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the aircraft industry. Aircraft includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings,
wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as balloons and airships.
Aviation began in the 18th century with the development of the hot air balloon, an
apparatus capable of atmospheric displacement through buoyancy. Some of the most
significant advancements in aviation technology came with the controlled gliding flying
of Otto Lilienthal in 1896; then a large step in significance came with the construction of
the first powered airplane by the Wright brothers in the early 1900s. Since that time,
aviation has been technologically revolutionized by the introduction of the jet which
permitted a major form of transport throughout the world.
Contents
• 1Etymology
• 2History
• 2.1Early beginnings
• 2.2Lighter than air
• 2.3Heavier than air
• 3Operations of aircraft
• 3.1Civil aviation
• 3.1.1Air transport
• 3.1.2General aviation
• 3.2Military aviation
• 3.2.1Types of military aviation
• 3.3Air safety
• 4Aviation accidents and incidents
• 5Air traffic control
• 6Environmental impact
• 7See also
• 8Notes
• 9Bibliography
• 10External links
Etymology[edit]
The word aviation was coined by the French writer and former naval officer Gabriel La
Landelle in 1863.[1] He derived the term from the verb avier (an
unsuccessful neologism for "to fly"), itself derived from the Latin word avis ("bird") and the
suffix -ation.[2]
History[edit]
Main article: History of aviation
Early beginnings[edit]
There are early legends of human flight such as the stories of Icarus in Greek
myth, Jamshid and Shah Kay Kāvus in Persian myth,[3] and the flying automaton
of Archytas of Tarentum (428–347 BC).[4] Later, somewhat more credible claims of short-
distance human flights appear, such as the winged flights of Abbas ibn Firnas (810–
887), Eilmer of Malmesbury (11th century), and the hot-air Passarola of Bartholomeu
Lourenço de Gusmão (1685–1724).
Lighter than air[edit]
First powered and controlled flight by the Wright brothers, December 17, 1903
There are 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 (50 m (160 ft)) but
insignificant altitude from level ground.[8][9][10] Seven years later, on 14 October 1897,
Ader's 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 14 October
1897, achieving an "uninterrupted flight" of around 300 metres (980 feet). Although widely
believed at the time, these claims were later discredited.[11][12]
The Wright brothers made the first successful powered, controlled and sustained airplane
flight on December 17, 1903, a feat made possible by their invention of three-axis control.
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.[13][14]
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. The war brought many
innovations to aviation, including the first jet aircraft and the first liquid-fueled rockets.
Military aviation[edit]
Main articles: Military aviation and Aerial warfare
Simple balloons were used as surveillance aircraft as early as the 18th century. Over the
years, military aircraft have been built to meet ever increasing capability requirements.
Manufacturers of military aircraft compete for contracts to supply their government's
arsenal. Aircraft are selected based on factors like cost, performance, and the speed of
production.
•Fighter aircraft's primary function is to destroy other aircraft. (e.g. Sopwith Camel, A6M
Zero, F-15, MiG-29, Su-27, and F-22).
•Ground attack aircraft are used against tactical earth-bound targets. (e.g. Junkers
Stuka, A-10, Il-2, J-22 Orao, AH-64 and Su-25).
•Bombers are generally used against more strategic targets, such as factories and oil
fields. (e.g. Zeppelin, Tu-95, Mirage IV, and B-52).
•Transport aircraft are used to transport hardware and personnel. (e.g. C-17 Globemaster
III, C-130 Hercules and Mil Mi-26).
•Surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft obtain information about enemy forces.
(e.g. Rumpler Taube, Mosquito, U-2, OH-58 and MiG-25R).
•Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are used primarily as reconnaissance fixed-wing aircraft,
though many also carry payloads. Cargo aircraft are in development. (e.g. RQ-7B
Shadow, MQ-8 Fire Scout, and MQ-1C Gray Eagle).
•Missiles deliver warheads, normally explosives, but also things like leaflets.
Air safety[edit]
Main article: Aviation safety
Aviation safety means the state of an aviation system or organization in which risks
associated with aviation activities, related to, or in direct support of the operation of
aircraft, are reduced and controlled to an acceptable level. It encompasses the theory,
practice, investigation, and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such
failures through regulation, education, and training. It can also be applied in the context of
campaigns that inform the public as to the safety of air travel.
A USAF Thunderbird pilot ejecting from his F-16 aircraft at an air show in 2003
An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13
as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between
the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight until such time as all
such persons have disembarked, in which a person is fatally or seriously injured, the
aircraft sustains damage or structural failure or the aircraft is missing or is completely
inaccessible.[16]
The first fatal aviation accident occurred in a Wright Model A aircraft at Fort Myer, Virginia,
USA, on September 17, 1908, resulting in injury to the pilot, Orville Wright, and death of
the passenger, Signal Corps Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge.[17]
An aviation incident is defined as an occurrence, other than an accident, associated with
the operation of an aircraft that affects or could affect the safety of operations.[18]
An accident in which the damage to the aircraft is such that it must be written off, or in
which the plane is destroyed, is called a hull loss accident.[18]