History Of Airplanes

The dream of flying is as old as mankind itself. However, the concept of the airplane has only been around for two centuries. Before that time, men and women tried to navigate the air by imitating the birds. They built wings to strap onto their arm or machines with flapping wings called ornithopters. On the surface, it seemed like a good plan. After all, there are plenty of birds in the air to show that the concept does work.

The trouble is, it works better at bird-scale than it does at the much larger scale needed to lift both a man and a machine off the ground. So folks began to look for other ways to fly. Beginning in 1783, a few aeronauts made daring, uncontrolled flights in lighter-than-air balloons, filled with either hot air or hydrogen gas. But this was hardly a practical way to fly. There was no way to get from here to there unless the wind was blowing in the desired direction.

It wasn’t until the turn of the nineteenth century that an English baronet from the gloomy moors of Yorkshire conceived a flying machine with fixed wings, apropulsion system, and movable control surfaces. This was the fundamental concept of the airplane. Sir George Cayley also built the first true airplane — a kite mounted on a stick with a movable tail. It was crude, but it proved his idea worked, and from that first humble glider evolved the amazing machines that have taken us to the edge of space at speeds faster than sound.

This wing of the museum focuses on the early history of the airplane, from its conception in 1799 to the years just before World War I. Because we are a museum of pioneer aviation, we don’t spend a great deal of time on those years after Orville Wright closed the doors of the Wright Company in 1916. We concentrate on the development of the airplane before it was commonplace, when flying machines were odd contraptions of stick, cloth, and wire; engines were temperamental and untrustworthy; and pilots were never quite sure whether they’d be able to coax their machine into the air or bring it down in one piece.

A History of the Airplane is divided into four sections:


1490 Leonardo DaVinci's plan for a man-carrying ornithopter with flapping wings.

1783 Montgolfier hot-air balloon.

1799 Sir George Cayley's plan for a fixed-wing aircraft.

THE CENTURY BEFORE

In 1799, Sir George Cayley defined the forces of lift and drag and presented the first scientific design for a fixed-wing aircraft. Building on his pioneering work in aeronautics, scientists and engineers began designing and testing airplanes. A young boy made the first manned flight in a glider designed by Cayley in 1849. In 1874, Felix duTemple made the first attempt at powered flight by hopping off the end of a ramp in a steam-driven monoplane. Other scientists, such as Francis Wenham and Horatio Phillips studied cambered wing designs mounted in wind tunnels and on whirling arms. Finally in 1894, Sir Hiram Maxim made a successful takeoff (but a woefully uncontrolled flight) in a biplane "test rig." At the same time, Otto Lilienthal made the first controlled flights, shifting his body weight to steer a small glider. Inspired by his success, Wilbur and Orville Wright experiment with aerodynamic surfaces to control an airplane in flight. Their work leads them to make the first controlled, sustained, powered flights on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
The First Airplanes, 1799 to 1853

Kites and flying toys have been around for thousands of years. But thescience that led to the invention of the airplane is fairly recent, dating to just 1799. There were two scientific investigations into fixed-wing aviation prior to that time, but they led nowhere. About 875 CE, scientist/inventor Abbas Qasim Ibn Firnas built a set of fixed wings and made a free flight in Cordova, Spain. In the 1480s, artist/inventor Leonardo Da Vinci studied mechanical flight. In both cases, however, no one preserved or continued the work of these brilliant men. Only a few short references in Islamic histories document the flight of Ibn Firnas. Da Vinci's notebooks in which he recorded his work in aviation were scattered and only rediscovered in the late nineteenth century, too late to be anything but a curiosity. It wasn't until Sir George Cayley designed, built, and flew several fixed-wing flying machines between 1799 and 1853 that aviation took root as a scientific endeavor. Cayley's published writings laid a foundation for the scientists that followed him, upon which they built a body of knowledge about mechanical flight. This, in turn, inspired the work of the Wright brothers. This timeline summarizes the events that led from Cayley's work in 1799 to the Wrights' first powered flights in 1903. The First Airplanes, 1799 to 1853 – Experiments prove the feasibility of a flying craft with fixed (instead of flapping or whirling) wings to generate lift. Powering Up, 1854 to 1879 – Designers begin to test various types of engines to propel their airplanes. Airmen and Chauffers, 1880 to 1898 – Two schools of thought arise on control. Should airplanes be balanced in the air by skilled pilots, or should designers create craft that are inherently stable? The Road to Kitty Hawk, 1899 to 1903 – The Wright brothers experiment with a series of gliders, teach themselves to fly, and make the first controlled and sustained flights.
TIME EVENT 1799 Sir George Cayley, a baronet in Yorkshire, near Scarborough, England, conceives a craft with stationary wings to provide lift and "flappers" to provide thrust. It also has a movable tail to provide control. So convinced is he that this idea is an earth-shaker, he engraves a drawing of this craft on a silver disk. Cayley is the first to separate the different forces that keep an aircraft in the air, and his engraving is the first recorded drawing of a fixed-wing aircraft -- an airplane.   Cayley's engraved disc — The front shows his design for a fixed-wing aircraft, the back shows how thrust is used to generate lift and overcome drag. The is the top view of Cayley's airplane from his notebook, along with his estimate of its weight. The inset shows how it might have looked had it been built. 1804 Sir George Cayley, England, builds a miniature glider with a single wing and a movable tail mounted on a universal joint. It also has a movable weight to adjust the center of gravity. It is the first recorded fixed-wing aircraft of any size capable of  free flight.   In 1804, Cayley recorded this design for a small fixed-wing glider in his notebook. A replica of Cayley's 1804 aircraft — it's basically just a kite on a stick 1809 Sir George Cayley builds a man-sized version of a glider with a wing surface of 300 square feet (28 square meters). An assistant makes a few tentative hops in the air, holding onto the stick fuselage.Sir George Cayley publishes On Aerial Navigation, a three-part article which appeared in Nicholson’s Journal of Natural Philosophy. It is a milestone and for the first time defines the three elements required by an aircraft — lift, propulsion, and control.   Cayley's 1809 glider was similar to a modern hang glider. The articles in Nicholson's Journal also described Cayley's "whirling arm" experiments. It was the first time anyone had measured the lift generated by wing surfaces. 1810 Thomas Walker, a portrait-painter from Hull, England publishes a pamphlet on the possibilities of fixed-wing aviation. In it is a design for an airplane that at first appears similar to Cayley's 1799 vision. But what looks like a single wing is actually composed of 8 long slender wings that overlap one another. The control system adjusts the angle of attack of the winglets. This, in turn, varied the lift and caused the airplane to ascend or descend. Or so Walker hypothesized. Walker's aircraft design had a stick control that increased or decreased the lift.   1810- 1840 Sir George Cayley tries three times to organize an aeronautical society in England to study the problems of flight and advance the science of aeronautics, but finds little interest among English scholars. Despite the recent success of aerostation (lighter-than-air balloons), the topic of heavier-than-air flight still has the stigma of the crackpot attached to it.   Sir George R. Cayley.   1831 Thomas Walker revises his 1810 pamphlet and proposes a tandem-wing airplane with the pilot and the propulsion system amidships. Gone are the rows of winglets; each wing is a solid curved surface. Walker proposes that two sets of wings – one forward, one back – will balance the load in the air. Much later, Walker's design will later influence Samuel Langley as he builds and tests his "aerodromes" at the Smithsonian Institution in America.   The small movable wings between the two larger sets of fixed wings are "oars." Walker intend for his aircraft to be rowed through the sky.   1843 William Samuel Henson, England, proposes the Aerial Steam Carriage in Mechanics Magazine. It is the first known design for a propeller-driven fixed-wing aircraft. Although the full-size aircraft is never built, the concept helps popularize Cayley's vision of fixed-wing aircraft and has tremendous influence on the subsequent development of aviation. Henson's request to form an "Aerial Transport Company" is rejected by the House of Commons amid much laughter.   The patent drawing for Henson's aircraft showed a ribbed wing with spars supporting the load. This design will become standard wing construction. William S. Henson. 1845- 1848 William Samuel Henson and John Stringfellow successfully form the Aerial Transit Company, which (if only they had a practical airplane), would have been the world's first airline. To drum up support, they build and test a model of Henson's aerial carriage with a 20-foot wingspan. It makes brief powered glides of up to 130 feet (40 meters), but does not sustain flight.   A scarf with a silk-screened ad for the Aerial Transit Company. Stringfellow's model of the Aerial Steam Carriage. 1849 Sir George Cayley builds a small triplane glider designed to lift about 80 pounds of the ground. History remembers it as the "boy glider," although Cayley seemed to think of it as a "governable parachute." It is the first recorded manned (or boyed) fixed-wing aircraft. A group of people tow it aloft, lifting a 10-year old boy off the ground for a short distance. Cayley also flew the craft in a high wind like a kite, tethered to the ground.   The boy glider had two small flappers, one on either side, which were intended to balance the aircraft, not propel it. An artist's depiction of Cayley's "boy glider."  The control sticks should be connected by bell-cranks to the flappers. 1852 In France, aeronaut Jules-François Dupuis-Delcourt organizes the Société Aérostatique et Météorologique de France, the first scientific body to study aviation. Later, this evolves to become the Société Française de Navigation Aérienne.   Jules-François Dupuis-Delcourt.   1853 Sir George Cayley builds an improved version of his glider and convinces his coachman to pilot it. The coachman, whose name is lost to us, makes an wavering, uncontrolled glide of a few hundred feet across Brompton Dale – the first true manned flight in a fixed-wing aircraft since Abbas ibn Firnas' attempt in 875 CE. The coachman quits Cayley’s service immediately after his one and only feat of airmanship, reportedly saying, "I wish to give notice, sir -- I was hired to drive, not to fly."Louis Charles Letur builds and tests a parachute-glider, demonstrating it in both England and France. These are the firstcontrolled flights in a heavier-than-air machine. After several successful descents, Letur has a serious accident and dies of his injuries.   Derek Piggot bravely flies a replica of Cayley's 1853 glider for a British documentary. Letur's glider was controlled by ropes attached to cloth vanes. Cayley published his design for a "governable parachute" inMechanics Magazine.

