Ryan Catania

The History of Planes

How planes fly Before I talk a lot about planes you should know how they work. A plane

relies on its wings for flight. The top of a conventional wing is a teardrop shape which is the most aerodynamic shape according to scientists. The bottom is flat which is less aerodynamic than the top. Since the air passes the bottom less quickly than it is able to pass the top that creates more pressure on the bottom generating lift to push the airplane up. For the air to do this it has to go fast enough for enough air to pass the wings at a high speed.

wing

Early planes The first successful powered airplane airplane was created by Wilbur and Orville Wright in 1903 with a gasoline powered engine. Before this it is thought Leonardo Da Vinci was the first to come up with the idea of flight in the late 1400s. Before the wright brothers there were balloons and gliders. The Wright brothers plane was named The Wright Flyer. It started the idea that planes could be used for longer range transportation.

The Wright Flyer

The Use of Planes

After the Wright brothers aircraft development was literally propelled forward. In less than two decades airplanes were capable of combat, in world war one it was the first war airplanes had been used in. Like the Wright Flyer most were biplanes. Aircraft became vital for reconnaissance, bombing, and attacking other planes which is known as dogfighting. This was the beginning of aircraft being used by countries. Soon they would be used for commercial and were going to become the most common means of long range travel.

Commercial Planes The first time commercial flights became popular was in the 1920’s. Before that there had been planes carrying cargo and occasionally passengers but when commercial planes became more practical was in the 20’s. Now when we think of commercial planes we thing of huge boing jets, however early commercial planes were usually single engine propeller planes that could carry less than ten people. An example would be the French Bleriot-SPAD below.

Gliders Gliders were actually the fist kind of aircraft. They are also

the most simple which explains why they were built first. Although the first gliders were more like hang gliders than the planes that are gliders today and used to have to be launched off cliffs or steep hills.

Sea Planes All sea planes must take off and land in a large body of water.

They are not as aerodynamic as other planes because of the floats they use to stay afloat in the water. Almost all seaplanes use propellers to fly.

Aerial Exploration

Once planes became practical and with stronger designs people could use them to fly into places that used to be only accessible by foot or boats. People could fly into dense jungles or arctic landscapes. These flights were made by what are called aerial pioneers who established routes of flight.

WWII Planes Once World War Two broke out planes played a large part for both sides. The planes now were more advanced but still limited to propellers witch were the only way to propel planes. Now they were used to bomb, drop paratroopers, and aerial reconnaissance. Planes were more developed and there were larger aircraft used.

Rocket Planes The least known kind of planes were rocket planes. While

The first rocket plane was built in 1928. What we today would consider a rocket plane came much later. The thing that made them stand out was they did not need any air for their engines to work like jet and propeller planes do.

Jet Planes After World War Two a new faster, more powerful kind of plane was built.

They were jet planes. At the time they were not really used for commercial purposes. The first practical jet powered plane was The German HE 178. Jet planes would eventually become standard for long distance passenger flight and for many militaries.

Late 1900’s Commercial Planes By the late twentieth century the use of airplanes was a popular

way of transportation and with jet planes becoming larger and faster the industry was growing fast. Now the practical way to get to far away places is by planes.

Modern Military Planes Now militaries use primarily jet planes and are made to be

faster, stronger, and advanced with more electronic autopilots and navigation. Today militaries have jets that can go at supersonic speeds. Some can even evade radar and carry smaller planes.

Modern Commercial Planes Most major international airlines use giant quad jet engine planes that can

carry usually over a hundred people. Small airports still use small propeller planes but they are much different than the old planes that were used so many years ago. Now jet planes have electronic flight computers, navigation, autopilot, and new parts for slowing and controlling the aircraft.

The Evolution of Planes Planes have come from the Wright brothers first powered plane in 1903 to the

modern jet airliner. They have changed a lot in the past one hundred and ten year that they have been around and engineers are making new models right now. They are the new way of long distance transportation and have become one of the most important/useful inventions built yet.