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History of Aviation
Ask questions here about the invention and development of aircraft, notable events and famous people involved in aviation history.
593 Questions
What is a dangerous gas used in old zeppelins?
There are no modern Zeppelins. -There are 'blimps' which are different construction. Zeppelins and many other airships of the 1920' s to 40's were 'dirigibles', meaning they had metal frames with a fabric covering and gas bags inside.
Blimps, such as those used during WW2 and even now as the Goodyear blimps are a rubberised fabric gasbag with no solid internal frame. They all use helium gas now.
First airplane to be used during a war was?
The German Aviatik B1 was possibly the first aeroplane used in WW1 to survey French troop movements in the first month of war.
What were the major event in Amelia Earharts life?
Her solo flights from Hawaii to Oakland and from Canada to Ireland were very major eventss to her personally.
When was the first all metal air plane built?
the wright brothers started research and development of the plane in 1899 and took the first flight in 1903.
Why is the red baron important to your history?
He was amongst the first aces in air battles and conflicts
Who piloted the first airplane flight Orville Wright or Wilbur?
Technically the first test of the plane Wilbur Wright flew the plane then when they thought they fixed the plane Orville Wright flew it so he can show everyone what he and his brother built.
Orville and Wilbur tossed a coin to decide who would take up the first flight, and Orville Wright won the toss and flew the world's first airplane, THE FLYER.
This answer is wrong, the first controlled flight was performed in France prior to any of the Wight brothers, by Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos Dumont, for whom the local airport in Rio is named.
What did Amelia Earhart do to became famous?
Amelia Earhart's life was remarkable because she was known as the first woman to attempt to fly across the Atlantic. She also was the first woman to buy an airport, which allowed her to inspire more women pilots to join the industry.
What was the Hindenburg air ship used for?
The airship LZ-129 Hindenburg was used for passenger, mail, and freight transportation, mainly between Germany and the United States, with additional flights between Germany and South America. Hindenburg was the fastest way for passengers and mail to cross the Atlantic at the time; the airship crossed the ocean in 2-1/2 days, as compared to the 5 days required by the fastest transatlantic ocean liners.
Although designed for passenger and mail transportation, the Hindenburg was also sometimes used as a propaganda tool by the government of Nazi Germany. For example, one of the ship's first flights was a propaganda flight in support of the March 29, 1936 referendum on the remilitarization of the Rhineland, and the ship made politically-motivated appearances above the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and the 1936 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg.
Source: www.Airships.net
Who developed the first known principles of flight?
it was Sir George cayley..
he was the first person to fly a successful glider and also first to actually understand aerodynamic forces(lift and drag).he also designed an aircraft structure which had a fuselage ,wings,tail (much before the wright bros.)
basically, an aircraft flies due to change in pressure distribution above and below the wings.
this pressure distribution concept was already there and it was given by bernoulli.
as air is also a fluid ,the concepts which apply for hydrostatic and dynamic systems also apply for air.
What was the first airplane flew for a flight?
The Kitty Hawk, flown by the Wright brothers, was the first aircraft or airplane to ever take flight.
The Wright brothers first successful powered aircraft was named the " Wright Flyer 1" , not the Kittyhawk. It also was NOT the first aircraft or airplane to ever take flight ! -Many others flew before, just not so long and successfully under control.
Who invented the first airplane that successfully flew?
Designs for winged flight go back to Ancient Egypt.
Si George Cayley built and launched manned gliders around 1849.
The first powered aeroplane to make a flight was built by Orville and Wilbur Wright. On 17 December 1903 near Kittyhawk, North Carolina, Orville piloted the "Wright Flyer" in a flight of 120 feet in 12 seconds, at a speed of 6.8 miles per hour.
When was the Lancester bomber made?
1941. The Avro Lancaster was a British four-engine Second World War bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the British Royal Air Force (RAF). It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley-Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within RAF Bomber Command. The Lanc or Lankie, as it became affectionately known, became the most famous and most successful of the Second World War night bombers, delivering 608,612 tons of bombs in 156,000 sorties. Although the Lancaster was primarily a night bomber, it excelled in many other roles including daylight precision bombing, and gained worldwide renown as the Dam Buster used in the 1943 Operation Chastise raids on Germany's Ruhr Valley dams.
The origins of the Lancaster lie in a twin-engined bomber design submitted to meet Specification P.13/36, which was for a new generation of twin-engined medium bombers for worldwide use, the engine specified as the Rolls-Royce Vulture. The resulting aircraft was the Avro Manchester, which, although a capable aircraft, was troubled by the unreliability of the Vulture. Only 200 Manchesters were built and they were withdrawn from service in 1942.
Avro's chief designer, Roy Chadwick, was already working on an improved Manchester design using four of the more reliable but less powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engines on a larger wing. The aircraft was initially designated Avro Type 683 Manchester III, and later re-named the Lancaster. The prototype aircraft BT308 was assembled by Avro's experimental flight department at Manchester's Ringway Airport from where test pilot H.A. Thorn took the controls for its first flight on Thursday, 9 January 1941. The aircraft proved to be a great improvement on its predecessor, being one of the few warplanes in history to be right from the start. Its initial three-finned tail layout, a result of the design being adapted from the Manchester I, was quickly changed on the second prototype DG595 and subsequent production aircraft to the familiar twin finned specification.