Powering Up, 1854 to 1879

TIME EVENT 1857 Jean-Marie Le Bris, a French sea caption, tests a glider modeled after an albatross. This "artificial bird" makes one short successful glide, but on the second glide it crashes and Le Bris breaks his leg.Felix Du Temple and his brother Louis, France, fly a model monoplane whose propellers are driven by a clockwork spring and later, a small steam engine. It takes off under its own power, flies a short distance, and glides to a safe landing. It is the first successful flight of a powered aircraft.   A top and rear view of Le Bris' first glider. Although the wings were bird-like, the fuselage was decidedly fish-shaped. The patent drawings of Du Temple's 1857 model airplane. Note that this is a "tractor" airplane, with the propeller at the front pulling the aircraft. The success of this model was the beginning of the standard tractor design tradition. 1863 Jules Verne publishes Five Weeks in a Balloon, describing an aerial trip across Africa filled with danger and adventure. His first novel launches both the science-fiction genre in literature and Verne's career as one of the most popular authors on the planet. This and many of his future books include captivating feats of lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air transportation. More important, they encourage a generation of future scientists and engineers to consider the possibilities of aviation.   Jules Verne. An illustration from Verne's Cinq Semaines en Ballon. 1864 Count Ferdinand d’Esterno, France, publishes the first scientific observations of the effects of the wind on a wing in his pamphlet Du Vol des Oiseaux.  The paper also distiguishes between flapping and soaring flight, and notes that only the larger, heavier birds soar. The Count considers this fortunate: "...the odds are not stacked against humans doing the same thing in a fair wind." He suggests that soaring could be a wise and necessary step on the path to manned flight.Siegfried Marcus builds an internal combustion engine with a carburetor (that he calls a "vaporisater") and an electrical ignition system that uses a primitive magneto to generate a spark.   d'Esterno's "soaring machine" was a cross between a fixed-wing aircraft and an ornithopter. The fronts of the wings were fixed, the trailing edges flapped. Marcus' engine was mounted on a wagon to produce the first automobile with an internal combustion engine. 1866 The Royal Aeronautical Society is founded in England.Francis Herbert Wenham, England addresses the first meeting of the Aeronautical Society. His speech, titledAerial Locomotion, is another milestone in aeronautics. He builds upon d'Estern's suggestions and proposes that aspiring pilots should practice first in gliders before trying to fly powered aircraft. His own multiple-wing gliders have little success.   The logo of the RAS. Some of Wenham's glider designs. 1867 April 16 — Wilbur Wright is born in Millville, Indiana to Milton and Susan Wright. Milton is a "circuit preacher" for the Church of the United Brethren and will eventually lead his own sect of that faith.  When later asked what he remembered about Wilbur's birth, Milton commented on the enormous size of his head. He also recalled that Wilbur had an enormous capacity for mischief. By the time this photo was taken, Wilbur's body seems to have caught up with his head.   1868 Jean-Marie Le Bris tests an improved version of his glider, making several unmanned glides before it crashes.The Great Aeronautical Exhibition, the first exhibition of flying machines, takes place at the Crystal Palace in London, England. It's sponsored by the Royal Aeronautical Society. John Stringfellow, England, proposes a man-carrying triplane, similar to Henson’s aerial steam carriage. It captures the public’s imagination, although the model does not perform well when tested.   The great Aeronautical Exhibition of 1868. Note that Stringfellow's triplane is prominently displayed. The design, particularly the superposed wings, had a long-lasting influence on aviation. Le Bris' improved glider. This is the first photo ever taken of a fixed -wing aircraft.  Stringfellow's unsuccessful but influential triplane. 1870 Alphonse Penaud, France, invents the "torsion motor, " using twisted rubber bands to power miniature flying machines. This simple invention is a boon to new science of aeronautics, providing experimenters with  a method to test and refine their ideas without investing the time and expense to build full-size aircraft. His first flying model is a variation on an old toy, a miniature helicopter. It’s copied by dozens of toymakers in Europe in America.   Penaud's rubber band-powered helicopter. A single rubber band turned both propellers in opposite directions. Alphonse Penaud. 1871 Alphonse Penaud builds what he calls a"planophore," a 20-inch long monoplane with a pusher propeller powered by a rubber band. It flies 131 feet in 11 seconds — the first flight of an inherently stable powered aircraft. August 19 — Orville Wright is born in Dayton, Ohio.Francis Herbert Wenham and John Browning, England, invent the wind tunnel. They use it to prove that cambered wings produce more lift than other shapes.   Orville Wright was the sixth child born to Milton and Susan Wright. To provide longitudinal stability, the elevator surfaces of Penauds "planaphore" were set at a slight negative angle of attack to keep the nose up. The wings were set at a dihedral angle to one another for lateral stability and to keep the aircraft from rolling. 1873 Clement Ader, France is an inventive electrical engineer who will soon become one is the pioneers of the telephone industry. His real passion, however, is aviation. He builds a bird-shaped glider with goose-feathered wings, tethers the aircraft to the ground, then lies prone upon the glider and lets it rise to the limits of its ropes. He does not make free flights. But the tethered ascents fill him with enthusiasm and he spends the next 17 years developing a light-weight steam engine and building a powered aircraft.   Clement Ader.   1874 Building on his successful 1857 design,Felix Du Temple and his brother Louiscreate a man-carrying steam-powered monoplane with a 40-foot (12-meter) wingspan and an innovative 6 horsepower engine of their own design. With a young French sailor at the controls – he could regulate the angle of the tail and the rudder – the aircraft rolls down an incline to a ski-jump and makes a brief hop. But it hasn't enough power to sustain flight. Nonetheless it was the first attempt at manned powered flight in a fixed-wing airplane.   Du Temple's 1874 monoplane had several innovative features. The wings were set at a dihedral angle and most of the weight was forward for stability. The landing gear was retractable and could be adjusted to change the angle of attack during take-off. Felix du Temple. 1875 Thomas Moy demonstrates a large but unmanned "Aerial Steamer" at the Crystal Palace in London. It makes at least one flight in which it lifts a short distance off the ground, an impressive feat since it weighs 120 pounds (54 kilograms). However, he is unable to secure funds to continue his aviation experiments. He comments, "I do not expect my countrymen to wake up to the importance of this subject during my lifetime."   Moy's "Aerial Steamer." The Crystal Palace was (and still is) Britain's showcase. 1876 Building on the work of  Lenoir and others who are experimenting with internal combustion engines,  Nikolaus Otto invents a powerful, efficient engine that runs on gasoline. The secret of its efficiency is the four-part cycle on which it operates. As the piston leaves the cylinder, it (1) draws in vaporized fuel. It then re-enters the cylinder, (2) compressing the vapor. (3) The vapor is ignited, forcing the piston out of the cylinder again, then the piston (4) pushes out the burned gases as it returns. This becomes known as the Otto cycle or "suck-squeeze-bang-blow." Otto's first four-cycle engine had a single cylinder. The fuel was ignited when a door slid open at just the right moment to expose the compressed vapors to a live flame. When Otto built his first engines, gasoline was sold by apothecaries as a liniment. 1878 Bishop Milton Wright, then living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, brings home a Penaud-type helicopter for his sons. They quickly wear out the fragile toy (which they refer to as a "bat"), then begin to build their own copies. Caught working on a bat at school when he should have been studying, Orville tells his teacher that he and his brother Wilbur plan to build a large enough machine to carry the both of them into the air. But when they build a larger model, it doesn’t fly. They won't understand why until much later in life. Bishop Milton Wright. Orville drew this sketch of the "bat" in 1928. 1879 Victor Tatin  demonstrates a model monoplane for the French military at Chalais-Meudon. The airplane has two tractor propellers driven by a compressed-air engine. The fuselage, in fact, is a tank that stores the air at a pressure of almost 300 psi (20 ksc). The airplane takes off on its own, flies on a tether around a circular track until the compressed air is exhausted, then glides to smooth landing.   Testing Tatin's compressed air-powered model airplane. Top and side view of Tatin's airplane. Note the pressure guage on top ot the fuselage/tank.

