Henry ford once said “history is bunk.” i couldn’t agree less.;xNLx;;xNLx;Personally I’m fascinated by history, it is the very context in which we all live our lives and gaining a knowledge of it is not only fascinating and fun, but it can also help guide us towards better ways of doing things.;xNLx;;xNLx;The history of modern flight is an engaging story full of great adventures and heroes, like Amelia Earhart the first women to fly solo across the Atlantic ocean, as well as great disasters and failures, like the mechanical fault that caused the Concorde to crash over Paris, killing hundreds of people and forcing the remaining planes out of service.;xNLx;;xNLx;There are innumerable important dates throughout aviation history; from the first few meters flown in the air by the Wright brothers, to the gargantuan Airbus A380 taking nearly a thousand people on [flights to new york](http://www.britishairways.com/travel/flights-to-new-york/public/en_gb) and other long haul destinations.;xNLx;;xNLx;I have made a timeline that tries to bring together some of the most important dates in the history of flight. I have tried to narrow my focus on to the dates that are most pertinent to us as the general flying public. Have a look at it.;xNLx;;xNLx;I haven’t been able to find anything else like it online so I hope you find it useful as it took me quite some time to put together.;xNLx;;xNLx;I hope you enjoy your flight through time.
The Wright brothers successfully fly the very first heavier than air powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer 1, for 120 yards in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, U.S.
Louis Blériot makes the first successful crossing of the English Channel by plane. This was also the first successful sea crossing.
The world's first scheduled airline using winged aircraft, St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, was born.
British aviators Alcock and Brown made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June 1919. They flew a modified World War I Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Clifden, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland.
First nonstop transcontinental flight. Lts. John A. Macready and Oakley Kelly flew a single-engine Fokker T-2 nonstop from New York to San Diego, a distance of just over 2,500 mi in 26 hr., 50 min.
Four Douglas Cruiser biplanes of the U.S. Army Air Corps took off from Seattle under command of Maj. Frederick Martin (April 6). 175 days later, two of the planes (Lt. Lowell Smith's and Lt. Erik Nelson's) landed in Seattle after a circuitous route—one source saying 26,345 mi, another saying 27,553 mi.
The ford trimotor plane had space for 12 passengers and was the first plane to make air travel potentially profitable.
The first female flight attendant was a 25-year-old registered nurse named Ellen Church.
The Douglas DC3 revolutionised air travel, with capacity of 20 to 30 passengers it made flying much more comfortable. The plane was able to fly at 20,000 feet which greatly reduced the impact of turbulence.
The first kitchens preparing meals in-flight were established by United Airlines in 1936. Probably on DC3s
Just before their invasion of Poland, the Germans flew a Heinkel He-178 plane powered by a Heinkel S3B turbojet.
Capt. Charles E. Yeager, U.S. Air Force, flew the X-1 rocket-powered research plane built by Bell Aircraft Corp., faster than the speed of sound at Muroc Air Force Base, Calif.
The De Havilland Comet flight was inaugurated by BOAC between London and Johannesburg, South Africa. Flight, including stops, took 23 hr., 38 min.
Despite entering the skies after the Comet, the Boeing 707 is generally credited with ushering in the Jet Age.
First transatlantic jet passenger service. BOAC, New York to London
Two months before concord the Soviet Union test flew the Tupolev Tu-144.
The 747 entered service on January 22, 1970, on on Pan Am flights to New York.
Air France and British Airways inaugurated service of Concorde.
Burt Rutan's Spcae Ship One was the worlds first privately developed and operated space ship to reach earth orbit.
The a380 the world's biggest passenger jet takes its first comercial flight from Singapore to Sydney.
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