From the earliest times, people have wanted to fly. They watched birds, studied how they moved their wings, and tried to do the same. They made all kinds of wings and jumped from high hills and rooftops, hoping to fly. But their wings could not hold them in the air, and many were injured or killed.
Leonardo da Vinci, a famous Italian painter of the fifteenth century, was also a scientist. He made drawings of a flying machine, which was later built and became known as a helicopter. He also designed a parachute, though he never built one.
Early experiments with flight took place in many countries. In the 18th century, people learned that heated air could lift a balloon. In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers from France built a large paper balloon. There was a small platform attached to it for carrying people. The balloon could rise when filled with hot air.
During the first flight, the balloon went up into the air but carried no one. During the second, some animals were sent up. In the third flight, which took place in November of the same year, two men went up in the balloon. They stayed in the air for twenty-five minutes and traveled about six kilometers.
In those days, balloons could not travel far because they were carried only by the wind. Today, modern balloons use gases lighter than air, which allow them to stay aloft even when there is no wind.
In the late 19th century, inventors began to design flying machines with engines. One of the early pioneers, Alexander Mozhaisky, built an experimental airplane in 1881. The first successful powered flight, however, was made by the Wright brothers in the United States in 1903. Their airplane stayed in the air for about twelve seconds and traveled thirty-six meters.
In the early 20th century, many talented pilots and engineers around the world continued to improve aircraft. One of the great milestones came in 1913, when a pilot performed the first “loop the loop”—a complete vertical circle in the air. Such maneuvers showed that airplanes could be controlled safely even at high speeds and altitudes.
After World War I, aircraft construction and technology developed rapidly. New designs, engines, and materials made flying safer and faster. The progress of aviation in the 20th century opened the skies to exploration, travel, and communication across the globe.
