Editing History of aviation (section)

== History ==

=== Pioneer Era (1903–1914) ===
{{Main|Aviation in the pioneer era}}
This period saw the development of practical aeroplanes and airships and their early application, alongside balloons and kites, for private, sport and military use.

====Pioneers in Europe====
[[File:14-bis de Alberto Santos Dumont.jpg|thumb|The [[14-bis]], or ''Oiseau de proie'']]
[[File:Sports Aviation - Issy-les-Moulineaux - Delagrange bat les records du monde … detail.jpg|thumb|Early Voisin biplane]]
Although the full details of the Wright Brothers' system of flight control had been published in [[l'Aerophile]] in January 1906, the importance of this advance was not recognised, and European experimenters generally concentrated on attempting to produce inherently stable machines.

Short powered flights were performed in France by Romanian engineer [[Traian Vuia]] on 18 March and 19 August 1906 when he flew 12 and 24 metres, respectively, in a self-designed, fully self-propelled, fixed-wing aircraft, that possessed a fully wheeled undercarriage.<ref name="L'Aérophile Apr Vuia1906">{{citation |url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000520243 |title=Nouveaux essais de l'Aéroplane Vuia |work=L'Aérophile v.14 1906 |date=April 1906 |pages=105–106 |access-date=8 March 2013 |archive-date=1 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101154315/http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000520243 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="L'Aérophile Sep Vuia1906">{{citation |url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000520243 |title=L'Aéroplane à moteur de M. Vuia |work=L'Aérophile v.14 1906 |date=September 1906 |pages=195–196 |access-date=8 March 2013 |archive-date=1 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101154315/http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000520243 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was followed by [[Jacob Ellehammer]] who built a [[monoplane]] which he tested with a tether in Denmark on 12 September 1906, flying 42 metres.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Very Earliest Early Birds|url=https://www.earlyaviators.com/eearlhis.htm|access-date=6 April 2023|website=www.earlyaviators.com|archive-date=6 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406102729/https://www.earlyaviators.com/eearlhis.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 13 September 1906, the Brazilian [[Alberto Santos-Dumont]] made a public flight in Paris with the [[14-bis]], also known as ''Oiseau de proie'' (French for "bird of prey"). This was [[canard (aeronautics)|canard configured]] with a pronounced wing dihedral, and covered a distance of {{convert|60|m|ft|abbr=on}} on the grounds of the [[Chateau de Bagatelle]] in Paris' [[Bois de Boulogne]] before a large crowd of witnesses. This well-documented event was the first flight verified by the [[Aéro-Club de France]] of a powered heavier-than-air machine in Europe and won the Deutsch-Archdeacon Prize for the first officially observed flight greater than {{convert|25|m|ft|abbr=on}}. On 12 November 1906, Santos-Dumont set the first world record recognized by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale by flying {{convert|220|m|ft|abbr=on}} in 21.5&nbsp;seconds.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alberto Santos Dumont in France: The Very Earliest Early Birds|url=https://earlyaviators.com/edumonb.htm|access-date=14 February 2023|website=earlyaviators.com|last=Jones|first=Ernest|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316120252/http://earlyaviators.com/edumonb.htm|archive-date=16 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Cronologia De Santos Dumont|url=http://santos-dumont.net/indexcronologia.html|access-date=14 February 2023|website=santos-dumont.net|language=Portuguese|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318184616/http://santos-dumont.net/indexcronologia.html|archive-date=18 March 2016}}</ref> Only one more brief flight was made by the 14-bis in March 1907, after which it was abandoned.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibbs-Smith|first=C. H.|author-link=Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith|title=Aviation: An Historical Survey|year=2000|page=146|location=London|publisher=NMSI|isbn=1-900747-52-9 }}</ref>

In March 1907, [[Gabriel Voisin]] flew the first example of his [[Voisin 1907 biplane|Voisin biplane]]. On 13 January 1908, a second example was flown by [[Henri Farman]] to win the Deutsch-Archdeacon ''Grand Prix d'Aviation'' prize for a flight in which the aircraft flew a distance of more than a kilometre and landed at the point where it had taken off. The flight lasted 1 minute and 28 seconds.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibbs-Smith|first=C. H.|author-link=Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith|title=Aviation: An Historical Survey|year=2000|page=154|location=London|publisher=NMSI|isbn=1-900747-52-9 }}</ref>