Airmen and Chauffers, 1880 to 1898

TIME EVENT 1880- 1890 Otto Lilienthal, an engineer from Germany, tests both flat and cambered wing surfaces to measure their lifting capability. With his brother Gustav, the two begin a series of experiments aimed at gathering the engineering data need to build a successful glider.   Lilienthal's "whiling arm" apparatus, which he used to investigate the lift produced by wing shapes, was patterned after Cayley's 1809 instrument. Otto Lilienthal. 1881 Louis Moulliard, France, writes another milestone in aeronautics, Empire of the Air, in which he proposes fixed-wing gliders with cambered wings, like birds. He also proposes that aviators practice in gliders to gain the skill needed to pilot an aircraft in the air – they should endeavor to become skilled airmen.  Up until that time, everyone in the infant field of aviation presumed you could navigate the sky with no more skill than a chauffer.   It split the field into two camps, each with a different approach to making a practical aircraft. Thechauffers focus on engineering, making a stable powered flying machine. The airmenpractice with gliders to gain piloting skills before attempting powered flight.   One of Moulliard's semi-successful gliders. Mouliard's L'Empire de L'Air. 1883 Siegfried Marcus,  a machinist, electrical engineer, and inventor from Vienna, Austria, patents the low-tension magneto, the first practical electrical ignition system for an internal combustion engine. This improved ignition system enables future gasoline engines to generate the horsepower, the torque, and especially the speed (RPMs) required to propel aircraft. This magneto is the most recent in a long series of improvements he has made to first primitive electrical ignition system that he installed on his 1864 engine.   A low-tension" magneto. The magneto was developed from another Marcus invention, the electrical igniter for explosives. 1884 After building and crashing an unpowered ornithopter (a flapping-wing glider) in 1883, John J. Montgomery of California switches to fixed-wing aviation. He builds a monoplane glider  and makes the first gliding flight in America.Alexander F. Mozhaiski, Russia, builds a steam-powered monoplane and tests it at Krasnoye Selo, near St. Petersburg. It takes off on a jump ramp and flies for approximately 100 feet before crashing. This is the second power-assisted take-off in history. Horatio F. Phillips, England, experiments with cambered wings in a wind tunnel and lays down the scientific foundation for modern airfoil design. He is the first to discover that when the wind blows across a curved surface, it creates a low pressure area on top of the surface and high pressure beneath it. This, in turn, generates lift. Charles Parsons, England, invents the steam turbine. Turbines are used first to generate electricity, then propel ships and boats. But Parsons' work will eventually lead to the jet aircraft engine.   Mozhaiski's aircraft featured propellers embedded in the wings. Montgomery's first fixed-wing glider made a brief flight of about 200 feet (61 meters). Phillips' sketches of airfoils, showing several of the cambered wing shapes he tested in his wind tunnels. Parson's first steam turbine was connected to a small electric generator. The turbine blades that Parsons designed were very similar to cambered wing surfaces. 1889 Octave Chanute, Illinois, presents two papers on the progress of aeronautical experiments to date.Lawrence Hargrave, Australia, builds the first radial airplane engine. It has three cylinders and runs on compressed air. Hargrave uses it to power his experimental model aircraft. March 1 — Orville Wright begins to publishThe West Side News. Wilbur contributes humorous essays, news, and editorials. Paul Laurence Dunbar contributes poems and essays.   Hargrave's quadraplane was powered by a 3-cylinder radial motor that ran on compressed air stored in the fuselage. The Wrights' West Side News. 1890 October 9 — At Chateau d'Armainvilliers in Brie, France, Clement Ader, France, flies an  airplane, the Eolé, for about 164 feet (50 meters). The steam-powered, propeller-driven bat-wing craft rises only 8 inches (20 centimeters) in the air and has no means of directional control. Nonetheless it is the first manned aircraft to take off from level ground.   Ader's "Eole" never quite as far off the ground as this illustration suggests. A cutaway replica of the Eolé. 1891 Otto Lilienthal begins to test winged gliders, made from cloth stretched over willow frameworks.Samuel Langley, Virginia, builds a successful rubber band-powered aircraft he calls anaerodome. He also begins work on larger steam-and compressed air-powered models,  but the first four do not meet his aerodynamic expectations and he makes no attempt to fly them. October — Octave Chanute begins to publish articles on aviation in the Railroad and Engineering Journal. They will later be collected in a single work.   Lilenthal's first successful glider, his "No. 3." The fuselages of Langley's first four aerodromes (numbers 0 through 3). These were never tested. 1892 Hiram Maxim, the American-born inventor of the machine gun, builds an enormous airplane with multiple superposed wings at his English estate. He uses the rig to measure the lift generated by different wing configurations as the rig rolls along a special track. The aircraft rig is not intended for free flight, instead the track is designed to capture the aircraft and after it rises a few inches off the rails.Wilbur and Orville Wright purchase "safety bicycles" and open a sales and repair shop. They give a bicycle to their friend, Paul Laurence Dunbar.   Hiram Maxim's enormous aircraft "test rig" had six tiers of detachable wings. Maxim aboard his test rig. Maxim's test rig rode on a sled along a 1800-foot (550-meter)track. It had a wingspan of 110 feet (34 meters), was powered by two 180-horsepower steam engines, and weighed 7,000 pounds (3175 kilograms). 1893 Hiram Maxim predicts that even "under the most unfavorable circumstances, aerial navigation will be an accomplished fact inside of ten years." Lawrence Hargrave, Australia, invents the box kite. Because the kite is remarkably stable and generates large amounts of lift, it creates a sensation in aeronautical circles, especially among the "chauffers." It's general form influences all early airplane designers. Edward Huffaker suggests that the reason curved wings produce more lift than flat ones is due to "Bernoulli's Principle," postulated by Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli. August 1 through 4 — Octave Chanuteorganizes the International Conference on Aerial Navigation at the World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. Wilbur and Orville Wright also come to the exhibition, but it's doubtful they attended the conference. November-December — Samuel Langelyattempts to launch Aerodrome No. 4 twice from a catapult mounted on a barge. It fails to fly on both attempts.   Hargrave measures the tension on a box kite's tether line. From this, he could deduce how much lift was generated. An overview of the World's Colombian Exhibition. Owing to the advanced agriculture, manufacturing, science, and technology on display, this is sometimes referred to as America's "coming-out" party. In 1738, Bernoulli observed that the pressure inside a stream of fluid or gas decreases as its speed increases. Because the curve of a wing (the camber) causes the air flowing over the top of a wing to move faster than the air passing beneath, there is low pressure above the wing and high pressure beneath it. This difference in pressure is one of several physical effects that generate lift. Langely's houseboat/catapult launched the aerodromes over the Potomac River south of Washington, DC. It was perhaps the first aircraft carrier. 1894 Augustus Herring buys a glider from Otto Lilienthal. He then builds two of his own, attempting to improve on Lilienthal’s design. Octave Chanute collects his articles on aviation and publishes them in a book,Progress in Flying Machines. It is the most complete and well thought-out work on aeronautics to date. July 31 — Hiram Maxim makes a short, unintended hop-flight in his huge airplane when the craft breaks free of its restraining track.September — Otto Lilienthal is regularly making successful glides of notable distance and duration. He flights are the frequent subject of news stories, and McClure'smagazine publishes a nine-page pictorial of Lilienthal flying several of his gliders. The article catches the eye of Wilbur and Orville Wright.   Hiram's wrecked aircraft test rig. Apparently, the upper restraining rail broke while the craft was traveling about 38 mph (61 kph). Plans for Lilienthal's "standard" glider. To facilitate his  experiments, Lilienthal built a hill from which he launched his gliders. He named this "Flight Mountain." Lilienthal in flight, from the September 1894 edition ofMcClure's. 1895 Percy Pilcher, Scotland, builds a glider, theBat. He also visits Otto Lilienthal to ask advice. He makes Lilienthal's suggested improvements, then flies the Bat again, but is not satisfied with it. Pilcher builds  two more gliders in quick succession, the Beetle and the Gull, making improvements based on his own gliding experience. Edward Huffaker begins to work for Samuel Langley, designing wings for Langley’sAerodromes. Augustus Herring also works briefly for Langley, doing dynamic tests. Then he moves to Chicago and builds a Lilienthal-type glider for Octave Chanute. James Means, Massachusetts, begins to publish the Aeronautical Annual.  It will last for 3 years. William Avery, Illinois, builds a Chanute-designed multi-wing glider.William Paul Butusov, a Russian immigrant living in Illinois, begins to build a bird-like aircraft for Chanute. He calls it the Albatross.   Pilcher's first gliding machine, the Bat, after he made some improvements. Pilcher's second glider, the Beetle, was heavily built and hard to handle. Pilcher's Gull, his third glider, was too large to fly safely. Langley's aeronautical workshop in the Smithsonian would one day grow to become NACA, and later, NASA. James Means' first Aeronautical Annual. 1896 Percy Pilcher builds a much-improved glider, the Hawk, and glides up to 750 feet. Finally satisfied, he plans a powered version. The Wright brothers begin to manufacture their own bicycles. James Means, Massachusetts, writes in the1896 Aeronautical Annual  that bicycling and flying present similar problems of control and balance. May 6 — Samuel Langley tests a steam-powered model aircraft, Aerodrome No. 5, on the Potomac. It flies for 3,300 feet. June 22 — Octave Chanute, Augustus Herring, William Avery, and others test a copy of a Lilienthal glider and Avery's multi-wing glider at the Indiana Dunes near Miller, Indiana on Lake Michigan. August 9 — Otto Lilienthal dies in a glider crash. August 21 — Octave Chanute, Augustus Herring, William Avery, and others test Butusov's Albatross and a new triplane glider designed by Chanute and Herring. The performance of the Albatross is disappointing and the triplane is difficult to control. But the experimenters remove a wing to make it a biplane and the glider starts to perform, eventually making flights up to 359 feet. October — Upon hearing of Lilienthal’s death, the Wright brothers deduce correctly that the crash was due to a lack of control. As experienced cyclists, they understand control and balance, and are confident they can create an effective control system for an airplane. They begin a systematic search for literature on aeronautics.November 28 — Samuel Langley tests another steam powered aircraft, Aerodrome No. 6. It flies for almost a mile.   The Pilcher Hawk about to be launched. It was controlled in the same manner as Lilienthal gliders. Pilcher kicked his legs to shift his body weight in the direction he wanted to go. Chanute's camp near Miller, Indiana. The most likely cause of Lilienthal's fatal crash was a stall. A gust of wind turned the airplane up and Lilienthal could not bring the nose down before he lost flying speed. The Chanute-Herring biplane glider was the best flyer of the 1896 flying season. The launch of Aerodrome No. 5. This aircraft and Aerodrome No. 6 have 14-foot wingspans, making them the largest powered airplanes ever flown. The Chanute multi-wing Katydidwas gentle and stable in the air, but it's performance was disappointing. Butusov's Albatross crashed on its first flight. Comparing the flight paths of the May and November 1896 Aerodrome flights. 1897 September — August Herring tests a biplane glider with a tail of his own design at the Indiana dunes. October 12 — Clement Ader, France, builds another powered airplane, the Avion III, funded by the French Ministry of War. He attempts to fly the aircraft before officials, but it never leaves the ground and the War Ministry withdraws its support.  Much later, Ader will try to claim that the aircraft flew about 1000 feet (304 meters), but the reports filed by the officials in 1897 do not back him up.   Herring's improved Chanute-Herring glider. Ader's Avion III at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, France. 1898 Samuel Langley, Virginia, secures $50,000 funding from the War Department to build a man-carrying version of his Aerodrome by 1899. He hires Charles Manly as his assistant. Wilbur Wright observes that buzzards control their lateral balance by twisting the feathers at the tips of their wings.Ferdinand Ferber and Ernest Archdeacon, France, organizes the Aéro Club de France.October 11 — August Herring flies about 50 feet (15 meters) in a biplane glider powered by a compressed air engine at St. Joseph, Michigan. Later, he flies 73 feet (22 meters).   Wilbur rode his bicycle out to a place called the "Pinnacles" overlooking the Great Miami River. There he observed turkey vultures or "buzzards." Herring's 4 horsepower compressed air motor did not give his biplane enough oomph to sustain itself in the air.

The Road to Kitty Hawk, 1899 to 1903 

The Road to Kitty Hawk, 1899 to 1903 – The Wright brothers experiment with a series of gliders, teach themselves to fly, and make the first controlled and sustained flights.

