Who helped flight take off? - ��ý Bitesize

US President Donald Trump salutes as he steps off the Marine One helicopter. — Image caption,
Marine One is the official helicopter of the US President.

Heroes at height

Nowadays we’re used to jetting off on holiday, seeing important people like presidents and politicians stepping out of helicopters and hearing about the latest mission to the International Space Station.

None of these things would be possible if it hadn’t been for the brave men and women who put their lives in danger in the name of exploration.

Many challenged themselves to become the highest, the fastest or the farthest. They are the heroes at height - the men and women who helped flight take off!

The history of flight

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1783 - Up, up and away
The first human flight in a hot air balloon designed by the Montgolfier Brothers in Paris.
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1903 - The Wright Flyer
The first powered, controlled flight in a plane designed and built by the Wright Brothers. The flight, which took off from Kitty Hawk Beach in North Carolina, lasted just 12 seconds.
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1919 - Crossing the Atlantic
British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown make the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to Clifden in County Galway.
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1927 - Flying solo
Aged 25, Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo, non-stop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris, lasting 34 hours.
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1932 - Sisters are doing it for themselves
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Like Lindbergh, she was aiming for Paris but had to land in Londonderry because of mechanical failure.
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1961 - Into orbit
Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space when he orbits the earth in a flight lasting 108 minutes.
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1969 - One giant leap for mankind
American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are the first people to walk on the moon during NASA’s Apollo 11 mission.
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1970 - Flying goes mainstream
Pan Am Airways carry 324 passengers from New York to London on the first commercial flight in a Boeing 747.
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1986 - Around the world
The Rutan Voyager aircraft takes off from California to complete the first non-stop, round the world flight. It took 9 days and has only been done on one other occasion in 2006.
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1998 - Living in space
The first parts of the International Space Station are launched into orbit and connected. The crew arrive 2 years later in December 2000.

Amelia Earhart in the cockpit of her plane. — Image caption,
Amelia Earhart was a famous pilot in the 1920's and 30's.

The Golden Age of Aviation

The twenty year period between the end of World War One and the beginning of World War Two is known as the ‘Golden Age of Aviation’. There were more leaps forward in engineering and record-setting during those years than any other time in history.

Aircraft transformed from slow wooden and fabric biplanes into the sturdier, all metal monoplanes that we’re used to seeing today.

They were cheap to buy, easy to control and you didn’t need a license to fly. Many pilots took part in competitions with lots of money up for grabs. They were the heroes of their time.

World War Two aircraft in flight. — Image caption,
Aviation played a huge role in World War Two.

War and beyond

The Golden Age of Aviation resulted in military forces across the world developing their aircraft. Flight became a major part of World War Two and made planes like the Spitfire famous.

Many aircraft factories were required to help with the war effort so work on civilian air travel stopped. When the fighting came to an end however, lessons learned during the war revolutionised aviation.

Modern commercial aircraft started to appear around 50 years ago and although nowadays they are safer and can carry more people, designs have mostly stayed the same.

Watch to find out more about the key figures in the history of flight.

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Images: NASA on the Commons; Smithsonian Institution.

The Mars Rover takes its first selfie. — Image caption,
The Mars Curiosity Rover has been exploring the planet since 2012.

The future

The Space Race captured the imagination of millions of people across the world as experts and engineers began to look beyond Earth. Although the space industry grew quickly, it became very expensive and less competitive as time went on.

Space travel is now very important for research, plus commercial companies like Virgin Galactic and SpaceX are even planning to take passengers into orbit.

Some airlines are also working on ideas like battery power, hypersonic flight and virtual reality cabins, but these are still a long way off. Don’t be too disappointed though, it’s possible that man could orbit the Red Planet, Mars, by 2030!

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Heroes at height

The history of flight

The Golden Age of Aviation

War and beyond

The future

More on Flight

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