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Jump
to AIR: 1960-1999 |
Wright Flyer
Airship
Reconnaissance
Fighter
Autogiro
Flying Doctor
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WRIGHT
FLYER
1900-1938
RIGID AIRSHIP
The
"rigids" were made of stretched cloth over a framework of light metal
or wood, and were the largest airships. The hydrogen in the gas bags lifted
the airship. Up to 200 metres long and powered by internal combustion engines,
they carried passengers for long-distances. Some were used to bomb cities during
World War I. As hydrogen is highly flammable, many rigids were lost in fires.
From 1900 to 1938, more than 150 of them were built.
1917
RECONNAISSANCE FIGHTER
Thousands of aircraft
were produced with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Many were reconnaissance
fighters, that were to observe and photograph enemy activities. These aircraft
had machine guns to defend as well as attack.
1923
AUTOGIRO
The autogiro, a small plane
without wings, was found in Britain and France. It is pulled forward by the
motorised propellers at the front. The large rotors on top are not powered by
motor. Instead it is spun by the wind as the autogiro moves forward, lifting
the autogiro off the ground. The first autogiro was built by Juan de la Cierva,
a Spaniard, in 1923.
1928
FLYING DOCTOR
Australia's
Royal Flying Doctor Service was established in 1928 through the combined technologies
of the light aeroplane and the two-way radio. The first flying doctor was Dr
K. St. Vincent Welch, who flew in a small de Havilland DH-50 aircraft. The Service
treated 255 patients in its first year. Since then, flying doctor services around
the world have continued in providing vital emergency medical treatment to people
in isolated or sparsely populated areas.
