The Amazing World of Aviation

From the exhilarating and perilous days of early flight, we explore the inspiration that drove such innovators as Benjamin Franklin and Leonardo da Vinci who envisioned new ways to give man wings.

To fly an early airplane required skill, courage and a sense of adventure; the advent of the movie camera meant that their exploits could be broadcast to every corner of the globe, and recorded for posterity.

The triumph and tragedy of early aviation.

The history of flight becoming a business.

The years following the First World War saw flying take off as serious business; previously unimagined opportunities opened up, among them, skywriting and sightseeing tours; flying became a bigger feature of life all around the world.

Seaplanes saw the dawn of the aviation industry as they could accommodate large numbers of passengers between continents, and only required a smooth body of water to land.

Information on aviation.

In 1966, British aviation expert Sir Frank Whittle was honored for his services to the aviation industry.

British aviation expert Sir Frank Whittle invented the jet engine, and ushered in a new era of air travel.

Information on aviation.

Airlines begin to spring up everywhere, catering to the demands of passengers wanting to go just about anywhere, but the flights were only domestic at the time.

Information on aviation.

In the early years, air fields were more concerned with utility than comfort with the first passengers becoming used to enduring the elements as they walked out to their flight.

History of the Concorde.

Britain and France collaborated to build the world's first Concorde, a jet that could traverse the Atlantic in just 3 hours, at twice the speed of sound.

The Boeing 737 twin-engine jetliner was to become Boeing's greatest success; it had one of the lowest approach speeds of any jet transport, a great asset when landing at smaller airports with shorter runways.

Traditionally, regulators had insisted that all passenger aircraft be powered by at least three engines; but the development of more sophisticated airplanes eventually made twin-engine, long-distance travel feasible.

The Boeing 787 according to its manufacturers is a revolution in air travel; similar to the Airbus A380, the plane is made from carbon fiber reinforced plastics and aluminum glass fiber materials which are lighter and more resistant to fatigue.

The US government initiated a research program; X-30 National Aero-Space Plane.

The buzzword in the space industry now is tourism; private companies have moved into space research, with the philosophy that the best way to extend man's reach into space is to promote it as a tourist destination.