Flying Machines

19031905

First flight, Wright brothers, Kitty Hawk, Dec. 17
Wright Flyer III does 24 miles in 38 minutes.
[ Wrights become secretive til Fall'07. ]
1906
October 1906, when Alberto Santos-Dumont, the third man to fly, flew his 14-bis plane, the first officially recognized heavier-than-air flight in Europe.
1907
Aerial Experiment Association (AEA)
Left to Right

Glenn Curtiss
F. W. "Casey" Baldwin
Alexander Grahm Bell
Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge
"Douglas" McCurdy
AEA founded October 1907 to March, 1909.
  • Dr. Alexander Grahm Bell, built "Cygnet", kite configuration, Dec 1907. Towed, destroyed before engine installed.
  • Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, Drome #1, "Red Wing", took off from iced lake, March 12, 1908, destroyed on second flight.
  • Frederick W. "Casey" Baldwin, Drome #2, "White Wing" ,similar to Red Wing, with ailerons and wheels, May 18, 1908 .
  • Glenn Curtiss, Drome #3, "June Bug", June 21, 1908. smaller, faster.
  • J.A.D. "Douglas" McCurdy. Drome #4, "Silver Dart", November 1908. Similar to June Bug, with watercooled engine.
    • 1908

    July 4, 1908, June Bug flight in Hammondsport, NY. First publicly announced flight in America; Curtiss and the AEA win the Scientific American trophy for the first airplane to fly for a kilometer before judges. Introduced aerons and tricycle landing gear.    		  
    Sept 3-17, 1908, Wright Flyer 'A' military trials for US Army, 2 naval observers. 50 miles at 40 mph. Lt Selfridge first fatality.

    Wright Miliary Flyer, purchased August 2, 1909 as Signal Corps Airplane No. 1, the world's first military heavier-than-air flying machine.
    1909

    July 25. Bleriot XI monoplane makes first cross English Channel flight.

    1909 Bennett Prize at Rheims, first international airshow, makes Curtiss famous.     		Hans Grade, first German plane and first airmail
    Similar to Bleriot.
    1910

    1910 Hudson Flier with Glenn Curtiss at the wheel - 150 miles from Albany to NYC in May.
    Bleriot monoplane, Iowa.
    1911

    Aug 27. U.S. Army Signal Corp accepts #2, Curtiss type' D'     Re-creation

    Aug 27 . USASC accepts #3 Wright type 'B' and #4 later in year.

    Curtiss Triad hydroplane (denoting land, sea and air) was sold to all major navies.
    Link to : Chronology