TIME EVENT 1899 Winter and Spring — The Wright brothersconsider methods to twist the wings of an aircraft or change the angle of attack, simultaneously increasing the lift on one side of the aircraft while decreasing the lift on the other.  All the methods they can imagine, however, seem too heavy or too complex. May 30 — Wilbur Wright writes the Smithsonian asking for published materials on aeronautics. He is answered by Richard Rathbun, who sends four pamphlets and a list of other publications. June — Wilbur Wright sells a customer a bicycle inner tube, then toys with the small rectangular box that it came in while he talks to the customer. Wilbur notices that when he squeezes together the opposing corners, the box assumes a helicoidal twist. In his mind’s eye, he sees the top and the bottom of the box as the wings of a biplane with the ends twisting in opposite directions. June through August — Samuel Langleyand Charles Manly make additional flights with Aerodromes Nos. 5 and 6. July — The Wright brothers build a biplane kite with a wingspan of 6 feet (183 centimeters) and control lines to twist the wings in flight. When tested by Wilbur, it works as planned.  Unable to contain his enthusiasm, he pedals miles out into the country side to find Orville, who is on a camping trip with friends. Immediately the brothers begin planning a man-carrying version using data tables developed by Otto Lilienthal to achieve the necessary lift. September 30 — Percy Pilcher dies in a crash of his Hawk, just as he is preparing to test a powered airplane.November 27 — Looking for a place to test-fly a glider, Wilbur Wright writes the United States Weather Bureau and inquires about locations with high winds. The weather bureau sends him the Monthly Weather Review fpr August and September, including wind tables for 150 different locations in the United States.   Wilbur's letter to the Smithsonian requesting information on aeronautics. The floating workshop from which Langley launched his Aerodromes. Wilbur's drawing of his 1899 kite. Percy Pilcher with his Hawkglider in 1898. The Monthly Weather Reviewfor September, 1899. To see an animated demo of Wilbur's inner tube box experiment, click on the image. Langely Aerodrome No. 5. Flying a replica of the 1899 kite. The patent drawing of Pilcher's powered plane. By the time he built it, the design had evolved to a triplane with straight, rectangular  wings. 1900 Spring and Summer — The Wrights plan and build parts for their first glider. May 13 — Wilbur Wright writes Octave Chanute and asks for advice concerning where to test a glider. Chanute suggest several places, among then the barrier islands on the Eastern seaboard. Wilbur consults the wind tables in the Monthly Weather Review and finds Kitty Hawk, North Carolina sixth on the list. August 3 — Wilbur Wright writes to the weather station at Kitty Hawk, asking for information on weather and lodging. August 16 — Joseph Dosher, the chief of the Kitty Hawk weather station, responds to Wilbur’s letter. Dosher also refers Wilbur’s letter to William Tate, the county commissioner and former postmaster. Tate also writes Wilbur, providing more details about Kitty Hawk September 13 — Wilbur Wright arrives in Kitty Hawk, stays with the Tates, and begins to assemble a glider. September 28 — Orville Wright arrives with camping gear, food, and a mandolin. He also brings a camera, the first ever seen in Kitty Hawk. The brother stay in a 12-foot by 22-foot tent, about a mile from the Tates. They assemble a biplane glider with movable front elevator — they have located the elevator at the front. They begin to test the glider as a kite. Orville begins a humorous correspondence with his sister Katharine, whom he is very close to. Wilbur will not let Orville fly until he’s sure the glider is safe. October 10 — The Wrights experience a setback when the wind picks up the glider and smashes it.  But they rebuild the aircraft and resume their tests. October — The Wrights send 10-year-old Tom Tate, William’s nephew up on the glider as they fly it like a kite. Later on, just before they leave to go back home, Wilbur makes about a dozen free flights.October 23 — The Wrights break camp and head for Dayton. The are puzzled by failure of glider to produce the lift they had calculated, but they are encouraged by success of the wing warping and elevator controls.   A nautical map of Kitty Hawk, NC from 1900. Kitty Hawk Bay in 1900. The Wright brothers' camp near Kitty Hawk in 1900. Wilbur is "washing" a pan in the sand. The 1900 Wright glider after the wind wrecked it. Before they left Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers made a series of free flights with a pilot aboard. Above is a  reenactment of one of these flights. The US Coast Guard Lifesaving Station at Kitty Hawk,. NC doubled as the US Dept. of Agriculture Weather Station. Bill Tate (left, seated), his wife, daughters (right, seated)(, and a friend (right,standing) on their porch in Kitty Hawk. The Wright brothers flew their first glider mostly as a kite. Tom Tate posed in front of the 1900 glider with a large Drum fish that he had caught. 1901 Wilbur Wright publishes a technical paper on gliding in British and German journals. Ferdinand Ferber, France, builds and tests a crude copy of a Lilienthal glider, but it is unsuccessful. The Wrights plan another trip to Kitty Hawk and begin to build their second glider. Because the first didn't produce enough lift, this glider will have a much larger wing area and a deeper camber. Octave Chanute asks the Wrights to work with Edward Huffaker and George Spratt (of Pennsylvania) to test a glider  in Kitty Hawkt hat Huffaker is building for Chanute. June — The Wrights hire Charlie Taylor to run their bicycle shop in their absence. July 10 — Wrights arrive at Kitty Hawk and establish camp at Kill Devil Hills four miles to south, then build a shed to serve as a hangar. They are plagued by mosquitoes and Edward Huffaker. Orville writes to Katharine that he can’t decide which is worse, the mosquitoes or Huffaker. July 27 — The Wrights test their glider withHuffaker and Spratt helping. It doesn’t fly as well as their first glider, once again it does not produce the expected amount of lift. It also shows a pronounced tendency to dive or climb. The Wrights begin to suspect that Otto Lilienthal's lift tables are wrong. The diving/climbing problem, they deduce, is caused by their wing design. The deep camber causes the center of pressure to reverse itself quickly as the wing's angle of attack changes. This in turn causes the nose of the glider to pitch up or down. The brothers truss the glider wings to take some of the curve out of the ribs and reduce the camber. August 4 — Octave Chanute arrives at the Wright’s camp. August 8 — The Wrights test their trussed 1901 glider and it performs reasonably well, although it isn't as responsive to its controls as the 1900 Wright glider. Orville makes his first flights. August 9 — When Wilbur Wright attempts a turn, the glider behaves oddly. The increased drag on the "high" wing (the wing generating the most lift) causes the glider to yaw in the opposite direction of the intended turn. The Wrights are perplexed. Mid-August — Chanute, Huffaker, andSpratt depart the Wright camp August 20 — The Wrights, discouraged, break camp. Wilbur comments to Orville that it could a thousand years before manned flight is a reality. Later, Wilbur remembers his dark mood, "We doubted that we would ever resume our experiments...At this time, I made the prediction that men would sometime fly, but it would not be in our lifetime." September 18 — At Chanute’s request, and sister Katharine's insistence, Wilbur Wrightdelivers a paper to the Western Society of Engineers in Chicago, Illinois. Wilbur suggests to the group that the Lilienthal data on lift and wing shapes is wrong.Fall and Winter — The Wrights build a wind tunnel and conduct their own research on wing surfaces, testing over 200 shapes. They find that Otto Lilienthal was, in fact, correct in his measurements of lift and drag. The lift problems that plague the Wrights are due to another important number used to design airplanes. It is called Smeaton's Coefficientand it is essential to calculating the pressure of the wind on a wing. Jonathon Smeaton, the author of the coefficient, had been wide of the mark when he proposed its value in 1758.   Ferdinand Ferber tests his Lilienthal-type glider. Kill Devil Hills, south of Kitty Hawk, NC. Orville shows the 1901 Wright glider. At the time, this was the largest gliding machine anyone had ever attempted to fly. Dan Tate (left) and Edward Huffaker (right) launch Wilbur (center) aboard the 1901 glider. For safety, Wilbur attempted to follow the slopes of the dunes when gliding, often flying only a few feet off the ground. Huffaker built an experimental glider to Chanute's specs, but, substituted cardboard tubes for wood in the airframe. The glider all but dissolved in the first rain. The Wright "lift balance" measured the lift produced by a wing shape. The "drift balance" measured the ratio of lift to drag.  Charlie Taylor (left) and Orville Wright (center) at work in the Wright Cycle Company. The Wright camp at Kill Devil Hills. Octave Chanute (left), Edward Huffaker (left center) and Orville Wright (right center) are seated, Wilbur Wright (right) is standing. Wilbur and Orville fly their 1901 glider as a kite. Wilbur flying the trussed 1901 glider. The trussing enabled the Wrights to make some respectable straight-ahead flights, but the glider did not behave well in turns. Wilbur and the 1901 glider after a hard landing. A replica of the Wright wind tunnel. The original was discarded. Both balances were designed to be read from the top, looking down through the window in the top of the wind tunnel. 1902 The Wrights plan their third glider, this time with a much greater scientific understanding of aeronautics and wing design. Ferdinand Ferber, learns of Octave Chanute's work from a published lecture, contacts Chanute, and Chanute tells Ferber of the Wright brothers. Ferber begins to correspond with the brothers and builds a copy of their 1901 glider as he understands it from the photos Chanute has sent him. Although Ferber is aware the Wright glider had roll control, he judges it useless and does not include it in his own aircraft. His flight tests are less than satisfactory. August 28 — The Wrights arrive in Kitty Hawk, repair their shed and build an extension. September 8 — The Wrights begin to assemble their new glider. It has a fixed tailthat the brothers hope will overcome the wing drag that caused the 1901 glider to yaw in the opposite direction of the intended turn. September 19 — The Wrights begin testing the 1902 glider. Its performance and control response is much improved over their previous gliders, but when making a slow turn the fixed tail causes the turn to become tighter and tighter. The glider spins in on one wing in a frightening maneuver the brothers dub "well-digging." September 23 — Orville Wright crashes and nearly destroys the 1902 glider, but the Wrights rebuild it. September 29 — Wrights resume tests with repaired glider. September 30— George Spratt and Lorin Wright arrive at camp for a visit. October 2 — Orville Wright suggests converting the fixed tail to a movable rudder to eliminate the well-digging problem. Wilbur agrees and they do so. They connect the rudder control to the wing warping system. October 5  — Octave Chanute andAugustus Herring arrive at the Wright camp, bringing with them another glider, this one built by Charles H. Lamson.  It has oscillating wings that Herring and Chanute hope will make it stable in the air. October 8 — The Wright's modified glider work perfectly, with no tendency to spin or "well-dig." It outperforms the Lansom glider by a wide margin. October 17 — Augustus Herring leaves Kitty Hawk and visits Samuel Langley in Virginia, looking for work. He tells Langley of the Wright’s success with their new machine. October 19 — Samuel Langley cables theWrights, requesting information on their "special curved surfaces" and asking to come to Kitty Hawk. The Wrights decline. October 28 — The Wrights break camp, already planning a powered aircraft. Winter — The Wrights inquire at automobile companies for a suitable gasoline engine for their aircraft, but cannot find one that meets their needs. Charlie Taylor begins building an aircraft engine for the Wrights. December — Samuel Langley asks Octave Chanute to help him get a foot in the door with the Wrights, but Chanute can’t get them to talk to Langley.   Ferber's 1902 glider was based on the Wrights' 1901 design. Upon returning to Kitty Hawk in 1902, the Wrights added to the length of their wooden hangar to accommodate the longer wingspan of their new glider. The Wrights kite their 1902 glider to measure its lift and drag. For the first time, the performance of the machine agrees with their calculations. The 1902 Wright flight crew from left to right: Octave Chanute, Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright, George Spratt, Augustus Herring, and Dan Tate. After some experimentation the Wrights convert the fixed tail of their glider to a movable rudder. This, together with wing warping and the elevator, makes the glider controllable in all three axes – roll, pitch, and yaw . For the first time, their machine can turn safely in the air. The first Wright airplane engine was designed for simplicity so the Wright's mechanic. Charlie Taylor, could build it with the limited metalworking equipment they had on hand. Nonetheless it incorporated some innovations, among them one of the first aluminum engine blocks. It's crude construction, however, led to a poor performance. The interior of the Wright's camp building. The 1902 Wright Glider initially had a fixed tail that the Wrights had hoped would solve the turning problem. It didn't. Chanute brought a glider with "oscillating" wings and had Herring test-fly the machine. It did not perform well. Wilbur soars out from the dune aboard the modified glider. Note the discarded Lansom machine at the bottom left. Orville recovers from a right turn. Note the right wing tips are warped down and the rudder is angled to the left. The cockpit of Langely's Aerodrome. By the end of 1902, the project was over a year behind schedule and Langley was out of funds. 1903 February — Ferdinand Ferber, France,  publishes an account of his gliding experience with a Wright-type glider in L'Aérophile. Winter — The Wrights begin to design their first aircraft propellers. The calculations are complex and confusing, and there are many heated arguments. April — The Wrights complete their first set of propellers. April — Octave Chanute lectures the Aéro-Club de France on the gliding experiments of the Wright brothers. They are astonished at the Wrights' accomplishments and the news galvanizes a number of them into action. Chanute also gives the club the impression that the Wrights are his "pupils." April — In the magazine La Locomotion,Ernest Archdeacon, France, proposes a "gliding competition" for French aviation enthusiasts to encourage them to catch up to the Wright brothers. Archdeacon later subscribes 3000 francs to be used as prize money. Summer — Ferdinand Ferber, who has continued to test and improve his Wright-type glider, attaches a  6 hp motor and a primitive propeller to it. He attempts to fly the aircraft tethered to a crane, but the flight tests are unsuccessful. August — Octave Chanute publishes the details of the Wright brothers' 1902 glider inL'Aérophile. August 8 — Samuel Langley successfully flies a quarter-scale gasoline-powered model of his man-carrying Great Aerodrome. September 25 — The Wrights return to Kitty Hawk. September 28 — Wrights practice flying with the 1902 glider and build a new hanger for the Flyer. October 7 — Samuel Langley tests his man-carrying Great Aerodrome on the Potomac, with Charles Manly at the controls. The machine plunges into the river. Langley claims that the airplane snagged on its launch mechanism, but analysis of photos show that the wings are not strong enough to hold their shape. The front wing deforms seconds after launch, angling the Aerodrome down. October 23 — George Spratt visits theWright’s camp. November 4 — When the Wrights test their assembled Flyer for the first time, it damages both propeller shafts. George Spratt takes the shafts back to Dayton with instructions forCharlie Taylor to rebuild them. November 5 — Octave Chanute visits the Wright camp. November 8 — Samuel Langley asks the War Department for more money to rebuild and test his Aerodrome again. He gets it. November 20 — Wrights receive the new propeller shafts, but find the drive sprockets come loose on the shafts when the Wrights "swing the props" to start the engine.. November 21 — The Wrights elect to use bicycle tire cement to glue the sprockets to the shafts. The cement works. November 28 — After the Wrights make several tests, one of the new propeller shafts crack. Orville takes it back to Dayton himself to remake it. December 8 — Samuel Langley tests hisGreat Aerodrome again. And again it fails.Charles Manly is almost drowned in the crash. December 11 — Orville Wright returns to Kitty Hawk from Dayton with new shafts made of solid spring steel. December 14 — The Wrights try to fly their machine with Wilbur at the controls. But he misjudges the effect of the elevator, the machine shoots up 15 feet, stalls, and plows into the sand 105 feet from the point of takeoff. Neither Wilbur or Orville consider this a true flight since the airplane was never under Wilbur's control. December 17 — At 10:35 am, Orville Wright  makes the first powered flight in a fully controllable aircraft capable of sustaining itself in the air. The flight  lasts just 12 seconds and stretches only 120 feet (37 meters). In the next few hours, Wilbur and Orville make four flights, the longest 59 seconds and 852 feet (260 meters). After the fourth flight, a gust of wind rolls the aircraft over and smashes it. Wrights send a telegram to their father, Bishop Milton Wright, informing him of their success. Katharinecables Octave Chanute telling him of her brothers' first powered flights. December 27 — Octave Chanute invitesWilbur Wright to speak about his powered flights to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.December 28 — Wilbur Wright declinesOctave Chanute's invitation, saying, "We are giving no pictures nor descriptions of machine or methods at present."   The Wrights were the first to realize that propellers were wings that spun in a circle. Consequently, their props were cambered (curved) like wings. Ernest Archdeacon sits astride his "Aeromotorcyclette," a propeller-powered motorcycle. Chanute published these drawings of the 1902 Wright Glider, but in accordance with the Wrights' wishes, he did not elaborate on the control system. To test the design of his Great Aerodrome, Langley flew this quarter-size model. It was the first successful flight of a gasoline-powered aircraft. While the Wright brothers were constructing the powered Flyer, they made practice glides with the 1902 glider. They modified the rudder so it would behave more like the Flyer. Langley's Great Aerodromelaunches for the first time. Themachine slid into the Potomac River "like a handful of wet cement" according to one newspaper account. Samuel Langley (right) and Charles Manly (left), the pilot of the Great Aerodrome. Note the compass that Manly has sewn into his pants. Orville inspects the reassembled Wright Flyer. After the 14 December flight attempt, the front skids supporting the elevator cracked on impact. They were easily repaired. The fourth and last flight of 17 December covered 852 feet (260 meters). The Wrights considered this the only true flight of the day because the Flyer remained aloft long enough to prove that it was capable of controlled and sustained powered flight. Some of the many calculations the Wright brothers made while designing and testing their propellers. One of several photos taken by Octave Chanute as he observed the Wright flying experiments in 1902. Ferber tested a motorized version of his glider while it was attached to a counterbalanced crane to see whether the propulsion system could produce enough lift for flight and whether the controls were effective. It lacked both lift and control. The Wright brothers building their Flyer at their camp at the base of Kill Devil Hills. Workers assemble the Great Aerodrome on its launching track atop a specially-built floating workshop and hangar. The completed 1903 Wright Flyer in front of its hangar. The Wrights had to remove the elevator (front) and the rudder (back) to stow the Flyer. As soon as the Great Aerodrome left the catapult on 8 December 1903, the rear wings folded. The tail of the aircraft dropped and it slid backwards into the Potomac River. The Wright Flyer on its launching track on 14 December. Because the winds were lighter than they would have liked, the Wright brothers set up the launching rail on the slope of a dune. The Wright Flyer takes off from level ground for the first time on 17 December 1903. The telegram that Orville and Wilbur sent to their father Milton announcing their success.