====Flight as an established technology====

[[File:Alberto Santos Dumont flying the Demoiselle (1909).jpg|thumb|Alberto Santos-Dumont flying the Demoiselle over Paris]]
Santos-Dumont later added [[aileron]]s between the wings in an effort to gain more lateral stability. His final design, first flown in 1907, was the series of [[Santos-Dumont Demoiselle|Demoiselle]] monoplanes (Nos. 19 to 22). The ''Demoiselle No 19'' could be constructed in only 15 days and became the world's first series production aircraft. The Demoiselle achieved 120&nbsp;km/h.<ref name="Hydro">Hartmann, Gérard. [http://www.hydroretro.net/etudegh/clement-bayard.pdf "Clément-Bayard, sans peur et sans reproche" (French).] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101064312/http://www.hydroretro.net/etudegh/clement-bayard.pdf |date=1 November 2016 }} ''hydroretro.net''. Retrieved: 14 November 2010.</ref> The fuselage consisted of three specially reinforced bamboo booms. The pilot sat in a seat between the main wheels of a [[conventional landing gear]] whose pair of wire-spoked mainwheels were located at the lower front of the airframe, with a tailskid half-way back beneath the rear fuselage structure. The Demoiselle was controlled in flight by a [[cruciform tail]] unit hinged on a form of [[universal joint]] at the aft end of the fuselage structure to function as elevator and rudder, with roll control provided through wing warping (No. 20), with the wings only warping "down".

In 1908, [[Wilbur Wright]] travelled to Europe, and starting in August gave a series of flight demonstrations at [[Le Mans]] in France. The first demonstration, made on 8 August, attracted an audience including most of the major French aviation experimenters, who were astonished by the clear superiority of the Wright Brothers' aircraft, particularly its ability to make tight controlled turns.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibbs-Smith|first=C. H.|author-link=Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith|title=Aviation: An Historical Survey|year=2000|page=158|location=London|publisher=NMSI|isbn=1-900747-52-9 }}</ref> The importance of using roll control in making turns was recognised by almost all the European experimenters: Henri Farman fitted ailerons to his Voisin biplane and shortly afterwards set up his own aircraft construction business, whose first product was the influential [[Farman III]] biplane.

The following year saw the widespread recognition of powered flight as something other than the preserve of dreamers and eccentrics. On 25 July 1909, [[Louis Blériot]] won worldwide fame by winning a £1,000 prize offered by the British ''[[Daily Mail]]'' newspaper for a flight across the [[English Channel]], and in August around half a million people, including the President of France [[Armand Fallières]] and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom [[David Lloyd George]], attended one of the first aviation meetings, the [[Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne|Grande Semaine d'Aviation]] at [[Reims]].

In 1914, pioneering aviator [[Tony Jannus]] captained the inaugural flight of the [[St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line]], the world's first commercial [[passenger airline]].

Historians disagree about whether the [[Wright brothers patent war]] impeded development of the aviation industry in the United States compared to Europe. The patent war ended during World War I when the government pressured the industry into forming a [[patent pool]], and major litigants had left the industry.

==== Rotorcraft ====
[[File:Elicottero sperimentale Enrico Forlanini 1877 Museo scienza e tecnologia Milano.jpg|thumb|Experimental [[helicopter]] by [[Enrico Forlanini]] (1877), exposed at the [[Museo nazionale della scienza e della tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci]] of [[Milan]], Italy]]

In 1877, the Italian engineer, inventor and aeronautical pioneer [[Enrico Forlanini]] developed an unmanned [[helicopter]] powered by a [[steam engine]]. It rose to a height of {{convert|13|m|ft|abbr=off}}, where it remained for 20 seconds, after a vertical take-off from a park in [[Milan]].<ref name=imss>{{cite web|url=http://www.imss.fi.it/milleanni/cronologia/biografie/forlanie.html|title=Enrico Forlanini|publisher=Mille anni di scienza in Italia|access-date=13 March 2024|language=it|archive-date=18 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118124028/http://www.imss.fi.it/milleanni/cronologia/biografie/forlanie.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Milan has dedicated its city airport to Enrico Forlanini, the airport is also named [[Linate Airport]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.milanolinate-airport.com/it/legal/airport-regulations/aeroporto-linate|title=L'aeroporto di Milano Linate|publisher=Aeroporto di Milano Linate|access-date=13 March 2024|language=it|archive-date=12 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312232355/https://www.milanolinate-airport.com/it/legal/airport-regulations/aeroporto-linate|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as the nearby park, the Parco Forlanini.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comune.milano.it/aree-tematiche/verde/verde-pubblico/parchi-cittadini/parco-enrico-forlanini|title=Scheda del Parco Forlanini|publisher=Comune di Milano|access-date=13 March 2024|language=it|archive-date=21 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421204101/https://www.comune.milano.it/aree-tematiche/verde/verde-pubblico/parchi-cittadini/parco-enrico-forlanini|url-status=live}}</ref> In Milan he also has an avenue named after him, [[Viale Enrico Forlanini]].

The first time a manned helicopter is known to have risen off the ground was on a tethered flight in 1907 by the [[Breguet-Richet Gyroplane]]. Later the same year the [[Cornu helicopter]], also French, made the first rotary-winged free flight at Lisieux, France. However, these were not practical designs.

