List of aviation pioneers
Encyclopedia
There were a number of attempts to fly a winged aircraft before the Wright brothers
' December 17, 1903 flight. Debates exist whether some were successful. This is a list of early aviation pioneers.
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
' December 17, 1903 flight. Debates exist whether some were successful. This is a list of early aviation pioneers.
Argentina
- Eduardo BradleyEduardo BradleyEduardo Bradley, born in the city of La Plata, Argentina, on April 9, 1887 embodied the Spirit of Aviation in Argentina where he was a major contributor in the funding of civil aviation. The son of Tomás Bradley Sutton, veteran of the Paraguayan War and of Mary Hayes O’Callaghan. Eduardo Bradley...
. First to cross the Andean mountains in 1916, at 8.100 meters (altitude record) in a hydrogen balloon.
Australia
- Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia in 1928 and the first non-stop crossing of the Australian mainland
Austria
- Wilhelm KressWilhelm KressWilhelm Kress was a pioneer in aviations and constructor of aircraft.-Life:Kress came to Vienna in 1873, where he developed the first modern delta-flying hang glider in 1877...
was a piano builder who constructed a sea plane with 3 pairs of wings. Made several short hops, and then tipped over while taxiing and was damaged beyond repair. Kress was forced by circumstances to use an engine with only half the horsepower he had specified in his designs. - Edvard RusjanEdvard RusjanEdvard Rusjan was a Slovene flight pioneer and airplane constructor. He died in an airplane crash in Belgrade.- Biography :Rusjan was born in Trieste, then the major port of Austria-Hungary...
Slovene aircraft constructor and pilot. His first flight was on November 25, 1909, with biplane of his own design. - Ivan SarićIvan ŠaricIvan Šarić was a Roman Catholic priest who became the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vrhbosna in 1922...
Aviation enthusiast from SuboticaSuboticaSubotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
was aircraft constructor and pilot. He made first flight on summer 1910, with monoplane of his own design. First public flight made on October 10, 1910, for 7.000 spectators.
Brazil
- Alberto Santos Dumont. A wealthy Brazilian who lived in France. Most famous for his airships and the flights with them, he designed, built, and flew the first practical dirigible balloons. In doing so he became the first person to demonstrate that routine, controlled flight was possible. He was later named "The World's First Aviator" by Aéro Club de France after having performed three flights in 1906 - three years after the Wright brothers. He was the first pilot officially witnessed to take off, fly and land without the use of catapults, high winds, launch rails, or other external assistance. Thus, some consider him to be the inventor of the airplane, especially in his homeland Brazil, where he is honored as the "Father of Aviation".
France
- Félix du Temple de la CroixFélix du Temple de la CroixFélix du Temple de la Croix was a French naval officer and an inventor, born into an ancient Normandy family...
made a jump for a couple of seconds with his aircraft in 1874. He is the first one to have made a jump with a motor-powered heavier-than-air aircraft.
- Clément AderClément AderClément Ader was a French inventor and engineer born in Muret, Haute Garonne, and is remembered primarily for his pioneering work in aviation.- The inventor :...
made his first flight with his bat-like steam-powered Éole on 9 October 1890. The jump was made in secrecy and was not documented. Another test was later done for the French army, but this too was kept secret. Some have suggested that he was the first true aviator. However, due to lack of evidence, his flights must be considered mere jumps.
- Ferdinand Ferber made two copies of Wright glider, after having been told of about it by the French-American oracle of aviation Octave ChanuteOctave ChanuteOctave Chanute was a French-born American railway engineer and aviation pioneer. He provided the Wright brothers with help and advice, and helped to publicize their flying experiments. At his death he was hailed as the father of aviation and the heavier-than-air flying machine...
. However the aircraft never lifted off and the experiments ended in 1905 - after the Wright brothers half hour flights. Ferber is sometimes mentioned since he has been of major importance for the development of French aviation.
- Alberto Santos Dumont, see Brazil above
- Marcel Brindejonc des MoulinaisMarcel Brindejonc des MoulinaisMarcel-Georges Brindejonc des Moulinais was a French aviator who died in World War I.-Early life:Brindejonc des Moulinais was born in Plérin in Côtes-d'Armor. He was the son of Jean-Georges Brindejonc des Moulinais and Blanche-Marie-Amélie Merlin...
Long distance champion.
