History of Flying Machine

Before go into more details on how to make a toy plane, it is important to have a look at on how the history of airplanes changed. Having understanding of the variation of the development of the airplane you can easily understand the flying concepts. It is not very accurate if I said that “Wright brothers” made first flying machine. Before that various individuals had tried to fly using various methods. The Kite, Hot Air Balloons, Dirigible Airship (Airships: Dirigibles and Blimps), Airplane and Biplane (1/48 Stearman PT17 Bi-plane, Mic-O-Mic Bi-Plane) were developed and tested as flying mechanisms.

The history of a Kite goes to around 500 BC and possible earlier. This mean to say that people have been flying kites for at least 2500 years. This first step was a great milestone in development of flying machines. Even though people have a doubt about the inventor of a kite, western tradition gives credit to a Greek scientist name “Archytas” of Tarentum as the inventor of the first kite.

Balloons are important when we consider the flying mechanism that can take men into the air. We can consider that this was the first aircraft in history. Important fact is that balloons are very lighter that air craft. Balloon means the huge bag of the balloon contains hot air, helium or hydrogen.

Dirigible Airship are lighter that air craft and this is a combination of a large balloon and throttling mechanism to move forward while balloon goes up. Concept of the dirigible airship is balloon is responsible to maintain vertical position the ship and changing wind pressure entire ship can move forward or backward.

Various other flying mechanisms also have been tested along the line. In the Nineteenth Century the embryonic science of aviation was a main stream. The first heavier aircraft invented by the famous inventors “Orville and Wilbur Wright” (Wilbur and Orville: A Biography of the Wright Brothers). This design is very important to study as a beginner since this was a first successful flying machine in the history. You can find more details on The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane. Biplanes were the first airplanes to fly, the Wright Flyer was a biplane called a Canard.

Orville and Wilbur Wright

The Wright Brothers (Landmark Books)
Conquering the Sky: The Secret Flights of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk
To Conquer the Air: The Wright Brothers and the Great Race for Flight
The Wright Brothers: A Biography

Wright Brothers Flying Machine
1903 Wright Brothers Flyer
Wright Brothers' Flying Machine
First Flight: The Wright Brothers (DK Readers, Level 4)