Aircraft and Flight: The complete history - part 1

Welcome to part 1 of Aircraft and Flight. This program is a collection of articles, primarily from wikipedia.org, about the history of aircraft and flight. On this first part, I discuss the history of flight beginning in pre-history and ancient times. Then, I move on to the first kites of China, hot air balloons and rigid airships in Europe. Then it moves to heavier than air flying machines in America, Europe, and Oceania. This first part of this rich history focuses on pre-1903, the era prior to the Wright Brothers. The Wrights, who are credited to be the first to perform a “powered controllable flight with a heavier than air machine”.Notice on bias. This program’s primary source is the Wikipedia article “History of Aviation”, in english. Its author’s, appear to me, somewhat biased for the claim that the Wright Brothers performed the world’s first “piloted, powered, heavier-than-air, controllable flight” in 1903. However, using this definition, there are other credible contenders as included in this article. So, listen carefully as contender’s flights are often labeled as “hops”, and are downplayed as “failed, uncontrolled, too- short, to low, etc”.Ultimately, the purpose of this program is to catalog and credit all of aviation’s known contributors, and leave you with the fact that no one person “invented” aviation.Introduction to the wikipedia.org article: History of Aviation.History of aviation – Wikipedia“The history of aviation spans over two millennia, from the earliest innovations like kites and attempts at tower jumping to supersonic and hypersonic flight in powered, heavier-than-air jet aircraft. Kite flying in China, dating back several hundred years BC, is considered the earliest example of man-made flight.[1] In the 15th-century Leonardo da Vinci created several flying machine designs incorporating aeronautical concepts, but they were unworkable due to the limitations of contemporary knowledge.In the late 18th century, the Montgolfier brothers invented the hot-air balloon which soon led to manned flights. At almost the same time, the discovery of hydrogen gas led to the invention of the hydrogen balloon.[3] Various theories in mechanics by physicists during the same period, such as fluid dynamics and Newton's laws of motion, led to the development of modern aerodynamics; most notably by Sir George Cayley. Balloons, both free-flying and tethered, began to be used for military purposes from the end of the 18th century, with France establishing balloon companies during the French Revolution.In the 19th century, especially the second half, experiments with gliders provided the basis for learning the dynamics of winged aircraft; most notably by Cayley, Otto Lilienthal, and Octave Chanute. By the early 20th century, advances in engine technology and aerodynamics made controlled, powered, manned heavier-than-air flight possible for the first time. In 1903, following their pioneering research and experiments with wing design and aircraft control, the Wright brothers successfully incorporated all of the required elements to create and fly the first aeroplane. The basic configuration with its characteristic cruciform tail was established by 1909, followed by rapid design and performance improvements aided by the development of more powerful engines."Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_aviationHector Vladimir 2015-2024©https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyWqApEqGtc6nd-_C6bkiKnMxLBg7DfgKhttp://www.youtube.com/@hbcsolarpvtechhttps://www.youtube.com/@HBCSolarPVTechByronPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/hectorvladimirSubstack: https://hectorvladimir.substack.com/