The Birth of Air Travel

The Birth of Air Travel

Air travel has influenced our everyday living it effects our social, economic and political surroundings. It affects the way people live and work as well as influence our relationships with other nations. From its beginning, air travel has developed into the most popular form of long distance travel in the world. These dreams became reality in the 20th century. In 1938 less than 300 cities and towns in the United States were served by air carriers, today, more than 650 cities have them.

Accordingly, I will begin this paper by examining, (1) Otto Lilienthal, a German Engineer who was the first man to launch himself into the air and fly. (2) The birth of air travel and how it starts with the Wright Brothers and their determination and engineering skills to create and fly the first airplane. It was in December of 1903, that Orville Wright left Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in the world’s first powered flight. His flight covered 120 feet and proved to be one of the greatest moments in history. (3) The first commercial flight to carry airmail was on July 1, 1926, by Colonial Air Transport. (4) Charles Lindbergh made the first transatlantic crossing in 1927. (5) Boeing builds the first plane to carry passengers. It held 12 passengers and first flew on July 27, 1928. (6) In 1911, Calbraith Perry makes the first transcontinental flight across the United States. He begins his flight in New York City and lands in Pasadena, California in 19 days. (7) Pan Am airlines use the Boeing 314 Clipper ship to make the first transatlantic flight.

Otto Lilienthal was born in Pomerania, Germany in 1848. He was interested in flight at a very young age. He had committed himself to studying the principles of aerodynamics and he analyzed how birds flew before he attempted to apply these principles to a structure.

In 1889, Lilienthal wrote a book on the flight of birds that outlined his theories in which