HISTORY OF

AVIATION
By : Joshna Britto Nil
Evolution of airplanes
◦ The Wright brothers first flights in 1903
◦ It was in 1903 that the first successful powered flight took place. Wilbur and Orville
Wright flew the first powered airplane on December 17th, 1903, near Kitty Hawk in
North Carolina. This is recorded by the record-setting body, the Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale, as “the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight.”
◦ This first attempt in 1903 was a simple one. The aircraft only flew 37 meters and stayed
airborne for just 12 seconds. The brothers kept working on this, and by 1905 their third
aircraft, the Wright Flyer III, was capable of longer, controlled flight. The longest test
flight in 1905 lasted 39 minutes and covered over 38 kilometers, with larger fuel tanks
and engine coolant added to facilitate more prolonged operation.