==== Military use ====
{{Main|Early flying machines}}
[[File:Aviation in Britain Before the First World War RAE-O227.jpg|thumb|[[Nieuport IV]], operated by most of the world's air forces before WW1 for reconnaissance and bombing, including during the [[Italian-Turkish war]]]]
Almost as soon as they were invented, aeroplanes were used for military purposes. The first country to use them for military purposes was Italy, whose aircraft made reconnaissance, bombing and artillery correction flights in [[Libya]] during the [[Italian-Turkish war]] (September 1911 – October 1912). This war also saw Ottoman soldiers shoot down a warplane for the first time in history. The first warplane reconnaissance mission flown on 23 October 1911 by the Italian air force's Captain Carlo Piazza, and the first bombing mission was flown on 1 November 1911 by Italy's Second Lieutenant Giolio Gavotti.<ref>Ferdinando Pedriali. "Aerei italiani in Libia (1911–1912)"(Italian planes in Libya (1911–1912)). ''Storia Militare'' (Military History), N° 170/novembre 2007, p.31–40</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Magazine |first1=Smithsonian |last2=Maksel |first2=Rebecca |title=The World's First Warplane |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/the-worlds-first-warplane-115175678/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en |archive-date=3 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241103010323/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/the-worlds-first-warplane-115175678/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Bulgaria later followed this example. Its planes attacked and reconnoitred [[Ottoman empire|Ottoman]] positions during the [[First Balkan War|First Balkan War 1912–13]]. The first war to see major use of aeroplanes in offensive, defensive and reconnaissance capabilities was [[World War I]]. The [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] and [[Central Powers]] both used aeroplanes and airships extensively.

While the concept of using the aeroplane as an offensive weapon was generally discounted before World War I,<ref>with the exception of Clément Ader, who had visionary views about this: "L'affaire de l'aviation militaire" (Military aviation concern), 1898 and "La première étape de l'aviation militaire en France" (The first step of military aviation en France), 1906</ref> the idea of using it for photography was one that was not lost on any of the major forces. All of the major forces in Europe had light aircraft, typically derived from pre-war sporting designs, attached to their [[reconnaissance]] departments. [[Radiotelephone]]s were also being explored on aeroplanes, notably the [[SCR-68 Airplane Radio Telephone|SCR-68]], as communication between pilots and ground commander grew more and more important.

===World War I (1914–1918)===
{{Main|Aviation in World War I}}
[[File:GermanFightingMonoplane1917.jpg|thumb|German [[Etrich Taube|Taube]] [[monoplane]], illustration from 1917]]

==== Combat schemes ====
{{See also|Flying ace|List of World War I flying aces|Aerial victory standards of World War I}}

It was not long before aircraft were shooting at each other, but the lack of any sort of steady point for the gun was a problem. The French solved this problem when, in late 1914, [[Roland Garros (aviator)|Roland Garros]] attached a fixed machine gun to the front of his plane. [[Adolphe Pegoud]] became known as the first "[[flying ace|ace]]", getting credit for five victories before also becoming the first ace to die in action, it was German [[Luftstreitkräfte]] [[Leutnant]] [[Kurt Wintgens]] who, on 1 July 1915, scored the very first aerial victory by a [[Fokker E.I|purpose-built fighter plane]], with a [[synchronization gear|synchronized machine gun]].

Aviators were styled as modern-day knights, doing individual combat with their enemies. Several pilots became famous for their air-to-air combat; the most well known is [[Manfred von Richthofen]], better known as the "Red Baron", who shot down 80 planes in [[air-to-air combat]] with several different planes, the most celebrated of which was the [[Fokker Dr.I]]. On the Allied side, [[René Paul Fonck]] is credited with the most all-time victories at 75, even when later wars are considered.

France, Britain, Germany, and Italy were the leading manufacturers of fighter planes that saw action during the war,{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} with German aviation technologist [[Hugo Junkers]] showing the way to the future through his [[Junkers J 1|pioneering use of all-metal aircraft]] from late 1915.

===Between the World Wars (1918–1939)===
{{main|Aviation between the World Wars}}
[[File:Pioneers of the World's Aerial Highways.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Map of record breaking flights of the 1920s]]
[[File:Aerial travel for Business or Pleasure - Thos Cook & Son - 1919 - pp 16+ (map).jpg|thumb|"Map of Air Routes and Landing Places in Great Britain, as temporarily arranged by the Air Ministry for civilian flying", published in 1919, showing [[Hounslow Aerodrome|Hounslow]], near London, as the hub]]
[[File:DeHavilland DH50 biplane.jpg|thumb|Qantas De Havilland biplane, c.&nbsp;1930]]
[[File:Flagg biplane.jpg|thumb|Flagg biplane from 1933]]