The Aerial Steam Carriage, conceived by William Henson in 1843, was the first aircraft design to show propellers.

In 1874, Felix du Temple made the first attempt at manned flight in a powered aircraft. He was not successful.


THE DECADE AFTER
Immediately after the Wright Brothers make their first powered flights in 1903, they begin to develop their experimental aircraft into a marketable product. By 1905 they have what they consider to be a "practical flying machine." Other experimenters learn of their work and begin to build on their success. By 1906, would-be pilots are making tentative hops in uncontrollable aircraft. By 1909, after watching the Wrights' flying demonstrations, they grasp the brilliance and necessity of three-axis aerodynamic control. The performance of their aircraft quickly catch up to, then surpass Wright Flyers. The capabilities of and the uses for aircraft expand as designers and pilots introduce float planes, flying boats, passenger aircraft, observation platforms fitted with radios and wireless telegraphs, fighters, and bombers. As World War I approaches, aircraft have become an essential part of war and peace.
Landing Without Crashing, 1904 to 1905

TIME EVENT 1903 December — On the train ride from Kitty Hawk to Dayton, the Wright brothers decide to continue their aeronautical work until they have developed their Flyer into a "practical" flying machine. Wilbur later defines a practical flying machine as one that can take off in a wide range of weather conditions, navigate to a predetermined location, and "land without wrecking."   Although the Wrights made four successful flights on December 17, 1903, the same cannot be said of their landings. None of them were planned and the fourth and last landing damaged the elevator. 1904 January 5 — Hoping to quash all the fantastic rumors about their airplane, the Wrights issue a statement to the Associated Press describing their first powered flights at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903. January 22 — The Wrights engage attorneyHarry A. Toulmin of Springfield, Ohio to handle their patent applications. March — Ernest Archdeacon, France puts up a purse of 25,000 francs for the first officially recorded circular flight of one kilometer, called the Grand Prix d’Aviation, to be awarded by theAéro-Club de France. French oil magnateHenry Deutsch de la Meurthe matches Archdeacon, raising the prize to 50,000 francs, or about $10,000. March 22-24 — Harry A. Toulmin applies for the French and German patents on the Wright airplane. March-May — The Wrights build a second airplane, the Flyer II. It is a copy of their first Flyer, but it has a more powerful motor (18 hp). Spring Alberto Santos-Dumont, France, a pilot famous for his pioneering work in dirigibles, begins to experiment with gliders. April 1-15 — Ernest Archdeacon tests a "type du Wright" glider near Berck-sur-Mer, France, piloted by Ferdinand Ferber and Gabriel Voison. Although the glider is based on the 1902 Wright design, the wings are shorter, the camber deeper, and there is no roll control. Archdeacon considers its performance unsatisfactory. May — Robert Esnault-Pelterie, France, tests a type du Wright glider, but he has trouble with the wing warping and determines to improve it. May 23-26 — The Wrights attempt to fly at Huffman Prairie, near Dayton, Ohio before the press on two occasions with their new machine, the Flyer II. But even with a more powerful motor, it can only manage brief hops. The press is kind, but unimpressed. July 1 — The first of the Wright’s patents (French) is granted. August 13 — Wilbur makes a flight of 1340 feet (408 meters) in the Flyer II, beating his performance in Kitty Hawk for the first time. But the brothers are still have trouble getting into the air and staying there. September 7 — The Wrights develop a catapult launching system to get their aircraft up to flying speed. It works well, and they begin to make progress again. September 20 — Wilbur Wright flies the first complete circle in an airplane. The flight is witnessed by Amos Root, inventor of the modern bee hive and publisher of Gleanings in Bee Culture. October — Robert Esnault-Pelterie tests a rebuilt version of his glider with primitive elevons mounted forward of the wings. October — Ferdinand Ferber rebuilds his glider with an elevator in front and the fixed horizontal tailplane in back. He also mounted to triangular wingtip rudders. While testing this glider, he takes his mechanic, Marius Burdin, aloft for a short flight, making him the first passenger in a heavier-than-air machine. October — The Aéro-Club de France adds to their list of prizes to encourage the development of aviation in France. The Coupe Ernest Archdeacon consists of a trophy and 1500 francs. The trophy goes to the first aviator to fly 25 meters (82 feet) and the cash to the first to fly 100 meters (328 feet). The Prix pour record de distance will award a silver medal and 100 francs to the first 10 pilots to fly 60 meters (197 feet) and 1500 francs for the first to fly 100 meters. As aviation progresses, theAero-Club will offer additional prizes for flights of 150, 300, and 500 meters (492, 984, and 1640 feet). October 15 — Lt. Col. John E. Capper of the British Army visits to Wrights in Dayton to obtain information on their airplane and express an interest in buying it. November 9 — Wilbur flies for 5 minutes and 4 seconds, traveling 2-3/4 miles (4.4 kilometers) and completing 4 circles around Huffman Prairie. It is the best flight of the season.   The fantastically inaccurate story that was fabricated for theVirginia Pilot newspaper was picked up by many other papers nationwide. This appeared in theChicago Tribune. Ernest Archdeacon. Santos Dumont flying his No. 6dirigible in Paris, France. Esnault-Pelterie represented his first glider as an exact copy of the Wrights' 1902 design, but like so many of his French buddies, did not understand the purpose or the mechanics of wing warping. The soft soil at the prairie was a wise choice. A number of the Wrights' flights ended  like this one on 16 August 1904. The pages from Wilbur's notebook that record the first circular flight. Ferber's 1904 glider design with an elevator in front and a horizontal tail in back would have enormous influence of later French designs. Wilbur keeps the Flyer II aloft for just over 5 minutes on 9 November 1904. Until they engaged Harry Toulmin in 1904, the Wrights had tried unsuccessfully to file their own patent, as this letter indicates. The patent drawings that Toulmin prepared show the 1902 glider, not the 1903 Flyer. Toulmin focused the patent application on the Wrights' single most important accomplishment – their control system. The Wrights realized that four flights in their first Flyer didn't provide enough experience, so the Flyer II was a copy of the first to allow them to thoroughly test the design. Voisin flies Archdeacon's glider at the sand dunes on the French side of the English Channel. Huffman Prairie had been a failed peat bog. The "frost heaves" every winter fluffed up the soil, making it very soft. The Wright catapult consisted of a high derrick (right) that dropped a heavy weight, pulling the Flyer along the launch track. Having tried and discarded wing-warping, Esnault-Pelterie reworked his glider with elevons or "little wings," as he called them. These were the forerunners of ailerons. Lt. Col. John Capper (left), later Sir John Capper, was one of the driving forces behind Britain's pioneer aviation programs. 1905 January 1 — After trying and failing to interestScientific American, Amos Root publishes an eyewitness account of the Wrights' 20 September 1904 flight (the first circle ever flown) in his own publication, Gleanings in Bee Culture. January 3 — Wilbur Wright meets with Ohio Congressman Robert M. Nevin to discuss selling their airplane to the United States military. Nevin suggests writing a letter which he will hand carry to President Taft. January 18 — Wilbur writes the letter requested by Nevin. Owing to a miscommunication, the letter is forwarded to theUS Department of War. January 26 — Nevin's office forwards  a letter from Maj. General George L. Gillespie of the US Board of Ordinance and Fortification to the Wrights declining their offer, saying that "their machine had not yet been brought to a state of practical operation." March-July — John J. Mongomery lifts a tandem-wing glider and pilot Daniel Maloneyaloft in a balloon over California to altitudes of up to 4000 feet (1219 meters), then releases them to glide down. March 1 — The Wrights offer their airplane to the British War Office. March 26 — Ernest Archdeacon tests a second glider with a fixed horizontal tailplane similar to Ferber's 1904 design. May 13 — The British War Office requests that their military attaché in Washington be allowed to observe the Wright airplane in flight. May-June — The Wrights build a third Flyer, scavenging the drive train and hardware from the second one. The new Flyer III incorporates many improvements. Summer — Samuel F. Cody, an American ex-patriot building "war kites" for the British, flies a "kite glider" at the Crystal Palace. He kites the glider and the pilot aloft, then glides down. June 8 and 18 — Gabriel Voison builds and flies a "float glider" for Ernest Archdeacon,towing it behind a motorboat on the Seine river. The design marries the Wright glider biplane wings and forward elevator with a box-kite tail. June 23 — The Wrights begin to test the Flyer III. It still presents many control issues, particularly in pitch. July 14 — Orville crashes the Flyer III. It is a serious accident and plainly due to lack of control. The Wrights decide to rebuild the Flyer again, extending the elevator and the rudder further out from the wings to make them more effective. July 18 — After the impressive tow-flights of the Voison-Archdeacon glider, Louis Blériotengages Gabriel Voison to build and test another float-glider. Like the first, they test it on the Seine River, towing it behind a motorboat. Voison quickly loses control and the glider crashes. July 25 — Carl Dienstbach, American correspondent of Illustrierte Aeronautische Mitteilungen (Illustrated Aeronautical Communications) in Germany, visits the Wrights in Dayton. He subsequently becomes a supporter and an important source of information about the Wrights for the Europeans. August 24 — The Wrights begin to test-fly the rebuilt Flyer III. In less than a week, they are flying multiple circuits around the Prairie and landing under control without damaging the Flyer. September 26 — After flying for 18 minutes,Wilbur runs the Flyer III out of fuel and coasts to a gentle landing. This is the first in a series of extended flights. October 4 and 5 — The Wrights fly publically before many witnesses, including journalists.Wilbur makes the best public flight on October 5, remaining in the air for 39 minutes, traveling 24 miles (39 kilometers), and landing only when the gas tank runs dry. October 9 — The Wrights again offer their airplane to the US War Department. They also write to Ferdinand Ferber, describing the success of their 1905 flying season and offering to sell the airplane to the French. October 12-14 — At a meeting in Paris, the Aero Clubs of eight countries – France, England, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and the United States – come together to form the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale "...to advance the science and sport of aeronautics." It becomes the governing body of aviation through the pioneer era. October 16 — The War Department asks to see detailed plans of the Wright airplane to determine its practicality. The Wrights decline.   The 1 January 1905 ofGleanings in Bee Culture carried a story describing the Wrights' 20 September 1904 flight. On 18 July 1905, the Montgomery glider was damaged on its ascent, it failed on the descent and Maloney was killed. Archdeacon's second glider was never flown by a pilot. It was towed aloft unmanned and crashed a few moments later Despite its improvements, the first version of the 1905 Wright Flyer III was still "close coupled" as the previous Flyers had been. The elevator and rudder were to close to the wings, creating control problems. The camber on the Voison-Bleriot float glider was much deeper than the Voison-Archdeacon machine, making it much harder to control. 7 September 1905 – After a few mishaps as the Wrights get used to their new controls, they begin to make uneventful flights – and safe landings. 4 October 1905 – The Wrights fly before the media for the first time since May 1904. A campaign button for Congressman Robert Nevin. The United States War Department, Board of Ordinance. rejected the Wright aircraft because it must first be brought to a "stage of practical operation." This left future historians to wonder if the War Department ever read the Wright proposal since the brothers had clearly stated they had produced an aircraft of "practical use." The Cody kite-glider was kited to altitudes of up to 350 feet (107 meters) and soared as far as 740 feet (226 meters) horizontally. The 1905 Voison-Archdeacon biplane glider, with its forward elevator and box-kite tail, became a standard configuration for many European aircraft. After Orville's crash of 14 July 1905, the Wrights rebuilt the Flyer III, extending the rudder and elevator out from the wings. This increased control effectiveness and allowed the pilot more time for attitude adjustments and  corrections. 29 September 1905 – After gaining more experience, the Wrights found they could keep the Flyer aloft till it ran out of gas. A close-up of Orville Wright flying on 4 October 1905. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale disseminated information about aviation, kept official records, and set standards, such as the requirements for a pilot's license.

