History of flight | Airplanes, Dates, & Facts

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class="md-content"> <div class="md-article-container template-desktop infinite-pagination"> <div class="infinite-scroll-container article last"> <article class="article-content container-lg qa-content px-0 pt-0 pb-40 py-lg-20 content md-expanded" data-topic-id="210191"> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col-auto"> <div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/history-of-flight">history of flight</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/technology/history-of-flight">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref260577"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight#ref260577">The invention of the airplane</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260578"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/Construction-of-the-sustaining-wings-the-problem-of-lift">Construction of the sustaining wings: the problem of lift</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260579"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-generation-and-application-of-power-the-problem-of-propulsion">The generation and application of power: the problem of propulsion</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260580"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-generation-and-application-of-power-the-problem-of-propulsion#ref260580">Balancing and steering the machine: the problem of control</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260581"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/Other-aviation-pioneers">Other aviation pioneers</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref275078"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/Other-aviation-pioneers#ref275078">List of select pioneer aircraft</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref260582"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/Other-aviation-pioneers#ref260582">Pistons in the air</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260583"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/Other-aviation-pioneers#ref260583">The headliners</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260584"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-first-airlines">The first airlines</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260585"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/From-airmail-to-airlines-in-the-United-States">From airmail to airlines in the United States</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260586"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-aeronautical-infrastructure">The aeronautical infrastructure</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260587"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-aeronautical-infrastructure#ref260587">Wartime legacies</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260588"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-aeronautical-infrastructure#ref260588">Postwar airlines</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260589"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/General-aviation">General aviation</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref260590"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-jet-age">The jet age</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260591"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-jet-age#ref260591">Origins</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref260592"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-jet-age#ref260592">First experiments</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref260593"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-jet-age#ref260593">World War II</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260594"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-jet-enters-the-civilian-world">The jet enters the civilian world</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref260595"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-jet-enters-the-civilian-world#ref260595">Technical advantages and challenges</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref260596"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/The-jet-enters-the-civilian-world#ref260596">The airlines reequip</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref260597" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/Progress-in-engines-and-airframes">Progress in engines and airframes</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref260598"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/Progress-in-engines-and-airframes#ref260598">Airliners</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref260599"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/Progress-in-engines-and-airframes#ref260599">Business aircraft</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref260600"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/Avionics-passenger-support-and-safety">Avionics, passenger support, and safety</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref260601"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/technology/history-of-flight/Avionics-passenger-support-and-safety#ref260601">Turbine-powered helicopters</a></li></ul></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/history-of-flight/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/history-of-flight">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/history-of-flight/images-videos">Images & Videos</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/40/96240-050-142CC589/flying-machine-Leonardo-da-Vinci-plans-ornithopter.jpg" data-href="/media/1/210191/90538" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/40/96240-004-A9CAD60A/flying-machine-Leonardo-da-Vinci-plans-ornithopter.jpg" alt="Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/166928-050-56FE97A6/Wright-brothers-flying-machine-controls-Huffman-Prairie-October-4-1905.jpg" data-href="/media/1/210191/16325" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/166928-004-EA9D64C6/Wright-brothers-flying-machine-controls-Huffman-Prairie-October-4-1905.jpg" alt="Wright flyer, 1905" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/99712-050-61C19763/George-Cayley-glider-English-notion-aircraft-flight-1853.jpg" data-href="/media/1/210191/99636" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/99712-004-F6E5F2CC/George-Cayley-glider-English-notion-aircraft-flight-1853.jpg" alt="George Cayley's glider, 1853" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/51/99051-050-CB87FFA1/Otto-Lilienthal-German-one-gliders-1895.jpg" data-href="/media/1/210191/99638" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/51/99051-004-5578BCAA/Otto-Lilienthal-German-one-gliders-1895.jpg" alt="Lilienthal glider" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/33/18933-050-64C4C0A7/Wilbur-Wright-banking-turn-right-glider-North-October-24-1902.jpg" data-href="/media/1/210191/16324" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/33/18933-004-E1DEA5E4/Wilbur-Wright-banking-turn-right-glider-North-October-24-1902.jpg" alt="Wright glider" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/05/99705-004-232D7A6A/launch-aerodrome-houseboat-Samuel-Pierpont-Langley-Potomac-Oct-7-1903.jpg" data-href="/media/1/210191/99639" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/05/99705-004-232D7A6A/launch-aerodrome-houseboat-Samuel-Pierpont-Langley-Potomac-Oct-7-1903.jpg" alt="Langley aerodrome of 1903" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/38/4738-050-C1D653C7/Orville-Wright-history-airplane-flight-Kill-Devil-December-17-1903.jpg" data-href="/media/1/210191/3789" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/38/4738-004-F9A19A6F/Orville-Wright-history-airplane-flight-Kill-Devil-December-17-1903.jpg" alt="first flight by Orville Wright, December 17, 1903" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/14/99714-004-F947FADB/Percy-Sinclair-Pilcher-Hawk-English-wings-1896.jpg" data-href="/media/1/210191/99640" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/14/99714-004-F947FADB/Percy-Sinclair-Pilcher-Hawk-English-wings-1896.jpg" alt="Pilcher Hawk" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/23/99723-050-264626E9/Alberto-Santos-Dumont-flights-Brazilian-Europe-airplane-1906.jpg" data-href="/media/1/210191/99632" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/23/99723-004-489FF64E/Alberto-Santos-Dumont-flights-Brazilian-Europe-airplane-1906.jpg" alt="Santos-Dumont and his No. 14-bis" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/55/76155-050-C76325AA/Louis-Bleriot-monoplane-Type-XI-English-Channel-July-25-1909.jpg" data-href="/media/1/210191/94576" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/55/76155-004-A426D5A7/Louis-Bleriot-monoplane-Type-XI-English-Channel-July-25-1909.jpg" alt="Louis Blériot and Type XI monoplane" height="50" /> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" 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Bilstein</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Emeritus Professor of History, University of Houston-Clear Lake. Author of <i>The Enterprise of Flight</i> and others.