The years between [[World War I]] and [[World War II]] saw great advancements in aircraft technology. Airplanes evolved from low-powered [[biplane]]s made from wood and fabric to sleek, high-powered [[monoplane]]s made of aluminum, based primarily on the founding work of [[Hugo Junkers]] during the World War I period and its adoption by American designer [[William Bushnell Stout]] and Soviet designer [[Andrei Tupolev]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Military aircraft - Interwar, Developments, Technology |url=https://www.britannica.com:443/technology/military-aircraft/Interwar-developments |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

After World War I, experienced fighter pilots were eager to show off their skills. Many American pilots became [[Barnstorming|barnstormers]], flying into small towns across the country and showing off their flying abilities, as well as taking paying passengers for rides. Eventually, the barnstormers grouped into more organized displays. Air shows sprang up around the country, with air races, acrobatic stunts, and feats of air superiority.<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Diego Air & Space Museum - Historical Balboa Park, San Diego |url=https://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/barnstormers-take-to-the-sky |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=sandiegoairandspace.org |archive-date=6 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006063448/https://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/barnstormers-take-to-the-sky |url-status=live }}</ref> The air races drove engine and airframe development—the [[Schneider Trophy]], for example, led to a series of ever faster and sleeker [[monoplane]] designs culminating in the [[Supermarine S.6B]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Schneider Trophy |url=https://pioneersofflight.si.edu/culture/air_racing/air_races/schneider_trophy |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=pioneersofflight.si.edu |archive-date=9 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809070537/https://pioneersofflight.si.edu/culture/air_racing/air_races/schneider_trophy |url-status=live }}</ref> With pilots competing for cash prizes, there was an incentive to go faster. [[Amelia Earhart]] was perhaps the most famous of those on the barnstorming/air show circuit. She was also the first female pilot to achieve records such as the crossing of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Prizes for distance and speed records also drove development forwards. On 14 June 1919, Captain [[Alcock and Brown|John Alcock]] and Lieutenant [[Alcock and Brown|Arthur Brown]] co-piloted a [[Vickers Vimy]] non-stop from St. John's, [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]] to Clifden, Ireland, winning the £13,000 ($65,000).<ref>Nevin, David (1993). "Two Daring Flyers Beat the Atlantic before Lindbergh". Journal of Contemporary History. 28 (1): 105.</ref> [[Daily Mail aviation prizes|Northcliffe prize]]. The first flight across the South Atlantic and the first aerial crossing using astronomical navigation, was made by the naval aviators [[Gago Coutinho]] and [[Sacadura Cabral]] in 1922, from [[Lisbon]], Portugal, to [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil, using an aircraft fitted with an artificial horizon for aeronautical use.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swopes |first=Bryan |date=2024-06-15 |title=14–15 June 1919 {{!}} This Day in Aviation |url=https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/14-june-1919/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1924, Major General [[Mason Patrick]] led a group of [[United States Army Air Service|U.S. Army Air Service]] members to complete the [[first aerial circumnavigation]] of the world. This flight around the world came with many logistical challenges, traveling 26,343 miles over the span of 175 days. This flight led to improved foreign relations by promoting commercial collaboration, and greater public interest in aviation, prompting governments to put more resources into developing their aviation forces.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Head |first=William P. |date=2022 |title=The World Flight and Military Aviation in the 1920s |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48712440 |journal=Air & Space Power History |volume=69 |issue=2 |pages=27–40 |jstor=48712440 |issn=2833-5848}}</ref> On 21 May 1927, [[Charles Lindbergh]] received the [[Orteig Prize]] of $25,000 for the first ''solo'' non-stop crossing of the Atlantic. This caused what was known in aviation at the time as the "Lindbergh boom", which increased public interest in aviation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The First Solo, Nonstop Transatlantic Flight |url=https://pioneersofflight.si.edu/content/first-solo-nonstop-transatlantic-flight |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=pioneersofflight.si.edu |language=en |archive-date=30 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930171806/https://pioneersofflight.si.edu/content/first-solo-nonstop-transatlantic-flight |url-status=live }}</ref>

