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In the history of flight, the most important landmarks and events include an understanding of the dynamic reaction of lifting surfaces (or wings), building absolutely reliable engines that produce sufficient power to propel an airframe, and solving the problem of flight control in three dimensions.
Through the 1960s, piston-engine airliners still played a major role in air travel, and their ubiquitous counterparts in general aviation enlivened the aeronautical scene. In 1969 commercial airlines counted about 2,500 transports; 122,500 aircraft represented the general aviation fleet.
Starting in the early 1970s, a series of Soviet (Russian from December 1991) space stations, the U.S. Skylab station, and numerous space shuttle flights provided Earth-orbiting bases for varying periods of human occupancy and activity.
The origin of the aerospace industry dates to 1903 when Wilbur and Orville Wright demonstrated an airplane capable of powered, sustained flight (see Wright flyer of 1903). The Wright brothers’ success was due to detailed research and an excellent engineering-and-development approach.
History of flight - Avionics, Passenger Support, Safety: During the jet age, avionics, a coined term meaning “aviation electronics,” has seen a rapid growth in every aspect, including navigation, instrumentation, communication, safety, and landing assistance.
De Havilland began design studies that led to the first flight of the D.H. 106 Comet jet airliner on July 27, 1949. Britain had stolen a march on the world, for the 36-seat Comet could fly at 500 miles (800 km) per hour for up to 1,500 miles (2,400 km).
In the United States, Samuel Pierpont Langley achieved the first sustained flights in 1896 when he launched two of his relatively large steam-powered model aircraft (see Langley aerodrome No. 5) on aerial journeys of up to three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) over the Potomac River.
History of flight - Airlines, Aviation, Pioneers: One of the earliest airline organizations, a British group called Air Transport and Travel, Ltd., acquired several Airco D.H.4a VIII single-engine planes (designed by Geoffrey De Havilland), powered by 350-horsepower Eagle V-type engines from Rolls-Royce Ltd., and modified them to include an ...
Kite, oldest known heavier-than-air craft designed to gain lift from the wind while being flown from the end of a flying line, or tether. Over the millennia, kites have been used to ward off evil, deliver messages, represent the gods, raise banners, discover natural phenomena, propel craft, drop.
De Havilland began design studies that led to the first flight of the D.H. 106 Comet jet airliner on July 27, 1949. Britain had stolen a march on the world, for the 36-seat Comet could fly at 500 miles (800 km) per hour for up to 1,500 miles (2,400 km).