Wake Up Call, 1905 to 1909

TIME EVENT 1905 Fall — Despite the failure of their first glider,Gabriel Voisin and Louis Blériot, France, decide to collaborate and form the world's first airplane manufacturing company. They make an odd-looking aircraft with elliptical wings and test it as a both glider and a powered airplane. It fails to fly, so they rebuild it with standard wings in front and an elliptical tail. It still refuses to fly. Voision buys out Blériot and they go their separate ways. November 14 — Charles M. Manly, the pilot of Langley's failed 1903 Aerodrome, speaks to the Aero Club of New York, reporting on the flights of the Wright Flyer III. It is apparent that he has witnessed some of these flights. November 17 — The Wrights send letters describing their 1905 flights to Carl Dienstbach in Germany, Patrick Alexander, a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society in England, and Georges Besancon, editor ofL'Aerophile in France. November 22 — Col. Hubert J. Foster, the British military attaché in Washington, again requests to see the Wright Flyer in operation. November 30 — The Wrights' letters to Ferberand Besancon are published in L'Auto in France. L'Aerophile also publishes the letter to Besancon. Frank S. Lahm, an American businessman living in Paris, a balloonist,  and a member of the Aero-Club d'France telegraphs his brother-in-law in Ohio and asks for verification. December 3 — Harry M. Weaver, Lahm's brother-in-law, visits the Wrights in Dayton and talks to several people who have witnessed their flights. He cables Lahm, "Claims fully verified, particulars by mail." December 30 — L'Auto publishes a sketch of the Wright Flyer III, purloined from an edition of the Dayton Daily News in Ohio. It is the first published picture to show details of the Flyer and is widely distributed in Europe. It has enormous impact on early European aircraft designs. Louis Blériot (left) and Charles Voison (right) in 1905. The cover of the December 1905 issue of L'Aerophile featured the Wright brothers and a brief account of their powered flights. It lit a fire under the French aviation community. This unsuccessful elliptical-winged aircraft, remembered as the Blériot III, was the first ever built by an aircraft manufacturing firm, Blériot-Voison. Blériot and Voison rebuilt their aircraft with standard wings in front and called it the Blériot IV. It still refused to fly and Blériot-Voison was dissolved.. Frank S. Lahm would become an advocate for the Wrights in France. Later, his son would become the first US Army pilot. The drawing of the 1905 Wright Flyer that L'Auto published clearly shows the forward elevator, rear rudder, even the launching rail and truck. 1906 Winter and Spring — Leon Levavasseurdevelops lightweight 25 hp and 50 hp engines that will become the mainstay of pioneer aviation in Europe. He calls them Antoinetteengines after Antoinette Gastambide, the daughter of his friend and chief of the manufacturing firm. January — The Aéro-Club de France meeting is rocked by the news of the Wright’s accomplishments in September and October 1905. Ferber accepts the Wrights claims;Archdeacon refuses to believe them. Archdeacon sends a taunting letter to the Wrights, challenging them to come to France and claim the Grand Prix d’Aviation. The Wrights do not respond. January 2 — Alberto Santos Dumontannounces his ambition to try for the Grand Prix d’Aviation and turns from building dirigibles to building airplanes. January 13-20 — The newly formed Aero Club of America organizes the first"Exhibition of Aeronautical Apparatus" in America at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City. The Wright brothers send the crankshaft and flywheel from their 1903 Wright Flyer engine, as well as photographs of their glider experiments. During the show, Scientific American magazine publishes an article casting aspersions on reports of the Wrights' 1904 and 1905 powered flights. Late January — L’Aerophile publishes the details of the Wrights' French patent, including complete information about their methods of three-axis control. Members of the Aéro-Club de France either ignore it or do not understand its importance. February — William J. Hammer, one of the founders of the Aero Club of America, travels to Dayton, Ohio to ascertain for himself whether reports of the Wrights' powered flights are true. He comes away convinced that the Wright brothers have flown successfully and convinces the Aero Club to issue a statement supporting the brothers. Albert F. Zahm, another founding member of the Aero Club, contacts the Wrights and asks for a statement that can be published along with the club's letter of support. February 27 — Samuel Langley dies in South Carolina. March 3 -- Romanian inventor Trajan Vuiamakes a brief hop (39 feet or 12 meters) in the first tractor monoplane. The aircraft is not wildly successful, but it starts an important design trend. March 12 — The Aero Club of Americaissues a statement supporting the Wright brothers and stating that the reports of their success are indeed true. It is accompanied by a summary of their test flights, signed by both brothers. This is the first public announcement giving details of the Wrights' 1904 and 1905 powered flights. May 22 — The Wright brothers are granted U.S. Patent No. 821393 for a "Flying-Machine," describing their three-axis control system. Because this system will prove fundamental to navigating an aircraft, the patent will come to be considered a "pioneer" patent of the airplane. July 23 — Alberto Santos-Dumont, France, tests the controls of a powered biplane, the 14-Bis, tethered underneath a dirigible. August 12 and 19 — Trajan Vuia tries to fly twice more in his tractor monoplane. The last flight ends with a crash. September 13 — Alberto Santos-Dumont, France, makes several short hops in his 14-Bis. October — Octave Chanute informs theWrights that the Europeans are catching up to them. Wilbur writes back that he believes the Europeans won’t have a flyable airplane for 5 years. October 23 — Alberto Santos-Dumont, France, flies 197 feet (60 meters) in his 14-Bis,landing quickly when the aircraft goes into an uncontrolled roll. His flight wins the Coupe Ernest Archdeacon trophy for the first flight of over 25 meters (82 feet). November — Gabriel Voisin and his brotherCharles form the Voisin Fréres Company to manufacture airplanes. November 12 — Alberto Santos-Dumont, France, flies 722 feet (220 meters) in his 14-Bis, winning the Coupe Ernest Archdeaconcash award for making a flight over 100 meters (328 feet).   ` Antoinette engines were not only powerful, they were extremely light. This 50 hp V-8 weighed just 93 lbs (42 kg). Ferdinand Ferber was the Wrights' contact in the French aviation community. Alberto Santos-Dumont in the cockpit of one of his airships. He would also use a basket as the cockpit of his first airplane. William J. Hammer standing in front of a Wright Model A in 1909. An account of Tajan Vuia's first flight appeared in the New York Herald. Vuia's aircraft is considered by some to be the first attempt to build a "roadable" aircraft or "flying car." Alberto Santos Dumont in the basket-cockpit of his 14 bis. The 14-bis takes off from a field in Bagatelle, France, just outside of Paris. The Voison Brothers Aeroplane Company in Billancourt, France. Leon Levavasseur, designer of the Antoinette engines. One of the exhibit halls at the 1906 Aero Club of America Exhibition of Aeronautical Apparatus. The Wright brothers' 1903 flywheel and crankshaft are on a small stand at the lower right. Lilienthal and Chanute gliders are hanging overhead. Samuel P. Langely died of a stroke in Aiken, SC. His funeral was held in Washington DC and he was buried in Boston, MS. US Patent No. 821393. Santos-Dumont attached his first aircraft, the 14 bis, to a dirigible to test its controls. The Vuia II about to crash. Charles (left) and Gabriel (right) Voison.