Australian Sir [[Charles Kingsford Smith]] was the first to fly across the larger Pacific Ocean in the Southern Cross. His crew left [[Oakland, California]] to make the first trans-Pacific flight to [[Australia]], making three stops to complete the journey. Kingsford-Smith and his crew made their first stop in [[Hawaii]] from Oakland, California, and from Hawaii to [[Suva, Fiji]]. During the last segment of their journey from Fiji to [[Brisbane, Australia]], they encountered severe thunderstorms, and were thrown nearly 140 miles off their course. The flight concluded on 9 June 1928 after flying 7,230 miles, Kingsford-Smith and his crew landed in Brisbane, Australia, receiving $25,000 from the Australian government for their achievement.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-10-02 |title=Charles Kingsford-Smith — Hawaii Aviation |url=http://hawaii.gov/hawaiiaviation/hawaii-aviation-pioneers/sir-charles-kingsford-smith |access-date=2024-11-21 |archive-date=2 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002183911/http://hawaii.gov/hawaiiaviation/hawaii-aviation-pioneers/sir-charles-kingsford-smith |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-11-02 |title=miles {{!}} 1928 {{!}} 0481 {{!}} Flight Archive |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1928/1928%20-%200481.html |access-date=2024-11-21 |archive-date=2 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102175916/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1928/1928%20-%200481.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> Accompanying him were Australian aviator [[Charles Ulm]] as the relief pilot, and the Americans [[James Warner (aviator)|James Warner]] and Captain [[Harry Lyon (aviator)|Harry Lyon]] (who were the radio operator, navigator and engineer). A week after they landed, Kingsford Smith and Ulm recorded a disc for Columbia talking about their trip. With Ulm, Kingsford Smith later continued his journey being the first in 1929 to [[First aerial circumnavigation|circumnavigate the world]], crossing the equator twice.<ref>{{Cite web |title=First trans-Tasman flight landed 11 Sept 1928 |url=https://digitalnz.org/stories/64f6e51bbc24fb0021455be1 |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=DigitalNZ |language=en |archive-date=30 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130092748/https://digitalnz.org/stories/64f6e51bbc24fb0021455be1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first lighter-than-air crossings of the Atlantic were made by airship in July 1919 by His Majesty's Airship [[R34 (airship)|R34]] and crew when they flew from [[East Lothian]], Scotland to [[Long Island]], New York and then back to [[RNAS Pulham|Pulham]], England.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Airshipsonline : Airships : R34 |url=https://www.airshipsonline.com/airships/r34/index.html |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=www.airshipsonline.com |archive-date=19 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919195229/https://www.airshipsonline.com/airships/r34/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1929, airship technology had advanced to the point that the first round-the-world flight was completed by the ''[[LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin|Graf Zeppelin]]'' in September and in October, the same aircraft inaugurated the first commercial transatlantic service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Airshipsonline: Airships: LZ127 Graf Zeppelin |url=https://www.airshipsonline.com/airships/LZ127_Graf_Zeppelin/index.html |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=www.airshipsonline.com |archive-date=16 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416220547/https://airshipsonline.com/airships/LZ127_Graf_Zeppelin/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the age of the rigid airship ended following the destruction by fire of the zeppelin LZ 129 [[Hindenburg disaster|''Hindenburg'']] just before landing at [[Lakehurst, New Jersey]] on 6 May 1937, killing 35 of the 97 people aboard. Previous spectacular airship accidents, from the ''[[Wingfoot Air Express Crash|Wingfoot Express]]'' disaster (1919), the loss of the [[R101]] (1930), the [[USS Akron (ZRS-4)|''Akron'']] (1933) and the [[USS Macon (ZRS-5)|''Macon'']] (1935) had already cast doubt on airship safety. The disasters of the U.S. Navy's rigids showed the importance of solely using [[helium]] as the lifting medium.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Hindenburg Disaster |url=https://www.airships.net/hindenburg/disaster/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=Airships.net |language=en-US |archive-date=31 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831171029/https://www.airships.net/hindenburg/disaster/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the destruction of the Hindenburg, the remaining airship making [[international flight]]s, the ''[[LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin|Graf Zeppelin]]'' was retired (June 1937). Its replacement, the rigid airship ''[[Graf Zeppelin II]]'', made a number of flights, primarily over Germany, from 1938 to 1939, but was grounded when Germany began World War II. Both remaining German zeppelins were scrapped in 1940 to supply metal for the German [[Luftwaffe]] air force.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LZ 130 Graf Zeppelin II - History, Design and Development |url=https://www.zeppelinhistory.com/list-of-zeppelins/lz-130-graf-zeppelin-2/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=www.zeppelinhistory.com |archive-date=1 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001052118/http://www.zeppelinhistory.com/list-of-zeppelins/lz-130-graf-zeppelin-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Meanwhile, Germany, which was restricted by the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in its development of powered aircraft, developed [[gliding]] as a sport, especially at the [[Wasserkuppe]], during the 1920s. In its various forms, in the 21st-century sailplane aviation now has over 400,000 participants.<ref>''U.S. Department of State'', U.S. Department of State, history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1919Parisv13/ch14subch3. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-08-11 |title=Why and how we changed the badges requirements {{!}} FAI Hang Gliding and Paragliding Commission - CIVL |url=http://www.fai.org/hang_gliding/awards/badges/new_badges |access-date=2024-11-21 |archive-date=11 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811162150/http://www.fai.org/hang_gliding/awards/badges/new_badges |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-08-10 |title=Gliding Membership Report {{!}} FAI Gliding Commission - IGC |url=http://www.fai.org/gliding/membership |access-date=2024-11-21 |archive-date=10 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061010170856/http://www.fai.org/gliding/membership |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Popular Aviation June 1928.jpg|thumb|left|1928 issue of ''[[Popular Aviation]]'' (now ''[[Flying (magazine)|Flying]]'' magazine), which became the largest aviation magazine with a circulation of 100,000.<ref name = "Time June 1929">{{cite magazine| title = Again, Mitchell | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date = 10 June 1929 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,751920-2,00.html | access-date = 26 August 2007| url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130521074523/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,751920-2,00.html | archive-date = 21 May 2013 }} "Monthly magazine until this month called ''Popular Aviation and Aeronautics''. With 100,000 circulation it is largest-selling of U. S. air publications." "Editor of Aeronautics is equally airwise Harley W. Mitchell, no relative of General Mitchell."</ref>]]In 1929, [[Jimmy Doolittle#Instrument flight|Jimmy Doolittle]] developed [[flight instruments]] .<ref>''Flying Blind: The Story of the First Takeoff, Flight, and Landing ...'', www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/history/pioneers/First_Instrument_Flight_Doolittle.pdf. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.</ref> 1929 also saw the first flight of by far the largest plane ever built until then: the [[Dornier Do X]] with a wingspan of 48 m. On its 70th test flight on 21 October 1929, there were 169 people on board, a record that was not broken for 20 years.