Germany
- Otto LilienthalOtto LilienthalOtto Lilienthal was a German pioneer of human aviation who became known as the Glider King. He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful gliding flights. He followed an experimental approach established earlier by Sir George Cayley...
made many jumps in his gliders and contributed greatly to the development of flight. However, he never flew a motor-powered craft.
- Karl JathoKarl JathoKarl Jatho was a German pioneer and inventor, performer and public servant of the city of Hanover.On August 18, 1903 he flew with his self-made motored gliding airplane 4 months before the first flight of the Wright Brothers. He made his first attempts with a plane with three lifting surfaces, but...
. His tombstone in Hanover says "Jatho, the World's first motored aviator, August 18, 1903". However, not even the Germans consider his motorized wing glider to be an aircraft. The wing gliders were used at the time as manned artillery spotter platforms.
- Gustav Weißkopf, see USA below
Great Britain
- Hiram Stevens MaximHiram Stevens MaximSir Hiram Stevens Maxim was an American-born inventor who emigrated to England at the age of forty-one, although he remained an American citizen until he became a naturalized British subject in 1900. He was the inventor of the Maxim Gun – the first portable, fully automatic machine gun – and the...
was born in the USA. He was possibly the one with the greatest technical skill of the early aviation pioneers. He had made a fortune on his machine gun construction and spent almost seven years to construct an aircraft. It weighed almost 4 tons and was powered by two 180-hp steam engines. On 31 August 1894 he made his first attempt to lift off. The craft ran on four wheels on rail tracks. It never really lifted off and crashed and was destroyed when it reached the end of the rail line. Maxim also constructed other unsuccessful models. He is today most famous within aviation circles for his wind tunnel tests.
- Preston WatsonPreston WatsonPreston Watson was a Scottish aviation pioneer, who is sometimes said to have been the first true aviator. He is supposed to have made and controlled motorized flight with a heavier-than-air aircraft in 1903 - thus predating the Wright brothers flight.This claim has however been discredited by the...
was born in Scotland. In 1953 his brother James claimed that Preston had flown already in 1903. Preston, however, had built 3 aircraft between 1908 and 1913 and himself authored an article in Flight magazine on 15 May 1914, writing that the Wright brothers were the first practical aviators.
- Edwin MoonEdwin MoonSquadron Leader Edwin Rowland Moon DSO* was an English aviation pioneer who served in the Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force during the First World War. He was a prisoner of war and he was twice awarded a DSO.-Family:...
(1886–1920) used the meadows belonging to North StonehamNorth StonehamNorth Stoneham is a settlement and ecclesiastical parish in south Hampshire, England. It was formerly an ancient estate and manor. Until the nineteenth century, it was a rural community comprising a number of scattered hamlets, including Middle Stoneham, North End, and Bassett Green, and...
Farm as a take-off and landing spot for his monoplaneMonoplaneA monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
, Moonbeam Mk II. In 2010, what is now Southampton AirportSouthampton AirportSouthampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England....
is arranging a series of events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first flight at the airport.
India
- Shivkar Bapuji TalpadeShivkar Bapuji TalpadeShivkar Bapuji Talpade was a Maharashtrian Pathare prabhu community member who purportedly flew an unmanned airplane, named Marutsakhā , in the year 1895 .Talpade stayed at Dukkar Wadi , Chira...
launched an unmanned airplane, named Marutsakhā ("Marut-friend", said of Sarasvati in RV 7.96.2), in the year 1895. - Giacomo D'AngelisGiacomo D'AngelisGiacomo D'Angelis was a Corsic-Indian aviation pioneer who became famous for probably the first flight of an own-built aircraft in 1910.His great grandson claims that the first flight ever in India took place, started in Madras on March 10, 1910, nine months ahead of the one in Allahabad...
was a Corsic-Indian aviation pioneer who became famous for the probably first flight of an own-built aircraft in 1910.
Italy
- Giuseppe CeiGiuseppe Ceiframe|Giuseppe Cei.Giuseppe Cei was an Italian aviation pioneer.He was born in Càscina, Tuscany, and showed a precocious talent for mechanics from a very early age. He also obtained good results as a fencer, winning the sabre prize in the International Contest held at Milano in 1908.In the late...
(1889 – March 28, 1911) early Italian aviator and airplane performer - Giuseppe Mario BellancaGiuseppe Mario BellancaGiuseppe Mario Bellanca was an Italian-American airplane designer and builder who created the first enclosed cabin monoplane in the United States in 1922. This aircraft is now on display at the National Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.-Biography:He was born on March 19, 1886 in...
