Well here we are - 100 years ago today Wilbur and Orville Wright took off on the first powered flight.

What do you think have been the most influential aviation moments of the last century - and where will we be in another 100 years? Happy things as well as bad?

Imo, the most defining moments of the last 100 years:

1919 - Alcock & Brown first to fly across the Atlantic (Vickers Vimy)

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Photo © Gerry Hill

1947 - First Supersonic Flight by Chuck Yeager

1969 - The year of the 747, Concorde and the first moon landing

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Photo © Wilsam Cheung


1977 - The worst air disaster of the 20th century - KLM and Pan Am 747s collide at Tenerife

1981 - The first Space Shuttle has it's first mission

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Photo © Richard Hardoon


1986 - The Challenger Disaster - the potential danger of space travel is bought into the spotlight

2001 - September 11th - The worst terrorist attack in history, 2800 people killed, and the moment that the world came together, determined to put an end to terrorism

 


2003 - Concorde makes its final voyage

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Photo © Thierry Ducros


The last century has had its high and low points - the question is as always what does the future have in store for us?

I believe that Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1951. But maybe I'm mixing something up.

Glad you started this thread because the other ones have deteriorated into juvenile bickering. Let's try to keep this positive!

I just hope the next 100 years will see as much progress in aviation as the last 100, and hopefully all peaceful.

Happy anniversary!

Definitely feeling good about being an aerospace engineer today.

I know this is cliche, but it's crazy how long mankind must have looked at birds and wondered how they could fly, trying to imitate them in vain. I believe that the point at which men learned to succeed in this pursuit was one of the great turning points in history. The changes brought about as a result in the past 100 years are obvious, but taken for granted by most. It's nice to have a community like this where people care as much as I do.

Happy anniversary, and let's look forward to the future of flight and space exploration.

1903 - Wright Brothers make the world's first POWERED flight
1907 - First helicopter flight by Paul Cornu in France
1909 - First cross English Channel flight by Frenchman Louis Bleriot on the Bleriot XI
1909 - The world's first passanser airplane of Zeppelin Airship is formed, carrying 35,000 passengers in 5 years.
1914 - First airline begin
1914 - World War I, rapid advancement in aircraft development
1917 - Pacific Aero Products Company changes its name to Boeing airplane company, and Boeing is established
1919 - The first non-stop flight across the Atlantic
1919 - First international commercial passanger flight between Paris and Brussels
1923 - The first non-stop US coast-to-coast
1924 - First round the world flight by US Air Army Service in 175 days
1925 - World's first inflight movie is shown
1927 - Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo flight over the Atlantic
1927 - First transoceaonic flight from Oakland, CA to Honolulu, Hawaii.
1929 - The first flight over Antartica takes place
1929 - The world's first flight over the South Pole
1929 - First rocket-powered plane by Fritz Opel of Germany
1931 - The first non-stop flight across the Pacific
1931 - First jet engine by Britain's Frank Whittle.
1932 - Amelia Earhart is the first woman to fly solo over the Atlantic
1933 - Wily Post completes the first round-the-world solo flight
1933 - The world's first airliner Boeing 247 with 10 pax onboard.
1935 - First airway traffic control centre at Newark, NJ.
1935 - First succesful pssanger airliner, the DC-3 was the first plane to make a profit solely on pax service. 21 pax onboard.
1936 - First pressurized cabin by Lockheed Aircraft Corp
1939 - World War II. huge advancement in combat aircraft and bombers.
1940 - First flight of Boeing Stratoliner
1947 - Flight faster than sound, the Bell X-I
1951 - The introduction of Tourist/Economy/Coach/Y Class
1954 - First Boeing 707, also the first jet airliner succesfully enters the pax service
1957 - World's first satellite, Russian Sputnik I
1958 - More than a million flew over the Atlantic, surpass the total of Atlantic Steamship pax
1961 - FIRST MAN IN SPACE. Yuri Gagrin, orbited on Vostok I spacecraft
1969 - First concorde's flight
1969 - First MAN ON THE MOON. Neil Armstrong
1970 - The first wide bodied jet Boeing 747 starts service and seats for 400+ pax.
1970 - Airbus is formed
1975 - Video games are first introduced onboard flights
1976 - First aircraft on Mars, Viking I that is.
1981 - First space shuttle launch
1984 - World's first inflight telephone is introduced
1997 - MH B772 breaks the world record for the longest non-stop flight:
SEA-KUL
1999 - Airbus outshine Boeing in sales for the first time
2001 - First space tourist, American bizman Denis Tito paid $20 mil. for a place on Russian Solyuz.
2001 - MH B772 is the first twin engine commercial aircraft to fly over North Pole
2001 - MH is the first Asian carrier to fly over polar route
2003 - Concorde makes it final flight on 24 October 2003

Compiled from/Courtesy of The Discovery Channel/Malaysia Airlines:
http://mas.discovery-asiapac.com/100yearsofflight/seasia/flash_100years.html

It is difficult to believe that just 100 years ago the airplane was just being invented - the advances in technology have been phenomenal!

I like the quote from John Glenn:

"Whatever we were able to do we were able to do because we stood on the shoulders of others,"

Aussieboggie, thanks for your report all about the first 100 years of flight. That's a very nice chronicle that you did.
But let me add a few more things:
1919: KLM, the oldest airline still in business today, is formed
1952: First jetliner in revenue service: the DH Comet
1976: Concorde enters service with Air France and British Airways
1985: First twin jet to fly accross the Atlantic Ocean: TWA B767
1991: Pan Am folds its wings
2000: Concorde is grounded / Airbus announces a super jumbo: the A380
2003: Boeing unveils a new aircraft: the 7E7

Great review !!!!  

Ben Soriano
Brussels Belgium

"1954 - First Boeing 707, also the first jet airliner succesfully enters the pax service"

Comet?