Faster, Higher, Farther, 1909 to 1912

TIME	EVENT
1909	November 3 — Alec Ogilvie, England, patents the first airspeed indicator. November 22 — Orville and Wilbur Wrightincorporate the Wright Company to manufacture airplanes. The company is backed by New York financiers, including Delancy Nicoll, Cornelius Vanderbilt, August Belmont, Morton Plant, Thomas F. Ryan, Theodore P. Shonts, Russel Alger, and Robert Collier.December — Lt. Benjamin Foulois and Signal Corps No. 1 (the Wright Military Flyer) are transferred to Fort Sam Houston near San Antonio, Texas. Foulois has had less than an hour's hands-on flight instruction at College Park and has not yet soloed, so Gen. James Allen tells him to "teach yourself to fly."	Ogilvie's airspeed indicator was the first to use a pitot tube, now standard equipment on every airplane. Unpacking the Military Flyer at Fort Sam Houston.	The incorporation papers for the Wright Company, showing the signatures of Wilbur and Orville.
1910	January — The Wright Company rents space from the Speedwell Motorcar plant in Dayton, Ohio and begins to manufacture airplanes. January 10 to 20 — The Los Angeles Air Meet, the first air meet in the United States, takes place at Dominguez Field. January 17 — The Wright Company hires famous dirigible pilot A. Roy Knabeshue to put together an exhibition flying team, the "Wright-Fliers." Knabeshue begins to scour the country for candidates. Spring — Zeppelin airships, which first flew in 1900, begin the first regularly scheduled air passenger service. Between 1910 and 1914, this service carries over 35,000 passengers between German cities without a single mishap.Orville Wright is one of those passengers. March 2 — Lt. Benjamin Foulois solos inSignal Corps No. 1 at Fort Sam Houston, after becoming the "only pilot ever to learn to fly by correspondence" with Orville Wright. For more than a year, Foulois is the US Army's only active pilot and Signal Corps No. 1 remains its only airplane. March 8 — Baroness Raymonde de Laroche,France, (her real name was Elise Deroche)becomes the first woman pilot to be granted a license to fly. March 10 — French pilot Emil Aubrun makes the first night flights. March 24 — Orville Wright and Charlie Taylor arrive in Montgomery, AL with five students and an airplane in tow. They open a flight school at a location that will one day become Maxwell Air Force Base. The Wright's first civilian students are Walter Brookins,Arch Hoxsey, A. L. Welsh, Spencer Crane, and J. W. Davis. Only Brookins, Hoxsey, and Welsh made it as pilots. March 28 — Henri Fabre makes the first successful take-off from water in a seaplane that he designed and built. Spring and Summer — Lt. Benjamin Fouloismakes some important improvements to Signal Corps No. 1, including adding seat belts and a wheeled undercarriage. April 27 to 28 — Louis Paulhan, flying aFarman, wins the first great air race, from London to Manchester in England. This race impresses many, including Wilbur Wright, who predicts for the first time in print that airplanes with one day cross the Atlantic Ocean. May 10 — Orville Wright leaves Walter Brookins in charge of the flight school in Montgomery, Alabama and returns to Dayton to train students at Huffman Prairie, now refurbished with a larger hangar.  Among his students are Frank Coffyn, Ralph Johnstone, Phil O. Parmalee, J. Clifford Turpin, Howard Gill, and Leonard Bonney. All of these men became pilots for the Wright-Fliers. May  29 — Glenn Curtiss flies 151 miles (243 kilometers) from Albany to New York City on the first cross-country flight in America. He wins the New York World Prize of $10,000. Summer — The Wright Brothers ask Arch Hoxsey, a member of their exhibition team, to test a Wright Model A that can be configured with the elevator in front, in back, or both. Toward the end of the summer, Hoxsey is decided that the aircraft flies best with the elevator in back. The Wrights also develop a wheeled undercarriage, perhaps responding to reports from Lt. Benjamin Foulois at Fort Sam Houston. June — Lt. John W. Dunne, England, completes and tests the D.5, the first successful powered flying wing and perhaps the first inherently stable powered aircraft of any sort. Later this year he will demonstrate the D.5before an audience from the Royal Aero Club that includes Orville Wright. June 2 — Charles S. Rolls, flying a Wright Model A,  makes the first round-trip flight over the English Channel and back again. June 30 — Glenn Curtiss makes the first bombing runs from an airplane, dropping dummy bombs over Lake Keuka near Hammondsport, NY. July 10 — Walter Brookins becomes the first pilot to fly over a mile above the earth, achieving an altitude of 6234 feet (1900 meters) in a Wright Model A over Atlantic City, New Jersey. August 20 — Lt. Jacob Fickel fires a Springfield rifle from an airplane piloted byGlenn Curtiss at a target on the ground over Sheepshead Bay Speedway, Brooklyn, New York. He scores one hit. This is the first time a gun is fired from an aircraft. August 27 — James McCurdy and Fredrick Baldwin, flying a Curtiss biplane, receive and send telegraph messages on a Horton wireless set over Sheepshead Bay, New York. It is the first time that a pilot in the air communicates with people on the ground. September 2 — Blanche Stuart Scottbecomes the first American woman to solo an airplane. She was taught to fly by Glenn Curtiss, although she never received a license. September 23 — Georges Chavez crosses the Alps in a Bleriot monoplane, flying from Brig, Switzerland and reaching a record altitude of 2200 meters (7,218 feet), but is fatally injured in a crash landing at Domodossola, Italy. October 3 — Capt. Bertram Dickson,England, flying a  Farman biplane, collides withRene Thomas, France in an Antoinettemonoplane over Milan, Italy in the first mid-air collision. Both pilots survive. October 11 — Former President Theodore Roosevelt goes aloft with Arch Hoxsey at St. Louis, Missouri, becoming the first US commander-in-chief to fly. October 22 to 30 — The Belmont International Aviation Tournament, the firstinternational air meet in America gets underway at Belmont, NY. It offers a whopping $75,000 in prizes to draw aviators from all over the world. At this meet, the Wrights unveil what will become their most popular airplane, the Wright Model B. Like their earlier craft, the Model B is a pusher biplane with wing-warping. But is has a conventional tail and a wheeled undercarriage. They also bring a special airplane – the Wright Model R, dubbed the "Baby Grand" – to win the speed contest. During speed trials, it flies a 70 mph and is the favorite to win the race. But it crashes before the competition begins. October 25 — Capt. Yoshitoshi Tokugawa,Japan,  builds and flies the first Japanese aircraft, the Kai-1. It's patterned after a Farman design. November 7 — Phil Parmalee flies the world's first air-freight shipment – two bolts of silk cloth – from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio in a Wright Model B. The cloth is delivered to Morehouse-Martens Department Store, where it is cut up into swatches and sold as souvenirs. That same day Didier Masson flies a biplane designed by E. Lilian Todd over Long Island, New York. Todd is first woman aeronautical engineer. November 14 — Flying a Curtiss biplane,Eugene Ely takes off from an 83-foot-long wooden deck built on the U.S.S. Birmingham in Hampton, Roads, VA.  This marks the birth of the aircraft carrier. November 17 — Ralph Johnstone,  a member of the Wright exhibition team, fails to pull out of a spiraling dive and dies in a crash. He is the first American pilot to lose his life in an airplane.	This postcard shows the Speedwell Motorcar building, the first home of the Wright Company. Roy Knabenshue flying his "Racing Airship" just before signing on with the Wright brothers. He won a race with an automobile in this dirigible. Baroness Raymonde de Laroche at the controls of her Voison. Orville talks with two of his students in Montgomery, Alabama. The Wright Military Flyer at Fort Sam Houston with its flight crew. Note the wheels. The hangar for the Wright Flying School near Montgomery, Alabama was built by Montgomery businesses to the Wrights' specs. Curtiss' Albany Flyer was equipped with pontoons to serve as flotation devices should Curtiss have trouble and have to put down in the Hudson River. John William Dunne sits in the cockpit of the Dunne "D.5." This was the first flying wing. The unusual design lifted huge loads and was very stable in flight. Charles Rolls dons a life preserver as he prepares to fly roundtrip across the English Channel. Walter Brookins climbs to an altitude of 6,1725 feet (1882 meters) over Atlantic City, setting a new altitude record. While flying at Sheepshead Bay, James McCurdy and Fredrick Baldwin send and receive messages between and airplane and the ground. Both men were pilots for Glenn Curtiss. Chevas wrecked his Bleriot just 50 miles (80 kilometers) short of his destination -- but he had crossed the Aps. Arch Hoxsey instructs former President Theodore Roosevelt to put his seat back and tray in the upright position. The Wright Model R "Baby Grand" was powered by a V-8 engine, the only eight-cylinder engine the Wrights ever built. Phil Parmalee wrapped head to toe prepares to make the first air freight flight. Eugene Ely takes off from a sloped wooden deck built on the bow of the USS Birmingham.	A poster announcing the 1910 Los Angeles Airmeet. Forty-three aviators and budding young aviation companies participated. Lt. Benjamin Foulois in the cockpit of a Wright military aircraft. In the seat beside him is a radio transmitter, a telegraph key is attached to the elevator control stick. Henri Fabre taxis across the bay at Monaco in the first successful seaplane, which he called a "hydravion." Louis Paulhan lands his Farman biplane in London after flying 195 miles (314 kilometers) from Manchester in 12 hours with just one stop. The new hangar for the flying school at Huffman Prairie was very similar to the one in Montgomery, but it was not covered by advertising. Arch Hoxsey flying outside of St. Louis; his Wright Flyer configured to have two elevators – one in front and the other in back. The D.5 from the rear. Dunne aircraft developed in secret as the British believed the design had military potential, perhaps a a stable bombing platform. Glenn Curtiss drops dummy bombs (8-inch lengths of lead pipe) on a mock warship made from paper. He hit his target 18 times out of 20. Lt. Fickel fires a rifle at a 3-foot by 5-foot paper target from an altitude of 100 feet. He hit the target and later repeated the feat with a semi-automatic pistol. Blanche Stuart Scott in the cockpit of her Curtiss aircraft. The aftermath of the first mid-air collision. The Wright Model B, which was to become the Wright Company's most popular aircraft, was unveiled at the Belmont International Air Meet. Capt. Yoshitoshi Tokugawa in the cockpit of his aircraft. Lillian Todd in her biplane. Sensational newspaper article about Johnstone's fatal accident.