, see USA below - Enea Bossi, Sr.Enea Bossi, Sr.Enea Bossi, Sr. was an Italian-American aerospace engineer and aviation pioneer. He is best-known for designing the Budd BB-1 Pioneer, the first stainless steel aircraft; and also the Pedaliante airplane, disputably credited with the first fully human-powered flight.-Personal life:Enea Bossi was...
, see USA below
Mexico
- Juan Pablo Aldasoro flew his first aeroplane in 1909. In 1912 he graduated from the Moissant School of aviation together with Leopoldo Alberto Salinas Carranza, Gustavo Salinas Camiña, Horacio Ruiz Gaviño and his brother Eduardo Aldasoro. In that same year, Juan Pablo Aldasoro became the first man to overfly the Statue of LibertyStatue of LibertyThe Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
. On 14 April 1914, Gustavo Salinas Camiña was the first man in America to use the airplane as a bomber in the vicinity of Topolobampo (Sinaloa).
New Zealand
- Richard PearseRichard PearseRichard William Pearse , son of Cornish immigrants from St Columb near Newquay, a New Zealand farmer and inventor who performed pioneering experiments in aviation....
A group of aviation historians in New Zealand claims that Pearse flew about a kilometer by the end of March 1902 and a similar distance in 1903. However, no proof of this flight has been presented although the topic has been researched since 1958.
Poland
- Czesław Zbierański (1885–1982) with Stanislaw Cywiński in the years of 1910–1911 constructed plane with 1 pairs of wings. On September 25, 1911 in Warsaw, the plane piloted by Michal Scipio del Campio flew distance around 15–20 kilometers.
Portugal
- Artur de Sacadura Cabral (23 May 1881 – 15 November 1924), Portuguese aviation pioneer who in 1922, together with Gago CoutinhoGago CoutinhoCarlos Viegas Gago Coutinho, GCTE, GCC, generally known simply as Gago Coutinho was a Portuguese aviation pioneer who, together with Sacadura Cabral , was the first to cross the South Atlantic Ocean by air, from March to June 1922 , from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.The Fairey IIIB seaplane used by...
, conducted the first flight across the South Atlantic OceanFirst aerial crossing of the South AtlanticThe first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic was made by the Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral in 1922, to mark the centennial of Brazil's independence...
, and also the first using astronomical navigation only, from Lisbon, Portugal, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. - Gago CoutinhoGago CoutinhoCarlos Viegas Gago Coutinho, GCTE, GCC, generally known simply as Gago Coutinho was a Portuguese aviation pioneer who, together with Sacadura Cabral , was the first to cross the South Atlantic Ocean by air, from March to June 1922 , from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.The Fairey IIIB seaplane used by...
(17 February 1869 – 18 February 1959), Portuguese aviation pioneer who in 1922, together with Artur de Sacadura Cabral, conducted the first flight across the South Atlantic OceanFirst aerial crossing of the South AtlanticThe first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic was made by the Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral in 1922, to mark the centennial of Brazil's independence...
, and also the first using astronomical navigation only, from Lisbon, Portugal, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Romania
- Henri CoandăHenri CoandaHenri Marie Coandă was a Romanian inventor, aerodynamics pioneer and builder of an experimental aircraft, the Coandă-1910 described by Coandă in the mid-1950s as the world's first jet, a controversial claim disputed by some and supported by others...
built aircraft in the UK for World War I, and discovered the Coandă effectCoanda effectThe Coandă effect is the tendency of a fluid jet to be attracted to a nearby surface. The principle was named after Romanian aerodynamics pioneer Henri Coandă, who was the first to recognize the practical application of the phenomenon in aircraft development....
.
- Aurel VlaicuAurel VlaicuAurel Vlaicu was a Romanian engineer, inventor, airplane constructor and early pilot.-Biography:Aurel Vlaicu was born in Binţinţi , Geoagiu, Transylvania. He attended Calvinist High School in Orăştie and took his Baccalaureate in Sibiu in 1902...
built a glider in 1909 and three airplanes between 1910 and 1913 in Bucharest.
- Traian VuiaTraian VuiaTraian Vuia was a Romanian inventor and aviation pioneer who designed, builtand flew an early aircraft. His first flight traveled about 12 m at Montesson, France on March 18, 1906...
made a publicly witnessed flight of a few dozen yards on March 18, 1906, near Paris.
