Editing Aviation (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of aviation}}
{{For timeline|Timeline of aviation}}

===Early beginnings===
There are early legends of human flight such as the stories of [[Icarus]] in Greek myth, [[Jamshid]] and [[Shah]] [[Kay Kāvus]] in Persian myth,<ref>''The Sháhnáma of Firdausí''. Vol. II. (1906), pp. 103–104, verse 111. Translated by Arthur George Warner and Edmond Warner. London. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. Ltd</ref> and the flying automaton of [[Archytas]] of [[Taranto|Tarentum]] (428–347 BC).{{sfn|Berliner|1996|p=28}} Later, somewhat more credible claims of short-distance human flights appear, such as the winged flights of [[Abbas ibn Firnas]] (810–887, recorded in the 17th century), [[Eilmer of Malmesbury]] (11th century, recorded in the 12th century), and the hot-air Passarola of [[Bartholomeu Lourenço de Gusmão]] (1685–1724).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cunha |first=Rudnei Dias Da |date=2023-03-07 |title=Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão: Brazilian Aeronautics Pioneer |url=https://www.laahs.com/brazilian-pioneer/#:~:text=The%20Brazilian%20priest,%20Bartolomeu%20Louren%C3%A7o%20de%20Gusm%C3%A3o,%20is,capable%20of%20taking%20a%20man%20to%20the%20air |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=LAAHS |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Lighter than air===
[[File:Hindenburg at lakehurst.jpg|thumb|[[LZ 129 Hindenburg|LZ 129 ''Hindenburg'']] at [[Lakehurst Naval Air Station]], 1936]]

The modern age of aviation began with the first untethered human lighter-than-air flight on November 21, 1783, of a [[hot air balloon]] designed by the [[Montgolfier brothers]].<ref name="Ballon Flight">{{Cite web|title=Balloon flight {{!}} aviation|url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/balloon-flight|access-date=June 6, 2021|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=June 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628232219/https://www.britannica.com/technology/balloon-flight|url-status=live}}</ref> The usefulness of balloons was limited because they could only travel downwind. It was immediately recognized that a steerable, or [[Airship|dirigible]], balloon was required. [[Jean-Pierre Blanchard]] flew the first human-powered dirigible in 1784 and crossed the English Channel in one in 1785.

[[Rigid airship]]s became the first aircraft to transport passengers and cargo over great distances. The best-known aircraft of this type were manufactured by the German [[Zeppelin]] company.

The most successful Zeppelin was the ''[[LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin|Graf Zeppelin]]''. It flew over one million miles, including an around-the-world flight in August 1929. However, the dominance of the Zeppelins over the airplanes of that period, which had a range of only a few hundred miles, was diminishing as airplane design advanced. The "Golden Age" of the airships ended on May 6, 1937. That year the ''[[LZ 129 Hindenburg|Hindenburg]]'' caught fire, killing 36 people. The cause of the ''Hindenburg'' accident was initially blamed on the use of hydrogen instead of helium as the lift gas. An internal investigation by the manufacturer revealed that the coating used in the material covering the frame was highly flammable and allowed static electricity to build up in the airship.{{sfn|De Angelis|2001|pages=87–101}} Changes to the coating formulation reduced the risk of further ''Hindenburg'' type accidents. Although there have been periodic initiatives to revive their use, airships have seen only niche application since that time.<ref name="Civil Transport Aircraft">{{Citation|last1=Torenbeek|first1=Egbert|title=Civil Transport Aircraft|date=December 15, 2010|url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/9780470686652.eae379|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering|pages=eae379|editor-last=Blockley|editor-first=Richard|place=Chichester, UK|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Ltd|language=en|doi=10.1002/9780470686652.eae379|isbn=978-0-470-75440-5|access-date=June 6, 2021|last2=La Rocca|first2=Gianfranco|editor2-last=Shyy|editor2-first=Wei}}</ref> There had been previous airship accidents that were more fatal, for instance, a [[R38-class airship|British R38]] on {{date|23 August 1921}},<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1922/1922%20-%200139.html |title=The Accident to H.M. Airship R. 38|magazine=[[Flight International|Flight]]|date= 2 March 1922| page= 139}}</ref> but the ''Hindenburg'' was the first to be captured on newsreel.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Hindenburg, Before and After Disaster|website=Britannica|date=August 25, 2023 |url=https://www.britannica.com/story/the-hindenburg-before-and-after-disaster}}</ref>

