In 1911, Harriet Quimby became the first woman in the USA to gain a pilot’s licence. In 1910, Theodore Roosevelt became the first US president to fly in a plane.
Planes achieved more and more feats. In 1910, Claude Grahame-White became the first man to fly a plane at night. In 1913, Pyotr Nesterov became the first man to fly a plane in a loop. The first wedding on a plane was held on 31 May 1919. The plane flew over Texas.
During the First World War (1914-1918), planes were used to bomb the enemy, but they also fought each other. On 24 December 1914, a German plane dropped a bomb on Dover. It was the first time the Germans bombed Britain. Nobody was killed.
The first American dogfight took place in France on 14 April 1918. Two US pilots shot down two German planes.
Planes Between the Wars
Passenger flights began after the First World War. In 1919, planes began carrying passengers between London and Paris. In 1935, passenger flights from Britain to Australia began. It was followed in 1939 by the first passenger flights across the Atlantic.
In 1919, four men, Ross and Keith Smith, Wally Shiers, and James Bennett set off on the first flight from England to Australia. On 28 September 1924, four US Army planes landed in Seattle. They became the first planes to fly around the world. In
In 1919, John Alcock and Arthur Brown were the first to fly across the Atlantic. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first man to fly across the Atlantic solo. In 1928, Bert Hinckler became the first man to fly from Britain to Australia.
In 1929, Richard E Byrd became the first man to fly over the South Pole. Also in 1929, a Swiss, Walter Mittelholzer, became the first man to fly over Mount Kilimanjaro. The same year, 1929, Noel Wien and Calvin Cipe became the first men to fly across the Bering Strait. In 1933, Douglas Douglas-Hamilton became the first man to fly over Mount Everest.
In 1922, James Doolittle became the first man to fly across the USA from coast to coast. In 1932, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. The same year, 1932, she became the first woman to fly coast to coast across the USA. In 1935, she became the first person to fly from Hawaii to California.
In 1930, Amy Johnson was the first woman to fly from Britain to Australia. In 1933, Wiley Post became the first man to fly around the world solo.
Passenger flights began after the First World War. In 1919, planes began carrying passengers between London and Paris. In 1935, passenger flights from Britain to Australia began. It was followed in 1939 by the first passenger flights across the Atlantic.
Planes, of course, played a major role in the Second World War. In 1935, the Hawker Hurricane made its first flight. A Spitfire first flew on 5 March 1936. Although the Spitfire is more famous, the Hurricane played a bigger role in the Battle of Britain in 1940. In 1944, jet engines were introduced, and planes became even faster.
Modern Planes
On 14 October 1947, Chuck Yeager became the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound. In 1953, Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound. Meanwhile, in 1949, Lucky Lady II became the first plane to fly nonstop around the world.
The first passenger jet service began in 1952. It flew from London to South Africa. The first passenger jet service across the Atlantic began in 1958. On 2 December 1969, the Boeing 747 ‘jumbo jet’ made its first passenger flight. It flew from Seattle to New York.
Louise Arner Boyd was the first woman to fly over the North Pole in 1955. In 1964, Geraldine Mock became the first woman to fly around the world solo.
In 1976, Concorde, the supersonic airliner, began regular flights across the Atlantic. However, it stopped flying in 2003.
In 2005, Steve Fossett became the first man to fly around the world, non-stop, solo, and without refuelling mid-flight.
