Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

History of fligHt

During the late 1840s, the English inventor sir george

Cayley built a glider that could carry a person when it

was towed into the air. soon many would-be aviators

were trying to take off in flying machines

powered first by steam engines and

later by gasoline engines. But it was

not until early in the 20th century

that the American Wright brothers

made the first successful powered flight.

aircraFt

18

Find out more

Famous aviators

the early days of flying inspired many

brave feats. in 1919, for instance, British

fliers John Alcock and Arthur Whitten

Brown made the first nonstop flight

across the Atlantic in a plane with an

open cockpit. Eight years later, in 1927,

American aviator Charles lindbergh

made the crossing

entirely alone,

a feat repeated

by American

Amelia Earhart

in 1932. in

1930, English

aviator Amy

Johnson

(right) flew

solo from

England to

Australia.

Wings

Airplanes can fly because air streaming

past lifts their wings. A wing, or airfoil,

is always curved upward, so that air

rushing over the top is forced to speed

up and stretch out, making pressure

drop. Beneath the wing, air travels

more slowly and pressure builds up. so,

in effect, the wing is sucked from above

and pushed from below.

Air rushing over and under the

aircraft wings produces an

upward force

called lift.

Jet airliners have

special landing flaps. These

swivel down to give extra lift as

the airplane flies slowly just

before landing. While

the airplane flies

at cruising

speed, the

pilot retracts

(draws in) the

landing flaps

to reduce drag.

Four powerful turbofan

jet engines push the

plane through the air.

otto liliEntHAl

in the 1890s, german engineer

otto lilienthal took to the air in a kind

of hang glider. this was the first flight in

which the pilot controlled the aircraft.

WrigHt BrotHErs

orville and Wilbur Wright’s Flyer made

the world’s first controlled, powered

flight at Kitty Hawk, north Carolina,

on December 17, 1903. Although the

flight lasted only 12 seconds, the age

of the aircraft had begun.

sounD BArriEr

Many people once believed that airplanes

could never fly faster than the speed of sound. But

on october 14, 1947, American pilot Chuck yeager

proved them wrong when he broke the sound barrier

in the rocket-powered Bell X-1.

Control surfACEs

nearly all airplanes have a rudder and

hinged surfaces on the wings and tail fins that

swivel to steer the airplane. in older aircraft

the pilot operates the flaps mechanically via

cables. in modern planes the control surfaces

often work electronically, with the aid of a

computer. this system is called fly-by-wire.

A new system, called fly-by-light, uses

fiber-optic cables instead of wires.

Angled winglets provide

extra lift, which helps

lower fuel costs.

Hinged surfaces that tilt the

airplane from one side to

the other are called ailerons.

Baggage is carried

in an unpressurized

hold beneath the

passengers.

The fuselage, or aircraft

body, is made of special

lightweight aluminum

alloys and plastic

composites.

Interior surfaces

made of fire-

resistant materials

Every part of the airframe

is rigorously tested to

ensure that it can

withstand the stresses of

flying fast and high.

The tail fin and wings of a jet

aircraft are swept back to reduce

air resistance in flight.

If necessary, seats can be

removed or rearranged to

give more space.

Space for

passengers’ hand

luggage is available

in compartments

above the seats.

Pilot uses the

rudder, ailerons,

and elevators to

control the

airplane.

Elevators on the

tail plane swivel

to control the

up-and-down

tilt of the

aircraft.

Engines

Helicopters

iron and steel

Machines

Physics

technology

transportation, history of

US_018_Aircraft_2.indd 18 29/01/16 10:29 am