Russia
- Alexander MozhayskiyAlexander MozhayskiyAlexander Fedorovich Mozhayskiy , southern Finland – , Saint Petersburg), was a Russian naval officer, aviation pioneer, researcher and designer of heavier-than-air craft. Mozhayskiy was developing concepts for heavier-than-air flight...
is sometimes claimed to be the first aviator, the sources of these claims are almost always Russian or Finnish (as he was born in today's Finland). He is supposed to have flown 20–30 meters with a steam-powered aircraft in Saint Petersburg in 1884. Little is known of his fate and his aircraft after this. Mozhayskiy was developing concepts for heavier-than-air flight 20 years before the Wright brothersWright brothersThe Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
' first flight.
Spain
- Diego Marín AguileraDiego Marín AguileraDiego Marín Aguilera was a Spanish inventor who was an early aviation pioneer. Born in Coruña del Conde, Marín became the head of his household after his father died. Marín was forced to take care of his seven brothers, and worked as an agricultural laborer, tending his animals and fields...
flew a flying machine on May 15, 1793, of his own invention for approximately 360 meters at a height of 5–6 meters. Unfortunately, the residents of his town, believing him to be a lunatic, heretic, or a fraud, burned his creation and Marín Aguilera never attempted another flight.
Sweden
- Ivar SandströmIvar SandströmIvar Sandström was a Swedish aviation pioneer and one of Sweden's earliest aviators. He died September 2, 1917 at the age of 28, when he fell from his airplane, because he was not wearing a seat belt....
was one of Sweden's earliest aviators. He died when his plane crashed on September 2, 1917, at the age of 28. A navy officer, he joined Enoch Thulin's flying school in 1915 and graduated in August the same year. He was one of the first aviators to obtain the international flying license. He continued flying until his death and was known as one of the country's most skillful and experienced aviators.
Switzerland
- Oskar BiderOskar BiderOskar Bider was a Swiss aviation pioneer.- Life :Oskar Bider grew up in Langenbruck and graduated from the primary school to the district school in Waldenburg...
was one of Switzerland's pioneering aviators. With Fritz Rihner, he founded in July 1919 the «Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Lufttourismus» in Zürich. Oskar Bider was killed in an accident before the ambitious project was realized. - Alfred ComteAlfred ComteAlfred Comte was a Swiss aviation pioneer. He was active as a pilot, photographer, instructor, also as one of the first aviation entrepreneurs and was successful in the construction of civilian and military aircraft.- Life :At the age of 15 Alfred Comte built a motorized bicycle...
issued in 1913 his pilot license, served as a pilot and as an instruction officer for military aviation. In 1916, he carried out night flights from Delement, to ward off air space violations. In the early 1920s Comte was co-CEO of the Ad Astra AeroAd Astra AeroAd Astra Aero was a Swiss airline.-Time of the pioneers:Initiated by Oskar Bider and Fritz Rihner, in July 1919 the «Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Lufttourismus» was established in Zürich...
S.A. Starting from 1923 up to 1935, he concentrated on airplane design and construction. During World War II he returned to military aviation duties, and then after managed another school of aviation. - The brothers Armand DufauxArmand DufauxArmand Dufaux was a Swiss aviation pioneer who became famous for flying the length of Lake Geneva in 1910.He and his brother, Henri Dufaux were natives of Geneva...
and Henri DufauxHenri DufauxHenri Dufaux was a Swiss painter.-References:*This article was initially translated from the German Wikipedia....
built the first serial Swiss airplanes, among them Dufaux 4Dufaux 4-References:* *...
and Dufaux 5Dufaux 5The Dufaux 5 is a two-seat airplane built by French-Switzerland aviation pioneers Henri and Armand Dufaux.-Construction and development:After Armand Dufaux had flown over the Geneva for its entire length with the Dufaux 4 on 28 August 1910,and the world record by Louis Blériot was significantly...
. Piloting an Dufaux 4 biplane, Armand Dufaux crossed on August 28, 1910, Lake GenevaLake GenevaLake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
resulting at that time in the worldwide longest flight (66 km (41 miles)) over "open water". - Ernest FailloubazErnest FailloubazErnest Failloubaz was a Swiss aviation pioneer. He received the pilot's brevet number 1 issued in Switzerland on October 11, 1910, and did the first flight in Switzerland of an aircraft built and flown by Swiss citizen.- Life :Ernest Failloubaz' father Jules, a rich wine merchant, died when Ernest...
