Aircrafts That Shaped History
by A research on leading aircraft designs which contributed to the course of history.
image by wikipedia
De Havilland Comet
The De Havilland Comet came to be known as the world’s first commercial jet airliner and came to service in 1949 . A series of accidents though hampered its airline function and ultimately started aircraft accident investigations which provided data for the design of stronger, safer commercial jet airliners that we knew today.
image by wikipedia
U-2
First flown in August 1955, the U-2 served its purpose as a high altitude reconnaissance aircraft that maintained the balance of power during the Cold war. Its presence allowed collection of aerial data through overflights above Soviet Missile build up sites in Russia and other communist countries.
image by wikipedia
Boeing 747
Boeing 747 came to being as an option for a larger jet airliner than the Boeing 707. Pressed on for develop-ment by Juan Trippe then Pan American World Airways President, the aircraft saw service in January 1970. The aircraft’s manufacture obliged Boeing to establish a larger, wider plant which gave rise to the one located at Everett, Washington considered the world’s largest building by volume. The term “Jumbo Jet”actually became a commonplace phrase associated with the 747’s introduction. No other passenger aircraft type was made to haul the most passengers than the Boeing 747.
image by wikipedia
Concorde
The only turbojet powered supersonic passenger airliner to saw service was built in collaboration with British Aircraft Corporation (now BAE Systems) and France’s Aerospatiale (now EADS). First flown in 1969, it entered service in 1976 and continued on until 2003. With a speed of Mach 2.02 (1,320 mph) it offered ease of speedy travel more than twice as fast as the fastest Boeing 747 ( Mach 0.85 (570 mph)).
image by wikipedia
F117 Nighthawk
Put in production after the data gained in “Have Blue” prototype by Lockheed, it became the first aircraft to feature stealth technology aiding in the avoidance of detection by enemy radar through reduction of radar cross section feedback. First flown in 1981, it led to stir mass media attention on military top secret aircraft projects until it was publicly revealed in 1988. It saw active role in the Gulf War of 1991 and was retired from service in 2007 to save budget allocation from costly maintenance.
image by wikipedia
Airbus 380
The Airbus 380 saw its first commercial flight in 2007 and took the title as the largest passenger airliner in the world next to the Boeing 747-400 thereby earning the nickname Superjumbo. Manufactured by Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS, the aircraft was conceived to fill the need for an airliner within the 600-800 seating segment and to break the dominance enjoyed by the Boeing 747.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Igor Sikorsky: His Three Careers in Aviation by Frank J. Delear Dark Eagles: A History of Top Secret US Aircraft Programs by Curtis Peebles
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Post CommentEddydude100
On May 13, 2009 at 11:18 am
Nice piece of content. I’ve always been intrested in planes
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CHAN LEE PENG
On May 15, 2009 at 11:26 am
This is a good collection of aircrafts. It seems like I was sitting in front of you listening to your aircraft lesson. Thanks again!
rizzei
On May 31, 2009 at 5:44 am
nice aircrafts.. i haven’t experienced riding in an aircraft.. huhu:(. nice post!
Lostash
On September 25, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Great article. Such a shame about the Concorde. I’ve been lucky enough to see it fly at displays and it is THE most graceful plane in the skies, or it was.