Phillip's+Tech

The history of modern flight

Many different failures with gliders, balloons, airships, kites, and wings led people to continue to work harder to figure out flight. The latter part of the 19th century became a period of intense study, characterized by the scientists who represented most research efforts until the 20th century. Throughout this period, a number of attempts were made to produce a true powered aircraft. However the majority of these efforts were doomed to failure, being designed by ill-informed amateurs who did not have a full understanding of how lift works.



Into the 20th century some intelligent designs begin to emerge. Samuel Langley designed and made a powered aircraft called the aerodrome. However, it was too fragile and unstable to actually fly. The wright brothers focused on control and gliding ability, but their first two gliders failed. After building a wind tunnel to test designs, they finally got it right and had the first sustained flight of 12 seconds on December 17, 1903.

The wright brother’s design was eventually upgraded to the biplane which was quickly adopted by the military and refined throughout world war I and II, until the Nazis made the first jet aircraft.



Bibliography: Bellis, Mary. "History of Flight - The Wright Brothers." About.com. Accessed February 13, 2014. http://www.about.com/.

Garrett, Lawrence. "Home : The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics." Home : The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Accessed February 13, 2014. http://www.aiaa.org/.