In 1923, The first successful [[rotorcraft]] appeared in the form of the [[autogyro]], invented by Spanish engineer [[Juan de la Cierva]] and first flown in 1919. In this design, the rotor is not powered but spins freely as it moves through the air, while a separate engine powers the aircraft to move forward. This was the basis of further development and prototypes that led to the creation of the [[helicopter]]. In 1930 [[Corradino D'Ascanio]], an Italian engineer, developed a [[coaxial]] helicopter with the important inclusion of three small propellers on the craft, which controlled the [[Aircraft principal axes|pitch, roll, and yaw]] of the aircraft. Later helicopters saw several adjustments to their rotors but the first modern helicopter was not constructed until 1947 by [[Igor Sikorsky]]<ref>Petrescu, Relly Victoria, et al. "About Helicopters." ''SSRN'', 29 Nov. 2017, papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3077185.</ref>

Only five years after the German Dornier Do-X had flown, [[Tupolev]] designed the largest aircraft of the 1930s era, the [[Tupolev ANT-20|''Maksim Gorky'']] in the Soviet Union by 1934, as the largest aircraft ever built using the Junkers methods of metal aircraft construction.

In the 1930s, development of the [[jet engine]]s began in Germany and in Britain and they began testing in 1939 before World War II. The jet engine saw considerable development during the war, with a few jet powered aircraft being used in the war.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jet Engines |url=https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/courses/ww2/projects/jet-airplanes/planes.html |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=cs.stanford.edu |archive-date=30 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430132456/https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/courses/ww2/projects/jet-airplanes/planes.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Sabiha Breguet 19.jpg|thumb|First female combat pilot, [[Sabiha Gökçen]], reviews her [[Breguet 19]]]]
After enrolling in the Military Aviation Academy in Eskisehir in 1936 and undertaking training at the First Aircraft Regiment, [[Sabiha Gökçen]], flew fighter and bomber planes becoming the first Turkish, female aviator and the world's first, female, combat pilot. During her flying career, she achieved some 8,000 hours, 32 of which were combat missions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-female-combat-pilot?fb_comment_id=847048878660727_1953127661386171|title=First female combat pilot|website=Guinness World Records|access-date=22 April 2020|archive-date=9 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309132533/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-female-combat-pilot?fb_comment_id=847048878660727_1953127661386171|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = https://steemit.com/tr/@turkish-trail/turkeys-first-woman-aviator-sahiba-goekcen|title = Turkey's first woman aviator Sabiha Gökçen|date = 23 June 2017|access-date = 22 April 2020|archive-date = 15 April 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220415124710/https://steemit.com/tr/@turkish-trail/turkeys-first-woman-aviator-sahiba-goekcen|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AfeZAwAAQBAJ&q=sabiha+gokcen+first+pilo&pg=PT100|title = The New Turkey: The Quiet Revolution on the Edge of Europe|isbn = 978-1-78378-031-0|last1 = Morris|first1 = Chris|date = May 2014|publisher = Granta Books|access-date = 25 June 2021|archive-date = 25 June 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210625184249/https://books.google.com/books?id=AfeZAwAAQBAJ&q=sabiha+gokcen+first+pilo&pg=PT100|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iQY6q91w8vIC&q=sabiha+gokcen+first+pilot&pg=PA114|title=The Politics of Public Memory in Turkey|isbn=978-0-8156-3131-6|last1=Özyürek|first1=Esra|date=18 January 2007|publisher=Syracuse University Press|access-date=25 June 2021|archive-date=25 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625184249/https://books.google.com/books?id=iQY6q91w8vIC&q=sabiha+gokcen+first+pilot&pg=PA114|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== World War II (1939–1945) ===
{{main|Aviation in World War II}}
{{See also|Air warfare of World War II|List of aircraft of World War II|List of helicopters used in World War II|World War II aircraft production}}
[[World War II]] saw a great increase in the pace of development and production, not only of aircraft but also the associated flight-based weapon delivery systems. Air combat tactics and doctrines started being rapidly developed. Large-scale [[strategic bombing]] campaigns were launched, [[Fighter aircraft#World War II|fighter escorts]] introduced and the more flexible aircraft and weapons allowed precise attacks on small targets with [[dive bomber]]s, [[fighter-bomber]]s, and [[ground-attack aircraft]]. New technologies like [[radar]] also allowed more coordinated and controlled deployment of air defence.