What was the first airplane company?
The first company was the Wright Brothers, altough i do not think they were a real company
Where was the first recorded powered flight?
The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 - January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 - May 30, 1912), were two Americans credited[1][2][3] with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.
The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium.[4] This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds.[5][6] From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving "the flying problem". This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time who put more emphasis on developing powerful engines.[7] Using a small homebuiltwind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers that were more efficient than any before.[8][9] Their first U.S. patent, 821,393, did not claim invention of a flying machine, but rather, the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulated a flying machine's surfaces.[10]
They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice.[11] From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, they conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots. Their bicycle shop employee Charlie Taylor became an important part of the team, building their first aircraft engine in close collaboration with the brothers.
The Wright brothers' status as inventors of the airplane has been subject to counter-claims by various parties. Much controversy persists over the many competing claims of early aviators
What was the total number of B24 bombers lost in Wprld War II?
According to reports the number of B24s that were lost during World War 2 was 79. During the three large attacks the B24s were used in about half were lost each time.
ANS 2 - Your figures are totally wrong ! I was based at 2 different RAF stations in Norfolk during the 1960's, that had been B-24 bases during WW2. It was common knowledge among the locals of how many B-24's were lost on missions. Intrigued with this, I looked up the records on-site and found that from the 14 B-24 Bomb Groups operating from England alone. 1,102 B-24's never returned from missions. Shipdham, where I was first based, was home to the 44th Bomb Group They sufferd 153 B-24's lost during 1943-44.
I have no firm figures for the B-24 's operating in the Middle East or Pacific, bit most records place those losses at least around 1,000 . From this I am estimating about 2,100 total B-24 losses - over 20,000 brave young fliers.
What is the name of the first airplane that carried more than 100 passengers?
I believe the first aircraft MADE to carry more than 100 passengers was Boeing's model 388 Stratocruiser in the early 1950's. There is also the possibility it may have been a Douglas DC-6B or the early model 102 Bristol Britannia. -I earlier highlighted MADE, as I also have unproven stories of DC-4 s carrying more than 100 during WW2.
- Whichever aircraft, it happened no later than the early '50 s. (not the 90's as many younger contributors appear to think )
How many men flew in a B-17 during a routine bomber mission during World War 2?
The B-17 had a capacity to carry 5,000 pounds of bombs. If the mission was a long one, to a very distant target, less bombs might be carried so more fuel could be put on board. The most commonly used bomb was the 500 lb General Purpose (GP), so on most missions the B-17s would have ten of these in the bomb bay. There was a narrow catwalk through the bomb bay between the two stacks of bombs, five to a side, hung in their shackles. After take-off the bombardier had to go back to the bomb bay and remove the safety pins from the nose fuses of the bombs, so they would arm themselves to explode when dropped.
Why was the first airplane important?
a better use for transpotation
for the same reasons everything else is invented, exploration and to see if it could be accomplished, pushing the bounds of what possible...its what humans are best at.
It really was two brothers who invented it...and it didnt have anything to do with the war! Sure later on the warmongers hijacked the idea and used it for that purpose (like the way physicists hijacked Einstein's theories about relativity to make possible the atomic bomb!)
Just to find a new way for transportation, exploration... i guess...
since greek mythology with the guy that had the wings and jumped off the cliff but the sun melted it and he died? well anyways, mankind has always dreamt of flight....if you dream it, you can achieve it...
so people can go places all across the globe
To prove that air- traver was better that train or sea.
to transport people from one destination to the other.
For many centuries man has desired to fly. The development of the internal combustion engine made powered flight possible.
Airplanes were developed to take advantage of the shortest travel distance between two points, which is a straight line. By eliminating the need to go around surface obstructions (cars and trains), or to sail around the continents, aircraft made it possible to carry people and cargo much more rapidly from place to place. Airplanes also made transportation possible to some areas which were previously extraordinarily difficult to reach, such as Antarctica and tropical jungles.
Have you never felt the desire to fly? Prehistoric man looked at the birds with envy. I cannot imagine life without flying. I fly over 700 hours a year and can't wait to go up again. Higher and faster are also in the mix.
well because to go places far away if you dont have a car or if you have to cross lots of oceans...........................dah
THe first ariplane was invented because of faster transportation and so people can cross oceans.
THe first ariplane was invented because of faster transportation and so people can cross oceans.
plants were invented to eat and they give us air too!
to transport people or objects to different locations
Why was Charles a. Lindbergh a hero?
Aviator Charles A. Lindbergh became a hero due to being the first to fly solo over the Atlantic Ocean to land in France. His airplane, the Spirit of St. Louis is an exhibit in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.
well . the first person to make the single engine plane was macas nomi born in 1871 dallas, texas
When was the Wright Brothers first successful flight with an airplane?
They flew their first successful glider in 1901,then went onwards to develop powered, controllable flying machines.
Were the wright brothers born into a wealthy family?
No, their father, was a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.
