timeline planes - Timeline

The Montgolfier brothers launched their first hot air ballon

The first airship fitted with a steam engine was flown by Henri Giffard from Paris. The airship could only fly forward

The Wright Brothers made the first engine powered flight it flew 12 seconds and travelled 37 meters

The first all metal plane was built by a German Herman Junkers it travelled at 170 km per hour

The first sea plane having one or two floats in place of the usual under carriage this plane took off from and landed pn water

Flying boats were used to cross oceans because aircraft could not carry enough fuel to travel long distances non-stop. Flying boats could fly between seaports and islands, refuelling as they went. They didn't need runways, and it was thought to be safer to fly across water in an aircraft that could float. Flying boats have floats where the undercarriage would be on a land-base

The first practical helicopter which could carry passengers, was developed.

This flying boat, 'Spruce Goose' was built of wood. It only flew once, over a distance of about 2 kilometres. It is the largest plane ever built.

Early jet liners carried about 40 passengers, and had jet engines with propellers called turbo-prop engines.

Jet passenger planes had turbo-jets and no longer needed propellers.

Commercial jet liners were able to carry over 400 passengers After a disasterous crash in 2000, and 0ther matters, Concorde was taken out of service in 2003.

The Russian built Tupolev Tu-144 was the first supersonic passenger aircraft. It flew on December 31, 1968; two months ahead of the first flight for the Concorde SST. Concorde flew at speeds of up to 2100 kilometres per hour carrying 100 passengers.

The first re-usable space vehicle, the space shuttle 'Colombia' was launched.

The largest passenger aircraft, (so far!) the double-decked, Airbus A380 can carry more than 800 passengers.

The 787 Dreamliner a long-range, mid-size wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner came into service. It is can carry up to 250 passengers. It is a lighter and more energy efficient aeroplane.