Girding for Battle, 1912 to 1914 

TIME	EVENT
1912	March — Anton Fokker establishes an airplane factory, Fokker Aeroplanbau, near Berlin, Germany. Ninety percent of his planes are sold to the German military. March 1 — Albert Berry makes the first successful parachute jump from an airplane, dropping 1500 feet from a Benoist pusher piloted by Tony Janus. March 29  The Aéronautique Militairebecomes a division of the French armed forces. April 16 — Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly across the English Channel. She pilots a Blériot from Deal in England to Cap Gris-Nez in France. May 30 — Thirteen years to the day after he first wrote the Smithsonian Institution asking for information on aeronautics, Wilbur Wright dies of typhoid fever in his home in Dayton, Ohio.Orville Wright takes over as president of the Wright Company. Summer — A.V. Roe builds and tests the first enclosed-cabin airplane. The Avro Fmonoplane has a steel frame, a skin of linen and aluminum, and celluloid windows. June 7 — At the request of inventor Isaac Lewis, Capt. Charles Chandler fires the Lewis machine gun from a Wright Model B piloted byLt. Thomas de Witt Milling at College Park, Maryland, USA. It is the first time a machine gun has been fired from an airplane. Despite the success of the test, the US Army declines to adopt the gun. Lewis takes it to England where it becomes standard armament on British aircraft. June 20 — Lt. John H. Towers is nearly thrown from the passenger seat of a Wright Model B when a gust of wind catches it and forces it down into the Chesapeake Bay. The pilot, Ensign W.D. Billingsley, is thrown out and killed – the first casualty of naval aviation. Towers' accident report and recommendation result in the U.S. military installing seat belts and safety harnesses in its aircraft. June 21 — Tiny Broadwick becomes the first woman to parachute from an airplane. The airplane is piloted by Glenn Martin. July 27 — Lt. John Rodgers and En. Charles Maddox send the first wireless message from an aircraft to a ship. Flying a Wright Model B, they contact the torpedo boat USS Stringham. August 5-16 — Six active US Army pilots – Lt. Harry Graham, Lt. T. Dewitt Milling, Lt. Benjamin Foulois, Lt. Harold Geiger, Capt. F. B. Hennessey, and Lt. Henry "Hap" Arnold – plus Pvt. Beckwith Havens, a Curtiss pilot recruited just for the occasion, participate in the first war games to use airplanes. The Red and Blue Armies fight over Danbury, Connecticut. Each side uses aircraft equipped with wireless telegraphy for reconnaissance. October 1 — The German armed forces establishes the Military Aviation Services. October 26 — Lt. John H. Towersexperiments with the use of aircraft for anti-submarine warfare. Later, he will demonstrate this capability during U.S. naval exercises  at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. November 12 — The Navy launches a Curtiss seaplane, flown by Lt. T. Gordon Ellyson, from a coal barge using a compressed air catapult. This was the first successful catapult launch from a ship of any kind. November 19 —  The British Admiralty asksVickers LTD to produce an aircraft armed with a machine gun, the first aircraft purposefully designed for shooting down other aircraft. November 28 — Italy establishes the first autonomous air force, the Flotta Aerea d'Italia. It's not connected to any other branch of their armed forces.	Anton Fokker in his first aircraft, the Spinne (Spider). Fokker developed this into theEindecker monoplane. The French Aéronautique Militaire adopted the familiar "roundel" to identify their airplanes in the air. Wilbur Wright's funeral procession in Dayton, Ohio. Captain Charles Chandler (with Lewis Gun) and pilot Lt. Roy Kirtland in a Wright Model B at College Park, Maryland. Tiny Broadwick hanging behind a wing, ready for a parachute jump. The parachute is rolled up on a ledge above her. Signal Corps No. 2 (a Curtiss aircraft) and Lt. Harold Geiger (facing camera) at the Connecticut War Games. The Curtiss A-1 Triad could be flown low and slow, making it a good aircraft for searching out and bombarding submarines. The Vickers EFB-1 was the first aircraft designed and built with an onboard machine gun.	Albert Berry (right) about to make a parachute jump. The chute is rolled up in the cone beneath his feet and to the right. Parachute "packs" were invented later. Harriet Quimby is carried triumphantly on the shoulders of French spectators after crossing the English Channel. The Avro F was not popular. Aviators resisted enclosed cockpits for years, saying the cabin limited visibility.. Lt. John H. Towers trained to fly Curtiss aircraft, which is why he was in the passenger seat of the Wright airplane when it ditched. Military Wright Model B equipped with wireless telegraphy. The pilot or passenger tapped out a signal in Morse code. Soon after the German Military Aviation Services formed, they adopted the Iron Cross as their identifying insignia. Launching a Curtiss seaplane from a coal barge. The Flotta Aerea d'Italia (Air Fleet of Italy) included both heavier- and lighter-than-aircraft. These are Italian military dirigibles bombing Turkish troops in Libya in 1912
1913	February 14-22 — The Olympia Aero Exhibition in London, England marks the beginning of the end of pioneer aviation. Gone are the open, kite-like air frames; all the latest aircraft have enclosed fuselages with cockpits and control panels. Aircraft motors brag of almost 200 horsepower, design emphasizes streamlining and speed, stick-and-rudder control systems are becoming standard. More ominously, the show introduces a new type of aircraft, the "war airplane." February 27 — The New York courts return their decision on the Wright vs. Curtiss patent suit. They find in favor of the Wright brothers.Glenn Curtiss files an appeal to the Federal courts. March 15 — The United States Army forms the 1st Aero Squadron under Capt. Charles Chandler to scout for rebel Mexican troops and bandits along the border. The squadron is based at Texas City, Texas April 1 — Alfred, Lord Northcliffe, publisher of the London Daily Mail offers a prize 10,000 pounds for the first pilot to cross the Atlantic in an airplane. The prize is withdrawn at the start of World War I but renewed shortly thereafter. April 16 — Maurice Provost,  flying aDeperdussin, wins the first Schneider Trophycontest, a speed trial for seaplanes in Monaco. More than any other contest, the Schneider Trophy spurs the development of aircraft engines. May 13 — Igor Sikorsky pilots the hugeRussky Vityaz on its first flight, carrying 8 passengers. With 4 engines, a wingspan of 92 feet, an open-air observation deck, and a total weight of 4080 kilograms (8995 pounds), it is the largest airplane in the world. Although many European engineers had predicted its failure, the Russky Vityaz proves the feasibility of large aircraft. June — French engineer Louis Bechereau ofSocieté de Production Armand Deperdussin(SPAD) unveils their newest monoplane racer with a monocoque fuselage. This revolutionary method of construction uses the skin of the aircraft to carry structural loads. This, in turn, reduces the number of structural parts, making the aircraft lighter, more streamlined, and simpler to build. August 10 — Lawrence Sperry and Lt. Patrick Berringer test an experimental device that uses 4 gyroscopes turning at 7000 rpm to stabilize a Curtiss Model F in flight. It is the beginning of the modern autopilot. September 9 — Pyotr Nesterov, a young Russian officer out for a joy ride, flies the first loop-de-loop on record in a Nieuport IV. He is promptly placed under house arrest for endangering government property. September 18 — A.V. Roe develops the Avro 504, a two-seat military scout and trainer that was used up until the 1930s. More Avro 504sare manufactured during World War I than any other aircraft. September 21 —  Adolphe Pegoud flies the first public loop-de-loop in a Bleriot monoplane near Buc, France. This and other stunts (such as flying inverted) make him the first aerobatic pilot. These aerobatics would soon become the basis for evasive maneuvers used by combat pilots in World War I. September 21 —  Roland Garros flies 453 miles (729 kilometers) across the Mediterranean in a Morane-Saulniermonoplane, from Saint-Raphael to Bizerte in Tunisia. November — T.O.M. Sopwith develops theTabloid Scout, a highly maneuverable biplane able to climb to 15,000 feet in 10 minutes. This will develop into the Sopwith Camel, one of the most effective fighters of World War I. November 21 — Spanish pilot Lt. Rios and observer Capt. Manuel Barreiro are seriously wounded be rifle fire from Moroccan soldiers on the ground in Tangiers, dispelling the notion that airplanes present a target that is impossible to hit from the ground. November 30 — During the Mexican Revolution, American mercenary pilots Dean Ivan Lamb, flying for the Carrancistas(supporters of Venustiano Carranza), andPhilip Rader, flying for then-President Victoriano Huerta, exchange pistol shots over Naca, Mexico in the the world's first aerial combat. Neither is hit. December 10 — Igor Sikorsky flies the huge 4-engine Ilya Muromets, the first true airliner. It is equipped with a heated cabin,  electric lighting, wicker chairs, a bedroom, a lounge and even the first airborne toilet. Sikorsky later flies it with 16 passengers and it might have gone into commercial service had not World War I broken out. Instead, it is converted to become the first heavy bomber. December 28 — Georges Lagagneux climbs to a record-breaking altitude of 6120 meters (20,079 feet) in a Nieuport II-N and becomes the first pilot to use oxygen in flight.	The fourth annual Aero Exhibition filled the massive Olympia with 4 acres (16,200 square meters) of airplanes, engine, dirigibles, and other new aviation equipment A panoramic view encompassing the entire 1rst Aero Squadron in Texas City, Texas. Lord Northcliffe (center, closest to the camera) offered dozens of cash prizes through The Daily Mail to spur the development of aviation -- and generate interesting news. Sikorky's Russky Vityaz ("Russian Knight") first flew with just two engines (shown); two more were added later. Lawrence Sperry and his gyroscopic stabilizer. Although designed as a trainer, the Avro 504 was also used as a fighter and bomber early in World War I. Roland Garros immediately after crossing the Mediterranean Sea. The Spanish expeditionary force in Tangiers included four LohnerPfeilfliegers ("Arrow Flyers"), one of the first swept-wing aircraft. Rios and Barreiro were flying one of these when they were shot. Igor Sikorsky and his daughter standing beside the huge Ilya Muromets. Ilya Muromets was a legendary hero who saved Russia from invaders.	Among the many airplanes at the Olympia Aero Exhibition was this sleek Vickers "War Monoplane." Certificate granting O.Wright and W. Wright patent No. 821,393 on a "Flying Machine." Maurice Prevost at the controls of his Deperdussin seaplane off the shores of Monaco where he won the first Schneider Trophy.. A SPAD worker carries a monocoque Deperdussin fuselage to show it's light weight. The very first aerobatics were performed by Pyotr Nesterov in a French Nieuport IV. Adolphe Pegoud at the beginning of a loop. The Sopwith Tabloid was so-called because of its relatively small size and the sensation it caused when first introduced. With just an 80 hp Gnome rotary engine, it flew 92 mph (148 kph). The aircraft engaged in the first dogfight were a beat-up Curtiss Pusher (top) flown by Lamb, and a Christofferson Pusher (bottom)in only slightly better condition flown by Rader.  According to Lamb, the dogfight was staged; the pilots were friends and didn't want to hurt each other. The tiny, fast Nieuport II-N carried Georges Lagagneux nearly 4 miles (6 kilometers) above the earth.
1914	January 1 — P.E. Fansler  founds the first regularly scheduled airline to use fixed-wing aircraft, with pilot Tony Jannus flying both passengers and freight between Tampa and St. Petersburg (22 miles or 34 kilometers) in aBenoist flying boat. The airline survives only until March, but carries 1,024 passengers without a single mishap. On this same day, theChinese Army forms the Chinese Army Air Arm. January 13 — The United States Court of Appeals upholds the original decision of theWright vs. Curtiss patent suit and declares the Wright patent to be the "grandfather" patent of the aircraft industry. This establishes theWright brothers as the legal inventors of the airplane, as well as the historic inventors. February — Glenn Curtiss begins to build a huge flying boat, the America, to capture The Daily Mail Atlantic Prize for the first flight across the Atlantic. Flight tests continue into the summer. February 24 — After a rash of fatal accidents, the U.S. Army grounds all Wright and Curtiss "pusher" airplanes, leaving the Army with almost nothing to fly. Glenn Martin offers a tractor biplane to fill the gap, the the Martin Model T becomes the Army's first "safe" training airplane. April 20 —  The USS Mississippi transports three Navy aircraft to support US troops and fly reconnaissance in Vera Cruz, Mexico. This is the US Navy's first aviation mission. April 24 —  Glenn Curtiss unveils the Curtiss Model J, a tractor biplane designed by B. Douglas Thomas. Thomas had formally been an engineer for Sopwith Aviation in England, and the Model J incorporates all the latest advances in European biplane design. May 28 — In an attempt to nullify the legal decision of Curtiss vs. Wright, Glenn Curtiss"restores" the 1903 Langley Aerodrome and flies it from Lake Keuka ostensibly to prove the Aerodrome was the first airplane capable of manned flight. In reality, Curtiss has made over 30 major modifications to the Aerodrome to make it airworthy. The flights have no effect on the patent litigation. July 4 — Tiny Broadwick makes the first jump with a modern parachute – packed in a backpack and released with a rip cord – over San Diego, California. June 29 — Igor Sikorsky and his crew serve the first inflight meals aboard the Ilya Murometson a flight from Kiev to St. Petersburg. July 14 — Robert H. Goddard is granted a patent for a liquid-fueled rocket. June 18 — Lawrence Sperry and Emil Cachin demonstrate a gyroscopic automatic stabilizer in a Curtiss C-2 at the Concours de la Securité en Aéroplane in France. While in flight, Sperry and Cachin walk out on opposite wings while the aircraft flies itself past the review stand. August 1 — World War I breaks out in Europe. At this time, the US Army Aviation Division has only 12 officers, 54 enlisted men, and 6 airworthy airplanes. Glenn Curtiss cancels his plans for a trans-Atlantic flight. The America is assigned to submarine patrol duty. August 17 — Capt. Lewis E. Goodier Jr. tests a bomb-dropping device designed by Lt. Riley Scott in a Martin Model T at the Signal Corps Aviation School at North Island, California. August 30 — Paris, France is bombed by the Germans. It is the first time a capital city comes under attack from the air. September — Glenn Curtiss and B. Douglas Thomas rework the Model J to produce theCurtiss Model N. It just squeaks by a military review board, barely meeting the Army's new qualifications.  Curtiss and Thomas later refine the design to create the capable Curtiss Model JN or "Jenny." September 24 — Royal Flying Corps pilots use both aerial photography and wireless telegraphy to direct artillery fire during the Battle of the Aisne in France. Their aircraft carry 75-pound Morse-code transmitters. October 5 — French Corp. Louis Quenalt, an observer flying in a Voisin piloted by Sgt. Joseph Frantz, shoots down a German Aviatikwith a Hotchkiss machine gun. This is the first air-to-air kill. October 31 —  Lt. Francis H. Humphreys of the Royal Flying Corps carries out the first recorded strafing attack, firing 250 rounds at a German convoy.	The Benoist XIV on one of its many runs across Tampa Bay in Florida. It rarely flew more than a few dozen feet above the water. Although Orville Wright (seated next to his sister Katharine) won the patent suit, he didn't capitalize on it. Instead of creating a "patent monopoly" as his investors pushed him to do, he simply licensed other manufacturers to use the Wright patent. The Martin T was the first of the "second generation" aircraft flown by the U.S. military. The Curtiss Model J was briefly the fastest airplane in America at 87 mph (140 kph). Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick preparing for a jump with a parachute pack on her back. Robert Goddard demonstrating how to get from the earth to the moon via rocket. The America takes off on its maiden flight. The Curtiss Model N, although it met military specs, was tail-heavy and slow. Curtiss and Thomas reworked the N design to create the "JN." This became the first in a successful series of military trainers and reconnaissance aircraft. The first airplane to shoot down another was the Voison III.	A few months before the St. Petersburg/Tampa airline began, Roy Knabenshue was taking passengers on scheduled flights in the White City airship to see Pasadena, California. Although it did not use airplanes, this was the first U.S. airline. The Curtiss America under construction on Lake Keuka near Hammondsport, New York. The engine on the top wing was later eliminated. The USS Mississippi (B-23) carried three Curtiss C-2 flying boats. The airplanes launched from a ramp at the stern of the ship and were retrieved by a crane. The modified 1903 Langely Aerodrome in flight above Lake Keuka in New York. The Ilya Muromets makes a low pass with passengers standing on the observation deck. Sperry ventures onto the wing of a Curtiss flying boat outfitted with his automatic stabilizer. Pilot Cachin would soon join him. Riley Scott loads practice bombs onto a Martin T aircraft at North Island. Aerial view of a Royal Flying Corps aircraft over the trenches in France during World War I. A convoy of German trucks destroyed by aerial strafing and bombing.

The 1905 Wright Flyer III was the first practical aircraft, capable of sustained flight and navigation.

The Dunne flying wing, built and tested by the British in 1910, was the first top secret aircraft.


PILOTS, PLANES, AND PIONEERS

The history of pioneer aviation is resplendent with heroes and heroines who took spindly, underpowered aircraft and accomplished amazing things. They were an odd collection of scientists, entrepreneurs, adventurers, soldiers, and people who just wanted to push personal and cultural boundaries. What they all had in common is that they blazed the first trails through the sky and in doing so, changed the world. This is a collection of short biographies, arranged alphabetically. We have added longer bios for a few pioneers, and will add more as time allows.

In 1911, Harriet Quimby became the first licensed woman pilot in the United States.

WHO WAS FIRST?

Almost as soon as the news of the Wright brothers' first flights at Kitty Hawk and Huffman Prairie became known, there were claims that others had been the first to fly. We shouldn't deny these "wannabees" the acclaim they deserve; they are true aviation pioneers and visionaries. It's interesting to note that with only a few exceptions, none claimed this honor for themselves. It was claimed for them, often many years after they had completed their work. And the people who made these claims often had transparent reasons -- reputations to uphold, axes to grind, books to sell, and tourism to encourage. The accounts presented here reflect the conclusions of the majority of aviation historians. We also address a favorite of conspiracy theorists, a controversial agreement between the Wright estate and the Smithsonian, allegedly designed to suppress whatever truth du jour needs suppressing.
The Smithsonian Contract
Gustav Whitehead
Alberto Santos-Dumont

Workmen who built the Ezekiel Airship for the Reverend Burrell Cannon claimed to have made a flight in 1902.