The flight of the airplane
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
Airplane
"Aeroplane" redirects here. For other uses, see Airplane () and Aeroplane (disambiguation).
North American P-51 Mustang, a World War II fighter aircraft
The first flight of an airplane, the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903
An All Nippon Airways Boeing 777-300ER taking off from New York JFK Airport
An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spectrum of uses for airplanes includes recreation, transportation of goods and people, military, and research. Worldwide, commercial aviation transports more than four billion passengers annually on airliners[1] and transports more than 200 billion tonne-kilometers[2] of cargo annually, which is less than 1% of the world's cargo movement.[3] Most airplanes are flown by a pilot on board the aircraft, but some are designed to be remotely or computer-controlled such as drones.
Contents
1 Etymology and usage
2 History
2.1 Antecedents
2.2 Early powered flights
2.3 Development of jet aircraft
3 Propulsion
3.1 Propeller
3.1.1 Reciprocating engine
3.1.2 Gas turbine
3.1.3 Electric motor
3.2 Jet
3.2.1 Turbofan
3.2.2 Ramjet
3.2.3 Scramjet
3.2.4 Rocket
4 Design and manufacture
5 Characteristics
5.1 Airframe
5.2 Wings
5.2.1 Wing structure
5.2.2 Wing configuration
5.3 Fuselage
5.4 Wings vs. bodies
5.4.1 Flying wing
5.4.2 Blended wing body
5.4.3 Lifting body
5.6 Controls and instruments
6 Safety
7 Environmental impact
8 See also
9 References
10 Bibliography
11 External links
Etymology and usage
History
Main articles: Aviation history and First flying machine
Le Bris and his glider, Albatros II, photographed by Nadar, 1868
Otto Lilienthal in mid-flight, c. 1895
Antecedents
Many stories from antiquity involve flight, such as the Greek legend of Icarus and Daedalus, and the Vimana in ancient Indian epics. Around 400 BC in Greece, Archytas was reputed to have designed and built the first artificial, self-propelled flying device, a bird-shaped model propelled by a jet of what was probably steam, said to have flown some200 m (660 ft).[11][12] This machine may have been suspended for its flight.[13][14]
In the 1890s, Lawrence conducted research on wing structures and developed a box kite that lifted the weight of a man. His box kite designs were widely adopted. Although he also developed a type of rotary aircraft engine, he did not create and fly a powered fixed-wing aircraft.[21]
Between 1867 and 1896, the German pioneer of human aviation Otto developed heavier-than-air flight. He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful gliding flights.
Early powered flights