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Early 20th Century Aircraft

Vintage images of early aircraft, including biplanes and seaplanes, highlighting aviation history with classic designs and historic backdrops.

monoplano caproni, 1910-1920

A hospital ship at Love Field in Dallas, Texas. The photograph was taken sometime between November 11, 1916, and May 27, 1918. The original negative is missing. The image was censored and released by the M.I.D. censor on November 15, 1918. This photograph is labeled as 25553 4921 in the collection.

British Hydroaeroplane

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War De Havilland aircraft number 2 in flight.

Aircraft. Photo 1923. Flygplan. Foto 1923.

Heinkel HD 40 cargo plane, 1920s, (1932). Creator: Unknown.

Farman flying machine, in flight

Airplane on field, Africa. 1936, Africa

old Aircraft Aeroplane Copyright: xJagdshxShinde/DinodiaxPhotox

Thomas Selfridg and Orville Wright aboard the Flyer biplane, just before the accident, Fort Myers, September 17, United States of America, photo from L'Illustration, No 3424, October 10, 1908.

A German Junkers airliner arriving at Croydon Airport, c1934 (c1937). Artist: Unknown.

The Prince of Wales, who is expected to be at Calshot for the Schneider Trophy fly-over, may himself make a trip round the course in this flying-boat. September 10, 1931.

Andre Beaumont resting below his Bleriot waiting for take off, Hendon's airfield, near London, United Kingdom, Calais-London raid and return, photo from L'Illustration, No 3567, July 8, 1911.

Anefo photo collection. As a result of 60th anniversary of Schiphol, Prince Bernhard flew out of the 20er years in Tiger Moth in clothing. May 16, 1980. Noord-Holland, Schiphol

"Image showing different types of airplanes at the Aviation Experiment Station at Langley Field in Hampton, Virginia during World War One."

04/11/1920. Burgos. At the Gamonal airport. Condition of the Farman device, which arrived from France and was destroyed by the Hurricane. Photo Vadillo, the Travelers Were Fernand de Or, French, and Mr L. Sharp, American, and a Mechanic.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War A BE 2 with a mechanic, working on the far side of the engine, being watched by a man in a suit.

1903 Wright Brothers' Plane Taking Off At Kitty Hawk

O. Wright and aeroplane, in flight

Delagrange in his aeroplane

Aircraft S 6 in the air Airplane S 6B No. 3388 in the air.

18 - Wilbur Wright's Plane. December 28, 1949. (Photo by ACME News Pictures).

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War The army airship Gamma in flight. Note the lack of a tail on the gondola. The image is rather grainy.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War- the work of Samuel Franklin Cody in Airship, Kite and Aircraft Aeronautics 1903 - 1913 Cody Aircraft Mark IB being pulled into position by a team of soldiers. Note the streamers attached to the wing struts.

School airplane SK 9 MOTH MOTIRE: School airplane SK 9 MOTH number 5561 UR F 5 War air school is on snow cover land. Framed photography.

Capt. Thos. Baldwin

Monoplane 1900 circa.autor: pierino borghesio.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War Cody aircraft mark IC (Cathedral - so named because of its size and the size of the hangar it required and the katahedral (lower at the wing tips) arrangement of the wings) with Cody and Lela Cody aboard. The most important change made with this mark was moving the pilots seat to in front of the engine. The aircraft was altered several more times, note that there are no balancing planes on the wings and no sign of the rudder behind the front elevator. A crowd of civilian and military onlookers is stood in the background. This was taken just before or just after Lela became the first women from the British Empire or the United States of America to fly. As well as being a passenger in his aircraft Lela flew in Cody's kites. Lela Cody's real name was Elizabeth King nee Davis. When her and Cody met (1890 / 1891) he had recently split up from his American wife Maud Lee and she was married with four children Lizzy, Edward, Leon and Vivian. Like

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War A de Havilland biplane in flight.

05/25/1911. Triumphant landing before hundreds of Madrileños. > shouts the aviator on the ground. Vedrines Exists.

Orville Wright Flying Over Fort Myer

Image: The photograph captures a plane at Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois during World War One. The motor of the plane went dead, causing it to land in strong winds. The wind got under the tail of the machine, causing it to overturn. This image is part of the D.M.A. Photographer collection and was taken in December 1918 at Chanute Field. It is not for publication and the notes on the image include its identification number (54149) and 1688E.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War British Army Aircraft I during the first sustained flight. Cody began building the British Army Aircraft I in 1907 with the design similar to the kites and glider that he had successfully flown. It had twin propellers, chain driven by a single 50 hp Antoinette engine, the propellers were situated behind the leading edge of and between the upper and lower wings. When he had finished building the aircraft Cody carried out an extensive period of tests to the aircraft often involving hops off the ground. Throughout this period of testing there was intense public and press interest with Cody often being ridiculed for his apparent lack of progress in comparison with foreign pilots and designers particularly the Wright brothers who were touring Europe at that time. Cody made the first sustained flight (lasting 27 seconds and for a distance of around 1390 feet) on the 16th October 1908. Though he had made previous short flights or leaps this was t

Mechanism Wright Aeroplane.Wright Aeroplane Mechanism in 1908. May 02, 1925. (Photo by Bain News Service).