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Roger E. Bilstein</span>, <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Tom-D-Crouch/4335" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Tom D. Crouch</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Curator Emeritus, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. Author of <em>The Bishop's Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright </em>and many others.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Tom D. Crouch</span><span class="text-gray-700 mx-5">•</span><a class="see-all border-gray-700 gtm-byline" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/history-of-flight/additional-info#contributors">All</a> </div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-10-30T00:00:00CDT" >Oct 30, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/history-of-flight/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/technology/aviation" topicid="45694">aviation</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>On the Web: </dt> <dd><a href="https://www.aiaa.org/about/History-and-Heritage/History-of-Flight-Around-the-World" target="_blank">American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics - History of Flight Around the World</a> (Oct. 30, 2024)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/history-of-flight"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In the <strong>history of flight</strong>, the most important landmarks and events include an understanding of the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynamic" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynamic" data-type="MW">dynamic</a> reaction of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/lift-physics" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">lifting</a> surfaces (or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/wing-aircraft" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">wings</a>), building absolutely reliable engines that produce sufficient power to propel an <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/airframe" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">airframe</a>, and solving the problem of flight control in three dimensions. At the start of the 20th century, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wright-brothers" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Wright brothers</a> demonstrated that the basic technical problems associated with heavier-than-air flying machines had been overcome, and military and civil <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/aviation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">aviation</a> developed quickly afterward.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="16325" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/166928-050-56FE97A6/Wright-brothers-flying-machine-controls-Huffman-Prairie-October-4-1905.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/210191/16325"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/166928-050-56FE97A6/Wright-brothers-flying-machine-controls-Huffman-Prairie-October-4-1905.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/166928-050-56FE97A6/Wright-brothers-flying-machine-controls-Huffman-Prairie-October-4-1905.jpg?w=300" alt="Wright flyer, 1905" data-width="1600" data-height="1216" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/166928-050-56FE97A6/Wright-brothers-flying-machine-controls-Huffman-Prairie-October-4-1905.jpg" data-href="/media/1/210191/16325">Wright flyer, 1905</a><span>The Wright brothers' first practical flying machine, with Orville Wright at the controls, passing over Huffman Prairie, near Dayton, Ohio, October 4, 1905.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">This article tells the story of the invention of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/airplane" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">airplane</a> and the development of civil aviation from piston-engine airplanes to jets. For a history of military aviation, <em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/military-aircraft" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">military aircraft</a>; for lighter-than-air flight, <em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/airship" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">airship</a>. <em>See</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/airplane" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">airplane</a> for a full <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="treatment" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/treatment" data-type="EB">treatment</a> of the principles of aircraft flight and operations, aircraft configurations, and aircraft materials and construction. For a comparison of select pioneer aircraft, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/history-of-flight/Other-aviation-pioneers#ref275078" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true"><em>see below</em></a>. </p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><em><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Orville-Wright-on-Wilbur-Wright-2215554" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">(Read the biography of Wilbur Wright that his brother, Orville, wrote for Britannica in 1929.)</a></em></p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref260577"> <h2 class="h1">The invention of the <span id="ref943512"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/airplane" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">airplane</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">On the evening of Sept. 18, 1901, <span id="ref943514"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wright-brothers" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Wilbur Wright</a>, a 33-year-old businessman from Dayton, Ohio, addressed a distinguished group of Chicago engineers on the subject of “Some Aeronautical Experiments” that he had conducted with his brother Orville Wright over the previous two years. “The difficulties which obstruct the pathway to success in flying machine construction,” he noted, “are of three general classes.”</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <blockquote> <ol><li><div>Those which relate to the construction of the sustaining wings.</div></li><li><div>Those which relate to the generation and application of the power required to drive the machine through the air.</div></li><li><div>Those relating to the balancing and steering of the machine after it is actually in flight.</div></li></ol> </blockquote> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">This clear analysis—the clearest possible statement of the problem of heavier-than-air flight—became the basis for the Wright brothers’ work over the next half decade. What was known at that time in each of these three critical areas and what additional research was required are considered below.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/early-aviation" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/76/164576-131-6B4BA221/Amelia-Earhart.jpg" alt="Close-up profile view of American aviator Amelia Earhart sitting in the cockpit of a helicopter. Earhart wears a bomber jacket and flight goggles on her head." class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Early Aviation</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> </section><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":12,"pageId":210191,"pageLength":268,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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History of flight | Airplanes, Dates, & Facts | Britannica