Researched
Airplane
On 17 December 1903 the Wright brothers fly powered and controlled for the first time - 12 seconds, later that day 59.
Open in the interactive tree →Orville Wright flew 12 seconds and 37 metres; the longest flight of the day lasted 59 seconds over 260 metres. The Wrights had first built a wind tunnel and three-axis control. Only 66 years later people landed on the Moon; in 2019 aviation carried about 4.5 billion passengers.
Prerequisites
- Newtonian Mechanics1687
- Aerodynamics & Gliders1799-1896The Wrights started from Cayley's and Lilienthal's lift data
- Internal Combustion Engine1876
- Safety Bicycle & Pneumatic Tyre1885-1888The Wrights were bicycle builders: light frames, chains and bearings
- Aluminium by Electrolysis1886The 1903 Wright engine had a cast aluminium-alloy crankcase to save weight
Unlocks
- Helicopter1936-1942
- Turbojet Engine1937
- Jet Airliner1952
- First human in space1961
- Modern Wind Turbines~1980
- Space Shuttle1981The orbiter is a winged aircraft that glides back and lands on a runway
- Lidar Maps Hidden Ancient Cities2012-2026
- Electric Air Taxis (eVTOL)2023–2026
More in Transport & Mobility · Machine Age
- Gyrocompass & Autopilot1908
- Pallet & Forklift1917-1945
- Motorways & Interstates1924-1956
- Helicopter1936-1942
- Turbojet Engine1937