===Heavier than air===
In 1799, Sir [[George Cayley]] set forth the concept of the modern airplane as a fixed-wing flying machine with separate systems for lift, propulsion, and control.<ref>{{cite web
 |title       = Aviation History
 |url         = http://www.aviation-history.com/early/cayley.htm
 |access-date  = July 26, 2009
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090413155148/http://aviation-history.com/early/cayley.htm
 |archive-date = April 13, 2009
}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia
 |title       = Sir George Carley (British Inventor and Scientist)
 |url         = https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/100795/Sir-George-Cayley-6th-Baronet
 |encyclopedia   = Britannica
 |access-date  = July 26, 2009
 |quote       = English pioneer of aerial navigation and aeronautical engineering and designer of the first successful glider to carry a human being aloft.
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090311002545/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/100795/Sir-George-Cayley-6th-Baronet
 |archive-date = March 11, 2009
}}</ref>

[[File:Otto Lilienthal gliding experiment ppmsca.02546.jpg|thumb|Lilienthal in mid-flight, Berlin {{Circa|1895}}]]

[[Otto Lilienthal]] was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful flights with [[Glider (aircraft)|glider]]s,<ref>[http://www.dlr.de/dlr/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10280/385_read-16705/year-all/#/gallery/21944 ''DLR baut das erste Serien-Flugzeug der Welt nach''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126135109/https://www.dlr.de/dlr/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10280/385_read-16705/year-all/#/gallery/21944 |date=November 26, 2018 }} 2017. Retrieved: March 3, 2017.</ref> therefore making the idea of "[[heavier than air]]" a reality. Newspapers and magazines published photographs of Lilienthal gliding, favorably influencing public and scientific opinion about the possibility of flying machines becoming practical.
Lilienthal's work led him to develop the concept of the modern wing.<ref>{{cite web |author=Otto-Lilienthal-Museum |url=http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/eotto.htm |title=Otto-Lilienthal-Museum Anklam |website=Lilienthal-museum.de |date= |access-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-date=December 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220021702/http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/eotto.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dlr.de/content/en/dossiers/2019/lilienthal-glider-project.html |title=The Lilienthal glider project – DLR Portal |website=Dlr.de |date= |access-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-date=March 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307224806/https://www.dlr.de/content/en/dossiers/2019/lilienthal-glider-project.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His flight attempts in [[Berlin]] in 1891 are seen as the beginning of human flight<ref>{{cite web |author=Otto-Lilienthal-Museum |url=http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/e34.htm |title=Otto-Lilienthal-Museum Anklam |website=Lilienthal-museum.de |date= |access-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-date=July 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703015730/http://lilienthal-museum.de/olma/e34.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and the "[[Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat]]" is considered to be the first airplane in series production, making the ''Maschinenfabrik Otto Lilienthal'' in [[Berlin]] the first air plane production company in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aeroreport.de/en/good-to-know/like-a-bird |title=Like a bird &#124; MTU AEROREPORT |website=Aeroreport.de |date= |access-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226135425/https://aeroreport.de/en/good-to-know/like-a-bird |url-status=live }}</ref>
Lilienthal is often referred to as either the "father of aviation"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dpma.de/english/our_office/publications/milestones/airandspacepioneers/ottolilienthal/index.html |title=DPMA &#124; Otto Lilienthal |website=Dpma.de |date=December 2, 2021 |access-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226135452/https://www.dpma.de/english/our_office/publications/milestones/airandspacepioneers/ottolilienthal/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cobaltrecruitment.co.uk/blog/2017/11/in-perspective-otto-lilienthal|title=In perspective: Otto Lilienthal|website=Cobaltrecruitment.co.uk|access-date=March 5, 2022|archive-date=February 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226160700/https://www.cobaltrecruitment.co.uk/blog/2017/11/in-perspective-otto-lilienthal|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/prospero/2011/09/20/remembering-germanys-first-flying-man|title=Remembering Germany's first "flying man"|date=September 20, 2011|access-date=March 5, 2022|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|archive-date=March 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302015744/https://www.economist.com/prospero/2011/09/20/remembering-germanys-first-flying-man|url-status=live}}</ref> or "father of flight".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://scihi.org/otto-lilienthal-glider-king/ |title=Otto Lilienthal, the Glider King |publisher=SciHi BlogSciHi Blog |date=May 23, 2020 |access-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226135401/http://scihi.org/otto-lilienthal-glider-king/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Early dirigible developments included machine-powered propulsion ([[Henri Giffard]], 1852), rigid frames ([[David Schwarz (aviation inventor)|David Schwarz]], 1896) and improved speed and maneuverability ([[Alberto Santos-Dumont]], 1901)