[[File:Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwable.jpg|right|thumb|[[Messerschmitt Me 262|Me 262]], world first operational jet fighter]]

The first jet aircraft to fly was the [[Heinkel He 178]] (Germany), flown by [[Erich Warsitz]] in 1939, followed by the world's first operational jet aircraft, the [[Messerschmitt Me 262]], in July 1942 and world's first jet-powered bomber, the [[Arado Ar 234]], in June 1943. British developments, like the [[Gloster Meteor]], followed afterwards, but saw only brief use in World War II. The first cruise missile ([[V-1 flying bomb|V-1]]), the first ballistic missile ([[V-2 rocket|V-2]]), the first (and to date only) operational rocket-powered combat aircraft [[Messerschmitt Me 163|Me 163]]—which attained velocities of up to {{convert|1130|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} in test flights—and the first vertical take-off a manned point-defence interceptor, the [[Bachem Ba 349]] ''Natter'', were also [[Vergeltungswaffe|developed by Germany]]. However, jet and rocket aircraft had only limited impact due to their late introduction, fuel shortages, the lack of experienced pilots and the declining war industry of Germany.

Not only aeroplanes, but also helicopters saw rapid development in the Second World War, with the introduction of the [[Focke Achgelis Fa 223]], the [[Flettner Fl 282]] [[synchropter]] in 1941 in Germany and the [[Sikorsky R-4]] in 1942 in the USA.

=== Postwar era (1945–1979) ===
[[File:DeHavilland Comet.jpg|thumb|right|[[de Havilland Comet|D.H. Comet]], the world's first jet airliner. As in this picture, it also saw [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] service]]
[[File:First flights in aviation history.ogg|thumb|A 1945 newsreel covering various firsts in human flight]]
{{Main|Postwar aviation}}

Following World War II, [[commercial aviation]] expanded quickly, primarily relying on former military aircraft to carry passengers and cargo. There was an excess of large bombers, such as the B-29 and [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]], which were easily converted for commercial use.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Post World War II |url=https://www.modelers-reference.com/aircraft-docs/post-wwii/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=Modeler's Reference |language=en-US |archive-date=13 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240913184942/https://www.modelers-reference.com/aircraft-docs/post-wwii/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[DC-3]] specifically played a key role, enabling longer and more efficient flights.<ref name=":02" />

The British [[de Havilland Comet]] became the first commercial jet airliner and was introduced into scheduled service by 1952. The aircraft was a breakthrough in technical achievements, but had several intense failures. The square design of the windows caused stress cracks from metal fatigue, caused by cycles of cabin pressurization and depressurization.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024|reason=Simple Flying link removed}} This eventually led to severe structural failures in the fuel area. These issues were resolved too late, since competing jet airliners were already flying.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |date=2022-09-10 |title=These vintage photos show what air travel looked like between 1930s to 1950s - Rare Historical Photos |url=https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/air-travel-vintage-photos-1930s-1950s/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=Rare Historical Photos |language=en-US |archive-date=18 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518133537/https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/air-travel-vintage-photos-1930s-1950s/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 15 September 1956, the USSR's airline [[Aeroflot]] became the first to offer continuous, regular jet services using the [[Tupolev Tu-104]]. Soon after, [[Boeing 707]] and [[DC-8]] also set new standards in comfort, safety, and passenger experience. This was the beginning of the [[Jet Age]], the introduction of large-scale commercial air travel.<ref name=":13"/>