received the pilot's brevet number 1 issued in Switzerland on October 11, 1910, and did the first flight in Switzerland of an aircraft built and flown by Swiss citizen. - René GrandjeanRené GrandjeanRené Grandjean was a Swiss aviation pioneer. He designed and built the aircraft that was flown by Ernest Failloubaz for the first flight in Switzerland of an aircraft built and flown by Swiss citizen, was probably the first glacier pilot and was pioneering on seaplanes.- Life :In 1890 Grandjean's...
designed and built Ernest Failloubaz' aircraft for the first flight in Switzerland of an aircraft built and flown by Swiss citizen, pioneer on glacier flights and on seaplanes. - Walter MittelholzerWalter MittelholzerWalter Mittelholzer was a Swiss aviation pioneer. He was active as a pilot, photographer, travel writer, and also as one of the first aviation entrepreneurs....
was one of Switzerland's aerial photographyAerial photographyAerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...
pionieers and CEO of the Ad Astra AeroAd Astra AeroAd Astra Aero was a Swiss airline.-Time of the pioneers:Initiated by Oskar Bider and Fritz Rihner, in July 1919 the «Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Lufttourismus» was established in Zürich...
. The Swiss media events of the 1920s were Mittelholzer's Africa flights for aerial photography and cartography purposes. In 1924, he did the first transcontinental flight expedition, starting from the water airport at ZürichhornZürichhornZürichhorn is a river delta on Zürichsee's eastern shore in the lower basin of the lake. The area is part of the parks and quays in the Seefeld quarter of the city of Zürich in Switzerland...
via Egypt to South Africa resulting in the first overflight of Mount Kilimanjaro. - Eduard SpelteriniEduard SpelteriniEduard Spelterini was a Swiss pioneer of ballooning and of aerial photography.- Early life :Spelterini was born in Bazenheid in the Toggenburg area in Switzerland as Eduard Schweizer. His father, Sigmund Schweizer, was an innkeeper...
was in 1877 licensed by the Académie d'Aérostation météorologique de France as a ballon pilot. He became was a Swiss pioneer of ballooning and of aerial photography, crossed the Alps numerous times with his balloons, in all directions. Around 1893, Spelterini had begun to take a camera aboard his balloon and started to take pictures on his flights. In 1904, he spent several months in Egypt, and in 1911, he even travelled to South Africa, yet he returned each time to Switzerland. - Emile TaddéoliEmile TaddéoliEmile Taddéoli was a Swiss aviation pioneer. He was active as a pilot, instructor, test pilot, and also the probably most prominent pioneer using seaplanes in Switzerland...
was one of Switzerland's pioneering aviators on flying boats among them Savoia SIAI S.13SIAI S.13|-See also:...
. He died on May 24, 1920, as chief pilot for seaplanes of Ad Astra AeroAd Astra AeroAd Astra Aero was a Swiss airline.-Time of the pioneers:Initiated by Oskar Bider and Fritz Rihner, in July 1919 the «Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Lufttourismus» was established in Zürich...
, with his mechanic, during a demonstration flight at an air show in Romanshorn (Lake Constance) aboard a Savoia flying boat.
Turkey
- Vecihi HurkusVecihi HürkusVecihi Hürkuş was the first civil aviator in Turkey. He also built the first airplane in Turkey.- Firsts :Without a doubt, Vecihi Hürkuş was Turkey's most celebrated aviator...
served in first war in which aircraft were employed, in the First Balkan War in 1912. He was also the first Turkish pilot to down an enemy aircraft, in 1917. Later pioneered civil aviation and aircraft manufacture in Turkey.
USA
- Giuseppe Mario BellancaGiuseppe Mario BellancaGiuseppe Mario Bellanca was an Italian-American airplane designer and builder who created the first enclosed cabin monoplane in the United States in 1922. This aircraft is now on display at the National Air & Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.-Biography:He was born on March 19, 1886 in...
of SciaccaSciaccaSciacca , also Schiacca, is a town and comune in the province of Agrigento on the southwestern coast of Sicily...
, SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
(later New York City), was an airplane designer and builder who created the first monoplaneMonoplaneA monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
in the United States with an enclosed cabin.
- Enea Bossi, Sr.Enea Bossi, Sr.Enea Bossi, Sr. was an Italian-American aerospace engineer and aviation pioneer. He is best-known for designing the Budd BB-1 Pioneer, the first stainless steel aircraft; and also the Pedaliante airplane, disputably credited with the first fully human-powered flight.-Personal life:Enea Bossi was...
of MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy (later Montclair, New JerseyMontclair, New Jersey-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
), designed the Budd BB-1 Pioneer, the first stainless steel aircraft, and also the Pedaliante airplane, disputably credited with the first fully human-powered flightHuman-powered aircraftA human-powered aircraft is an aircraft powered by direct human energy and the force of gravity; the thrust provided by the human may be the only source; however, a hang glider that is partially powered by pilot power is a human-powered aircraft where the flight path can be enhanced more than if...