[[File:First flight2.jpg|thumb|[[Wright Flyer|First powered and controlled flight]] by the [[Wright brothers]], December 17, 1903]]
There are [[Early flying machines#Adding power|many competing claims]] for the earliest powered, heavier-than-air flight. The first recorded powered flight was carried out by [[Clément Ader]] on October 9, 1890, in his bat-winged, fully self-propelled [[fixed-wing aircraft]], the [[Ader Éole]]. It was reportedly the first manned, powered, heavier-than-air flight of a significant distance ({{convert|50|m|ft|abbr=on}}) but insignificant altitude from level ground.<ref name=b>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/5780/Clement-Ader|title=Clement Ader – French inventor|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308231925/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/5780/Clement-Ader|archive-date=March 8, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flyingmachines.org/ader.html|title=FLYING MACHINES – Clement Ader|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204055424/http://www.flyingmachines.org/ader.html|archive-date=February 4, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eads.com/1024/en/eads/history/airhist/1890_1899/ader.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020082858/http://www.eads.com/1024/en/eads/history/airhist/1890_1899/ader.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 20, 2007|title=EADS N.V. – Eole/Clément Ader|date=October 20, 2007}}</ref> Seven years later, on October 14, 1897, Ader's [[Ader Avion III|Avion III]] was tested without success in front of two officials from the French War ministry. The report on the trials was not publicized until 1910, as they had been a military secret. In November 1906, Ader claimed to have made a successful flight on October 14, 1897, achieving an "uninterrupted flight" of around {{convert|300|m|ft|abbr=off}}. Although widely believed at the time, these claims were later discredited.<ref>Gibbs-Smith, C. H., ''Aviation''. London, NMSO 2003, p. 75.</ref><ref>L'homme, l'air et l'espace, p. 96</ref>

The [[Wright brothers]] made the [[Wright Flyer|first successful]] powered, controlled and sustained airplane flight on December 17, 1903, a feat made possible by their invention of [[Flight dynamics (fixed-wing aircraft)|three-axis]] control<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Last Piece of the Puzzle |url=https://www.wright-brothers.org/History_Wing/Wright_Story/Inventing_the_Airplane/Wagging_Its_Tail/Last_Piece_of_Puzzle.htm |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=www.wright-brothers.org}}</ref> and in-house development of an engine with a sufficient [[power-to-weight ratio]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1903 Wright Engine |url=https://www.wright-brothers.org/Information_Desk/Just_the_Facts/Engines_&_Props/1903_Engine.htm |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=www.wright-brothers.org}}</ref> Only a decade later, at the start of [[World War I]], heavier-than-air powered aircraft had become practical for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, and even attacks against ground positions.