In October 1947, [[Chuck Yeager]] became the first to fly faster than the speed of sound when he piloted the rocket-powered [[Bell X-1]] past the [[sound barrier]].<ref name=":13"/> The air speed record for an aircraft was set by the [[X-15]] at 4,534&nbsp;mph (7,297&nbsp;km/h) or [[Mach number|Mach]] 6.1 in 1967. This record was later broken by the [[NASA X-43|X-43]] in 2004, excluding spacecraft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=X-15 Hypersonic Research Program - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/reference/x-15/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |language=en-US |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007125045/https://www.nasa.gov/reference/x-15/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Military aircraft had a strategic advantage during the [[Cold War]] with the invention of [[nuclear bomb]]s in 1945. Even just a small fleet of [[bomber]]s could inflict catastrophic damage, which caused for the development of effective defenses. One early development was [[supersonic]] [[interceptor aircraft]]. By 1955, the focus shifted toward guided [[surface-to-air missile]]s. This eventually led to the emergence of [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]s (ICBMs), which have nuclear capabilities. An early example of ICBMs occurred in 1957 when the [[Soviet Union]] launched [[Sputnik 1]], beginning the [[Space Race]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 October 2024 |title=Introduction to Aerospace Aviation |url=https://aerospacecareersprogramme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Introduction-to-Aerospace-Aviation-Part-2.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=20 October 2024 |website=Introduction to Aerospace Aviation |archive-date=16 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216131137/https://aerospacecareersprogramme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Introduction-to-Aerospace-Aviation-Part-2.pdf }}</ref>

In 1961, [[Yuri Gagarin]] became the first human in space when he completed a single orbit around Earth in 108 minutes aboard [[Vostok 1|Vostok I]]. Following this, the United States sent [[Alan Shepard]] on a suborbital flight using a [[Mercury program]] capsule. In 1963, Canada became the third nation to enter space with the launch of its satellite, [[Alouette I]]. The space race culminated in [[Apollo 11|the landing]] on the moon in 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |title=April 1961 - First Human Entered Space - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/april-1961-first-human-entered-space/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |language=en-US |archive-date=5 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605222230/https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/april-1961-first-human-entered-space/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Apollo 11 Launch - GPN-2000-000630.jpg|thumb|right|[[Apollo 11]] lifts off on its mission to land a man on the Moon]]
The [[Harrier jump jet]], capable of vertical landing and takeoff, first flew in 1969. This was also the year of the introduction of the [[Boeing 747]]. Additionally, the Aérospatiale-BAC [[Concorde]] supersonic passenger airliner had its [[maiden flight]]. The Boeing 747 was the largest commercial passenger aircraft ever to fly at the time, now replaced by the [[Airbus A380]], capable of transporting 853 passengers. Aeroflot started flying  the [[Tu-144]]—the first supersonic passenger plane in 1975. The next year, [[British Airways]] and [[Air France]] began supersonic flights over the Atlantic.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Sandeep |first1=Mr. J |last2=Sushma |first2=Mrs. L |date=2019 |title=Aeronautical Engineering |url=https://mrcet.com/downloads/digital_notes/AE/III/Air%20Transport%20Systems.pdf |access-date=20 October 2024 |website=Air Transportation Systems}}</ref>

In 1979, the [[Gossamer Albatross]] achieved the status of the first human-powered aircraft to fly over the English channel, which had been a dream for centuries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MacCready "Gossamer Albatross" {{!}} National Air and Space Museum |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/maccready-gossamer-albatross/nasm_A19810428000 |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=airandspace.si.edu |language=en |archive-date=24 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624005025/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/maccready-gossamer-albatross/nasm_A19810428000 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Digital age (1980–present) ===
{{Main|Aviation in the digital age}}

[[File:concorde g-boab in storage arp.jpg|thumb|right|Concorde, ''G-BOAB'', in storage at [[London Heathrow Airport]] following the end of all Concorde flying. This aircraft flew for 22,296 hours between its first flight in 1976 and final flight in 2000]]

The last quarter of the 20th century saw a change of emphasis.  No longer was revolutionary progress made in flight speeds, distances and materials technology. This part of the century instead saw the spreading of the digital revolution both in flight [[avionics]] and in aircraft design and manufacturing techniques.

In 1986, [[Dick Rutan]] and [[Jeana Yeager]] flew an aircraft, the [[Rutan Voyager]], around the world un-refuelled, and without landing. In 1999, [[Bertrand Piccard]] became the first person to circle the earth in a balloon.

Digital [[fly-by-wire]] systems allow an aircraft to be designed with [[relaxed static stability]]. These systems were initially used to increase the manoeuvrability of military aircraft such as the [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon]], however they are now being used to reduce drag on commercial airliners.

The ''U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission'' was established in 1999 to encourage the broadest national and international participation in the celebration of 100 years of powered flight.<ref>
{{Citation | url = http://www.centennialofflight.gov/about/2004NtlPlan/sec1.htm | title = Executive Summary | publisher = U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060924020739/http://www.centennialofflight.gov/about/2004NtlPlan/sec1.htm | archive-date = 24 September 2006 }}
</ref> It publicized and encouraged a number of programmes, projects and events intended to educate people about the history of aviation.