How gliders helped the Wright brothers invent the airplane
The Wright brothers experimented with gliders before building their first plane.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.On June 12, 1979, the Gossamer Albatross became the first human-powered plane to cross the English Channel. This video shows the plane on its way from England to France, accompanied by engineers and paramedics ready to rescue the pilot if he were to crash.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The world's first military airplane is demonstrated for the U.S. Army in 1909 by Orville Wright, shown here climbing into the pilot's seat. Wright and Lieutenant Frank Purdy Lahm are catapulted down a rail and launched into the air. The machine circles the field for 1 hour 12 minutes, setting a new world's record for time aloft with pilot and passenger.
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NASA/Dryden Research Aircraft Movie CollectionU.S. Air Force SR-71 Blackbird taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in California, c. 1991. The Blackbird was once the world's fastest and highest-flying aircraft.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about the Battle of Britain, between Britain's Royal Air Force and Germany's Luftwaffe, which began in July 1940. From The Second World War: Triumph of the Axis (1963), a documentary by Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation.