Three-engined Monoplane. Avio Linee Italiane. Italy 1940

The glider his Richter with his hanger of biblärpyp, weighing 14 kg with 5 meters span.

Vernon Castle

Plane in field, 19 September 1937, maker unknown. Gift of the family of Captain James F Cane, 2015.

'LA FREGATE' of Robert De Lesseps is an elegant monoplane whose dipped wing- tips are designed to resemble those of a bird, 'containing' the air for lift and stability Date: 1910

Group portrait in airplane. Fédèle Azari (Italian, 1895 - 1930)

Bydgoszczanka glider in flight ca. 1925.

TP 2A Flight ambulance on landing on water at F 2 . Aircraft TP 2A Flight ambulance on landing on water at F 2 Hänernäs.

Aircraft aircraft aircraft, exercise. Three aircraft in the air.

Albatros fighter aircraft. 8.9.17. .

Bi-planes, Wigram gelatin silver negatives, black-and-white negatives

Picture from Oscar Ask's operations in Landskrona et al. Places in 1910 - 1913. Lieutenant Count Pipers as passengers. "Ask 3" B "2 seat.

Possibly Swedish survey plane in Hangar. About 1930.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War A Breguet two seater biplane on the ground with pilot and passenger. According to the French caption on the photograph this was the standard Russian military aircraft and holder of the world record for speed with two people. In one corner is a photograph of L Breguet with Engineer and Constructor (in French) written underneath. There is very little tone in the image.

Close-up view of a 1911 Wright airplane a two-seater developed for the U.S. army iunder a 1908 contract paying 25 000 600 000 is 2010 equivalent . LC-DIG-ppprs-0069

Aircraft J 8 Number 233 Aircraft J 8 Number 233, with marking 3-8 associated F 8 Barkarby is on an airfield. View from the side.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,GLIDERS War

Louis Bleriot

An early type of French seaplane from the company who later created a series of very successful military aircraft.

Arthur Charles Hubert Latham, early French aviation pioneer with his aeroplane, Antoinette IV. He was one of the first aviation pioneers to attempt to cross the English channel, and the first to ditch into the sea.

Ansaldo aeroplane in flight, Italy, World War I, from l'Illustrazione Italiana, Year XLV, No 40, October 6, 1918.

NC-1 at Halifax

VE-7 Graduate Training Biplane manufactured by Lewis and Vought Corporation, equipped with a 150 H.P. Hispano Suiza Motor. Side view. Photograph taken by Lewis & Vought Corp. Long Island City, N.Y. Photographer's recommendation: 10/22/18. Official use only.

Flight carried out by one of the Wright brothers plane models . Engraving.

Gate's Flying Circus by Charles Hubbell

Caption: "The Caproni Biplane with 3 Isotta-Fraschini motors. This photograph, taken by an unknown photographer, was captured in December 1917. The plane was part of the American military activities during World War One, assigned to the Signal Corps. Additional notes indicate the photo bears the sequence number '558 4051'".

05/31/1912. Barcelona. The aviator Bouvier.

Aircraft - Southern Cross Aviation. August 19, 1930. (Photo by International News Photos Inc.).

Army Red Cross "Hospital Ship"

Curtiss Flying Boat Monoplane

02/13/1913. The Rumpler Jaube monoplane, which upon landing, crewed by aviator Otto Linnekogel, suffered an accident.

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force, 1939-1945- Fairey Swordfish. Swordfish Mark III, NF410 NH-F, of No. 119 Squadron RAF, based at B58/Knokke le Zoute, Belgium, in flight.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War A Paulhan biplane on the ground with several handlers stood around it and a pilot in the cockpit. The large balloon shed at Farnborough can be seen in the background.

The "Southern Cross Minor", the 'plane in which Kingsford Smith will attempt to create new records between Australia and England and return. November 5, 1931. (Photo by Milton Kent, The Vacuum Oil Co. Pty. Ltd.).

Wilbur Wright Flies Over Huffman Prairie

fiat tr1 da turismo, 1920-1930

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War Cody glider kite about to be launched. The relative lightness in weight of the glider is demonstrated by the fact that just five men are able to hold it up. This glider was an important step forward in Cody's eventual progression to building his first aeroplane. He and his sons Vivian and Leon flew the glider Successfully many times however in September of 1905 Vivian was involved in a serious accident with the glider plunging sideways to the ground from around fifty feet. Vivian was in hospital for nearly three months and another six months recuperating at home. After this Cody concentrated on powered flight with the design of his aircraft more resembling his kites than his glider.