.
- E. Lilian ToddE. Lilian ToddE. Lilian Todd , originally from Washington, D.C and later New York City, was a self-taught inventor who grew up with a love for mechanical devices. The New York Times issue of November 28, 1909, identifies her as the first woman in the world to design airplanes, which she started in 1906 or earlier...
, first woman to design an airplane.
- Amelia EarhartAmelia EarhartAmelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
, first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, among other records.
- Lyman Gilmore Jr claimed in 1927 that he had flown 6 kilometers with a steam-powered aircraft on May 15, 1902. No proof of the flight exists.
- Augustus Moore HerringAugustus Moore HerringAugustus Moore Herring was an American aviation pioneer, who flew a compressed-air powered aircraft in 1898, five years before the Wright Brothers made their own powered flight. It has been claimed that he was the first aviator of a motorized heavier-than-air aircraft.-Biography:Herring was born...
was employed by Chanute, In 1898 he built a hang glider and equipped it with a pneumatic engine which could run for 15 seconds. The same year he flew 15 and 20 meters respectively, after having taken of from a hill. Many years later, he and his friends claimed that he was the world's first motor-powered aviator. However, these were more jumps than flights.
- Howard HughesHoward HughesHoward Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
set numerous air speed records and founded Trans World AirlinesTrans World AirlinesTrans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
.
- Samuel Langley designed an unmanned steam-powered model, the "Aerodrome", which made the first sustained engine-driven flight by a heavier-than-air winged aircraft in 1896. His full-size gasoline-powered manned Aerodrome failed twice in 1903, plunging into the Potomac River after catapult launches.
- Charles LindberghCharles LindberghCharles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
, the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, New York to Paris, in 1927.
- John Joseph Montgomery, who was the first American to fly in a heavier-than-air controlled glider.
- Alfred V. VervilleAlfred V. VervilleAlfred Victor Verville was an aviation pioneer and designer who contributed to civilian and military aviation. During his 47 years in the aviation industry, he led the design and development of nearly a dozen commercial and military airplanes...
, designer of the first plane with fully retractable landing gear, the Verville-Sperry R-3 Racer, planes he designed won the Pulitzer Trophy Race in both 1920 and 1924, and a plane he designed, the M-1 MessengerSperry Messenger|-See also:-External links:*...
performed the first airship hook and release. A plane he designed, the Buhl-Verville CA-3 Airster was the first plane to receive a Type certificateType certificateA Type Certificate, is awarded by aviation regulating bodies to aerospace manufacturers after it has been established that the particular design of a civil aircraft, engine, or propeller has fulfilled the regulating bodies' current prevailing airworthiness requirements for the safe conduct of...
. He was honored with a 33 cent airmail stamp in 1985.
- Gustave WhiteheadGustave WhiteheadGustave Albin Whitehead, born Gustav Albin Weisskopf was an aviation pioneer who emigrated from Germany to the U.S., where he designed and built early flying machines and engines meant to power them....
(Gustav Weißkopf) arrived in the U.S. from Bavaria at the end of the 19th century. According to a local newspaper at the time and witness reports over 30 years later, he flew 800 meters at a height of 15 meters with a motor-powered aircraft in the early morning of 14 August 1901, near Bridgeport, Connecticut. The aircraft had a boat-shaped fuselage. The two propellers were driven by one 20 hp acetylene gas engine. In April 1902 the American Inventor magazine published a letter from Whitehead, who described two flights, 3 and 12 kilometers respectively, over Long Island Sound. No photographs have ever been found of his airplane in flight. Witness affidavits claim that he made several flights in the summer of 1901 before the publicized flight August 14.
- Wright brothersWright brothersThe Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
Orville and Wilbur made four powered flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in the U.S. on December 17, 1903. The first three flights did not exceed 200 feet or 15 seconds. The fourth, by Wilbur, traveled 852 feet (260m) in 59 seconds and ended with a hard landing which broke the elevator supports. The Federation Aeronautique Internationale and Smithsonian Institution recognize the Kitty Hawk flight to be the first that was controlled and sustained.
- William S. Lucky On October 13, 1913 he flew a 60 mile circuit around Manhattan Island in less than 53 minutes