world war I (1914-1918)

As airplanes developed, people began to realize that they would prove to be a tremendous weapon of war. During the early part of World War I, Great Britian, France, Russia, Belgium, Italy, Japan, United States, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria discovered the value of the airplane. As the war progressed, engineers began designing more powerful engines. Hugo Junkers, A German inventor and manufacturer, created one of the most influential airplane designs of the war. The plane was the first to be made entirely of metal and the first to have cantilever wings (wings completely supported by an internal framework.)

the golden age (1920-1930)

During this period, rapid advances were made in airplane design. It was also a time when pilots amazed the world with their daring feats of flying skills and endurance.

In 1927, Charles Linbergh made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in his specially built Ryuan monoplane the Spirit of St. Louis. It had the most advanced aircraft instruments of the day, which helped Lindbergh find his way across the ocean without a radio. Other memorable flights were made by Hugh Herndon and Clyde Pangborn in 1931, and solo flights by Amelia Earhart in 1932 and Wiley Post in 1933.

engineering improvements

The engineering improvements and advances made during the 1930's were only the beginning of our modern day plane designs. Engineers designed pressurized cabins, which made breathing easier at higher altitudes. They also designed controllable-pitch propellers, which allowed pilots to set the propeller blades at the best angle for a particular air speed. Improved radio equipment, automatic pilots, or gyropilots, also came into use during the 1930's. These and other major advances in airplane design went into making the Douglas DC-3 twin-engine transport plane. This plane soon became the main transport plane of the world's major airlines, and is still in operation today.

world war II

As in World War I, engineers made great advances in the design of bombers and fighters. By the the end of the war, planes were flying more that 400 mph and climbing over 40,000 feet. The Bell Aircraft Company (now Bell Aerospace Textron) built the first U.S. jet plane in 1942. In 1928, German scientists had experimented with rocket planes and early in World War II, they developed the Messerschmitt Me 163. This rocket- powered plane could fly at 600 mph! However, due to the cost and unreliability, these planes did not prove to be an effective weapon in the war.

transoceanic transports

During World War II, four-engine transports were developed, such as the Douglas DC-4 and the Lockheed Constellation. These planes had to stop for refueling on the longest ocean flights. This problem led to the development of the more powerful reciprocating engines, the gasoline engines used by most planes today.

Related Links:

• National Air & Space Museum Homepage