The aviation industry is rich in history and interesting stories. As an AVgeek, reading about the industry’s rich history makes me appreciate it even more. While there are indeed a lot of “firsts,” allow me to share with you some of these firsts in aviation history that I want everybody to know.
- Orville and Wilbur Wright accomplished the first powered flight on December 17, 1903.
- The first commercial flight was between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida, on January 1, 1914. It had one passenger on board.
- Alcock and Brown flew the first transatlantic flight from Newfoundland to Ireland in 1919. They used a modified Vickers Vimy bomber.
- Charles Kingsford Smith conducted the first uninterrupted transpacific flight from California to Australia in 1928.
- The de Havilland Comet, the first commercial airliner, first took to the skies in 1952.
- The Tupolev Tu-144, which started flying in 1976, was the first supersonic airliner.
- Virgin Atlantic’s 2008 trip from London to Amsterdam was the first commercial aircraft to utilize biofuels.
- the Solar Impulse 2’s 2016 voyage around the globe, which was entirely powered by solar energy.
- 2019 saw the Centaur from Aurora Flight Sciences complete the world’s first autonomous flight.
- 2019 saw the launch of the Harbour Air ePlane, the first passenger electric aircraft flight.
- Wiley Post completed the first ever solo flight around the globe in 1933.
- Wiley Post and Harold Gatty completed the first round-the-world nonstop flight in 1931.
- Charles Lindbergh completed the first nonstop flight across the country between New York and Paris in 1927.
- Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic in 1932.
- The first flight attendant was Ellen Church. She was a registered nurse who flew for United Airlines in the 1930s.
Although this list does not include every first in aviation, it does include some of the most important. These courageous pioneers were essential to the development of aviation and air travel, without whom neither would be what they are today. Because of air travel, the earth has shrunk in size, and not only because of short hops but also because of transoceanic flights.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