Aircraft began to transport people and cargo as designs grew larger and more reliable. The Wright brothers took aloft the first passenger, Charles Furnas, one of their mechanics, on May 14, 1908.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/1908_The_Year_the_Airplane_Went_Public.html |title=1908: The Year the Airplane Went Public |author=Tom D. Crouch |work=[[Air & Space/Smithsonian]] |date=August 29, 2008 |access-date=August 21, 2012 |archive-date=May 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525040238/http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/1908_The_Year_the_Airplane_Went_Public.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/thismonth/this_month_may08.html |title=This Month in Exploration: May |publisher=[[NASA]] |access-date=August 21, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406110825/http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/thismonth/this_month_may08.html |archive-date=April 6, 2012 }}</ref>

During the 1920s and 1930s great progress was made in the field of aviation, including the first [[transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown]] in 1919, [[Charles Lindbergh]]'s solo transatlantic flight in 1927, and [[Charles Kingsford Smith]]'s transpacific flight the following year. One of the most successful designs of this period was the [[Douglas DC-3]], which became the first [[airliner]] to be profitable carrying passengers exclusively, starting the modern era of passenger airline service. By the beginning of World War II, many towns and cities had built airports, and there were numerous qualified pilots available. During World War II one of the first jet engines was developed by Hans von Ohain, and accomplished the world's first jet-powered flight in 1939.<ref>{{Cite book |last=El-Sayed |first=Ahmed F. |title=Aircraft propulsion and gas turbine engines |date=2017 |publisher=CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group |isbn=978-1-4665-9517-0 |edition=2nd |location=Boca Raton London New York}}</ref> The war brought many innovations to aviation, including the first [[turbojet|jet]] aircraft and the first liquid-fueled [[rocket]]s.

[[File:Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP, Private JP6817606.jpg|thumb|The [[Cessna 172]] is the most produced aircraft in history<ref>{{cite web |last1=Martin |first1=Swayne |title=The 20 Most Produced Aircraft Of All Time |url=https://www.boldmethod.com/blog/lists/2014/12/20-most-produced-aircraft/ |access-date=January 3, 2021 |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414083543/https://www.boldmethod.com/blog/lists/2014/12/20-most-produced-aircraft/ |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

After World War II, especially in North America, there was a boom in [[general aviation]], both private and commercial, as thousands of pilots were released from military service and many inexpensive war-surplus transport and training aircraft became available. Manufacturers such as [[Cessna]], [[Piper Aircraft|Piper]], and [[Beechcraft]] expanded production to provide light aircraft for the new middle-class market.

By the 1950s, the development of civil jets grew, beginning with the [[de Havilland Comet]], though the first widely used passenger jet was the [[Boeing 707]], because it was much more economical than other aircraft at that time. At the same time, [[gas turbine|turboprop]] propulsion started to appear for smaller commuter planes, making it possible to serve small-volume routes in a much wider range of weather conditions.

Since the 1960s [[composite material]] airframes and quieter, more efficient engines have become available, and [[Concorde]] provided [[supersonic transport|supersonic passenger service]] for more than two decades. However, the most important lasting innovations have taken place in instrumentation and control. The arrival of [[transistor|solid-state]] electronics, the [[Global Positioning System]], [[communications satellite|satellite communications]], and increasingly small and powerful computers and [[light-emitting diode|LED]] displays, have dramatically changed the cockpits of [[airliner]]s and, increasingly, of smaller aircraft as well. Pilots can navigate much more accurately and view terrain, obstructions, and other nearby aircraft on a map or through [[synthetic vision]], even at night or in low visibility.

[[File:Helios cthomas.jpg|thumb|[[NASA]]'s [[Helios Prototype|Helios]] researches [[solar power]]ed flight.]]

On June 21, 2004, [[SpaceShipOne]] became the first privately funded aircraft to make a [[spaceflight]], opening the possibility of an aviation market capable of leaving the Earth's atmosphere. Meanwhile, the need to [[Climate change mitigation|decarbonize]] the aviation industry to face the [[climate crisis]] has increased research into aircraft powered by alternative fuels, such as [[ethanol]], [[electricity]], [[Hydrogen-powered aircraft|hydrogen]], and even [[solar energy]], with flying prototypes becoming more common.