1908: During flight trials to win a contract from the U.S. Signal Army Corps, pilot Orville Wright and passenger Lt. Thomas Selfridge crash in a Wright Flyer at Fort Myer, Virginia. Wright is injured, and Selfridge becomes the first passenger to die in an airplane accident.
After Wilbur and Orville Wright made their historic first-ever airplane [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Wright Brothers’
Sept. 17, 1908: First Airplane Passenger Death
September 17th, 2010 |
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May 27, 1931: Wind Tunnel Lets Airplanes ‘Fly’ on Ground
May 27th, 2010 |
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1931: The world’s first full-scale wind tunnel opens at Langley Field near Hampton, Virginia. With a test area 60 feet wide and 30 feet high, aerodynamic testing is performed on everything from World War II fighters and space capsules to submarines and modern jets.
Since the beginning of powered flight, wind tunnels have proven to be [...]
Jan. 13, 1908: Pilot Flies Whole Kilometer to Win Big Aviation Prize
January 13th, 2010 |
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1908: French aviator Henry Farman makes the first official flight of 1 kilometer around a predetermined closed course. He wins a huge monetary prize.
When Farman first flew an airplane in 1907, it was a time when simply being a pilot meant you had a good chance of setting records. Within a few weeks of his [...]
Dec. 17, 1903: Bicycle Brothers Make Aeroplane Work Wright
December 17th, 2009 |
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1903: Orville Wright successfully makes a flight in a heavier-than-air machine that takes off from level ground under its own power and is controlled during flight. He flies the first airplane.
If it seems there are a few caveats to the Wright brothers’ achievement 106 years ago, it’s because there had been several people before them [...]