Aviation History Home Page > Timeline

Aviation History Timeline

Here are some of the major landmarks in the early history of human aviation. These are given in chronological order, not logical order. It should be noted that many inventors weren't aware of each other's work and progress often branched out in different directions.

Wilbur and Orville Wright in their shop at Kill Devil Hills

Sometime around 1,000 B.C., the Chinese created what were probably the world's first aerial vehicles: kites.
Around 852 A.D., a Moor in Córdoba, Spain achieved the first documented parachute flight.
In 1010, a monk in Malmsesbury, England, attached artificial wings to his body and jumped from the top of his abbey to glide to only two broken legs upon landing. Other tower jumpers around the world suffered death or injuries, while a few achieved some partial success with their glides.
In the 13th century, explorer Marco Polo reported seeing a man in the Far East bind himself to a wooden structure -- a primitive kite -- and expose himself to the wind so that he was carried aloft.
In the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci seriously studied aerodynamics. However, his works had little or no influence on the history of flight.
In 1678, a French locksmith named Besnier was reported to have made several gliding flights. He supposedly glided from a high window in Sablé, between Le Mans and Nantes, France, to the ground below using cloth wings attached to his shoulders and to his feet. He moved these wings in imitation of a bird in flight and reached the ground without injury.
In 1783, Frenchmen Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier created and tested the first lighter-than-air vehicle, a hot air balloon. It rose 84 feet into the air and stayed up for almost four minutes.
In 1799, George Cayley, who is called the "Father of Aviation," established the basic principles and design for a modern airplane, complete with fixed wings, fuselage, and a tail unit with elevators and rudder. He also constructed a series of models to demonstrate his ideas.
In 1842, William Samuel Henson and John Stringfellow designed and patented the "Aerial Steam Carriage," the first design for a propeller-driven plane with fixed wings. The partners went so far as to plan for an air transport company to carry goods to China. However, their plane was never built.
In 1849, George Cayley built his first full-size glider. The ten-year-old son of one his servants became the first person in history to fly in a heavier-than-air vehicle when he made a short flight in Cayley's glider.
In 1852, Frenchman Henri Giffard made the first controlled flight in an airship.
In 1853, Louis Charles Letur built and tested a parachute-glider, the first pilot-controlled, heavier-than-air vehicle to be tested in flight. Letur had a serious accident in 1854 and died of his injuries.
In 1857, Jean-Marie Le Bris built and successfully made a short glide with a glider shaped like an albatross. The body of the craft, which would support the pilot, was shaped like a canoe. By 1868, Le Bris had developed a larger version of his glider, which made several successful manned test flights before it crashed and was destroyed.
In 1870, French inventor Gustave Trouvé designed an unmanned "ornithopter" with an internal combustion engine that successfully flew a distance of 70 meters.
In 1871, Englishman Francis Wenham designed the first wind tunnel.
In 1871, Frenchman Alphonse Pénaud tested a model "planophore" that flew 131 feet in 11 seconds. It was the first really stable airplane in history and marked the beginning of powered flight trials.
In 1874, French naval officer Félix Du Temple successfully launched a bat-like plane with a steam engine. Rising a few feet off the ground, it was the first launch of a manned, powered fixed-wing aircraft.
In 1884, Russian naval officer Alexander F. Mozhaisky achieved the second powered takeoff in history. (Felix Du Temple achieved the first in 1874.)
In 1889, Australian Lawrence Hargrave built the first radial rotary airplane engine.
In 1890, Frenchman Clement Ader created the first manned, steam-powered craft to rise from level ground. However, its flight could not be sustained or controlled.
In 1891, German engineer Otto Lilienthal began testing gliders. Five years later he died testing one of his gliders. His last words were "Sacrifices must be made." Lilienthal was the first true glider pilot and helped inspire the Wright brothers.
In 1896, American Samuel Pierpont Langley experimented with flying machines that caught the eye of the U.S. War Department. With his significant financial support he built a full-size flying machine called an Aerodrome. It never worked.
In 1900, the Wright Brothers made their first glider flights.
On December 17, 1903, at 10:35 AM, the Wright brothers' flyer lifted into the air for 12 seconds and covered a distance of 121 feet. For the first time, a manned, heavier-than-air machine left the ground by its own power, moved forward under control without losing speed, and landed on a point as high as that from which it started.

To read more, click over to The Wright Brothers & Aviation History or browse these books from Amazon on the Wright Brothers and aviation history.

Significant source material from essays by Judy Rumerman for The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission was used to create this timeline.

HobbyTron
This store has the best selection of model airplanes and helicopters I've ever seen.

Sovietski
These guys offer authentic Russian aviator goggles, badges, watches, O2 masks, and helmets. They even sell a ride in a MiG. Click over and search for "aviation" or "aviator."

Visit the FAQ Farm for job search FAQs, resume samples, insurance FAQs, and other tasty bite-sized bits of knowledge.

Bare walls? Browse 24hr Posters for classroom posters, fine art, vintage art posters, Edward Hopper, sports team posters, and much more.