Trial Trip of Express Air Line - The Diana Photographed at Hatfield aerodrome this afternoon May 22. The Diana, the new De Havilland express air liner, the fastest four engined air craft in the world, was demonstrated at Hatfield aerodrome this afternoon May 22. The machine will operate the section of the Australia route between Singapore and Brisbane. It will make a tour of Britain as part of the empire Air Day program. July 02, 1934. (Photo by Associated press Photo)

1909 Wright Military Flyer

Motor sample aircraft J 21 Motor samples of Motor Daimler Benz 605 to aircraft J 21 at central workshop Malmslätt. The engine placed in probe. View from the side.

FVM 18 with flight drivers and constructor Henry Kjellson FVM S 18 marked number 986 with flight drivers and constructor Henry Kjellson in place in the aircraft.

12/20/1935. At the Villacoublay aerodrome, the reception tests of a gyroplane were carried out by the Aeronautics technical services. After some of the tests were carried out, the device suffered an accident, leaving it unusable.

Poll photo collection. KLM Fokker Leeuwerik in Hull. The KLM Passenger Plane The F-XII 'Leeuwerik' breeder 'with the registration PH-AFL at Hull airport. Crew and passengers are waiting for unloading luggage and transport. August 1934. Great Britain, Hull

A Dornier 217 KG 40 night fighter with rotating engines

Rear view of an airplane at Aviation Experiment Station, Langley field, Hampton, VA. The photograph is labeled as number 3404 and was taken by a Signal Corps photographer. The image is part of a collection taken during World War I.

Circuit of Britain air race: Jules Vedrines at Shoreham Control, Sussex, 1911 (1933). Artist: Flight Photo.

Hunting aircraft J 3 NUMBER 5359 Hunting aircraft J 3 Number 5359 Related F 5 War Air School is on airfield. Framed photo.

Coast Guard Helicopter To The Rescue. This image depicts a Coast Guard helicopter having made its pickup from the surface of the sea.

Five dron aircraft on the ground Five dron E.2 aircraft on line.

Aircraft ready for take off at the Ravenna air field, air show in memory of the World War I ace Francesco Baracca, Italy, June 19, 1921, from L'Illustrazione Italiana, Year XLVIII, No 26, June 26, 1921.

M. Paulhan, and early French aviation pioneer in a biplane.

This photograph, number 111-SC-11859, was taken in June 1918 by a photographer from the M.I.B. It shows various types of German airplanes used during World War I. One of the airplanes depicted is the Folker Triplane, equipped with a 110 horsepower LA Rhone engine. Another noteworthy aircraft is the DR-1.

Dornier Wal plus Ultra. 1926.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War Cody aircraft mark II postcard montage with a portrait shot of Cody wearing a suit and flying helmet in the middle. Cody built this aircraft in 1910; the previous aircraft had been in several crashes and was suffering generally from constant usage. The design of this aircraft followed similar lines to the previous one though the wingspan was shorter by around six feet and the wing area around a third smaller. The single propeller was originally intended to be powered by two 60 hp Green engines (mark IIA) though problems with synchronicity meant that this was never carried out. This did mean that the aircraft was underpowered though alterations to the engine and the removal of excess weight partly solved this problem (marks IIB to IID). When this engine was replaced with a 120 hp Austro-Daimler, the aircraft performed well, and in January 1912 carried Cody and four passengers. It was eventually crashed by Lieut. J N Fletcher on the 5th Apri

Three-quarter left rear view of glider in flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville, accompanied by his brother Lorin, his nephew Horace, and his friend Alexander Ogilvie, of England, arrived for the purpose of conducting gliding experiments with a glider resembling the Wright 1911 powered machine but lacking its motor..

aeroplane and woman on a beach, Horowhenua, 27 May 1934, by Leslie Adkin.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War The gondola of army airship Beta, three to four feet off the ground, being moved by a number of army handlers.

The Steamer 'Forth' (which went missing in 1849). Date: 1849

Airplane wreck at Love Field in Dallas, Texas. Photograph taken on September 3, 1918, by an M11 Aero photographer. The image shows the wreckage of an airplane. This photograph is assigned the designation 111-SC-18206 and is labelled "A" for official use only.

Orville Wright 1871-1948 in flight over treetops covering a distance of approximately 1 760 feet in 40 1/5 seconds at Huffman Prairie Dayton Ohio. November 16 1904. LC-DIG-ppprs-00616

Airplane on the ground aircraft Heinkel HD 35 on the ground on the ore.

Rear view of a hospital airplane at Brooks Field, San Antonio, Texas during World War One. The airplane's fuselage has been modified and it bears the Medical insignia. This photograph was taken in 1918 and is labeled as SUBJECT 54223.

Greenland Patrol (Ice Patrol). This image depicts a U.S. Coast Guardsman plane which has landed in the water.

Alan Cobham's De Havilland DH50 landing on the Tigris, Iraq, 1926. Artist: Unknown

Royal New Zealand Airforce display, Rongotai, Wellington, 4 June 1938, Wellington, by Roland Searle.

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