1783-1903
Early Flight Experiments
From hot air balloons to gliders, the foundations of flight
- 1783: Montgolfier Brothers - First hot air balloon flight
- 1853: George Cayley - First successful glider carrying a person
- 1896: Otto Lilienthal - Systematic gliding experiments
- 1903: Wright Brothers - First powered flight at Kitty Hawk
1904-1914
Pioneer Era
Early aviation development and the first practical aircraft
- 1906: Santos-Dumont - First public powered flight in Europe
- 1909: Blériot - First flight across the English Channel
- 1910: Brooklands - First aviation meeting in Britain
- 1914: First scheduled airline service begins
1914-1918
World War I Aviation
Military aviation development during the Great War
- 1914: Formation of Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service
- 1915: Fokker Eindecker introduces interrupter gear
- 1917: Formation of Royal Air Force
- 1918: Strategic bombing campaigns begin
1919-1939
Golden Age
Between the wars: record breaking and commercial development
- 1919: First transatlantic flight by Alcock and Brown
- 1927: Lindbergh's solo Atlantic crossing
- 1930: Amy Johnson flies solo to Australia
- 1935: First radar experiments begin
1939-1945
World War II
Aviation reaches maturity in global conflict
- 1940: Battle of Britain
- 1942: First operational jet aircraft (Me 262)
- 1944: V-1 and V-2 missiles deployed
- 1945: Nuclear weapons delivered by air
1945-1970
Jet Age
Transition to jet propulsion and supersonic flight
- 1947: Chuck Yeager breaks sound barrier
- 1952: De Havilland Comet - First jet airliner
- 1957: Sputnik launches space age
- 1969: Concorde supersonic airliner first flight
1970-Present
Modern Aviation
Digital age, efficiency improvements, and space tourism
- 1970: Boeing 747 jumbo jet enters service
- 1981: First Space Shuttle flight
- 1988: Fly-by-wire technology becomes standard
- 2004: SpaceShipOne wins X Prize for private spaceflight
Explore Aviation History in Detail
Discover comprehensive books covering each era of aviation development, written by aviation historian Charles E. MacKay with unprecedented detail and analysis.