Early Aviation History

Historic aircraft from the early 20th century, featuring bi-planes and unique designs, reflecting the pioneers of flight.

Curtiss Golden Flyer or Curtiss No 1 biplane

40 Years Of Progress -- What has happened to the airplane in four decades is graphically revealed hare of a an Air Force North American F-86 Sabre jet flying by a 1912 model pusher biplane. The Sabre holds the official speed record of 670 miles per hour and is powered with a turbo jet engine with a horsepower rating of 9,000 as compared to 80 horsepower and a cruising speed of 60 miles an hour for the biplane built and flown by Billy Parker. February 29, 1952. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).

Collection Dutch Heidematschappij. Wood transport harbor. undated. Limburg, Roermond

Focke-Wulf A32 Bussard airliner, 1932. Creator: Unknown.

FK 23 Bantam.This aircraft was designed as a fighter plane in World War I by the Dutchman Koolhoven, chief designer for an English aircraft factory. The construction and materials were selected for their lightness. The 170 h.p. radial engine could reach a previously unknown speed of 220kilometres per hour. The Bantam was a big hit at the ELTA (First Aviation Exhibition in Amsterdam) in 1919.

German aeroplane in Poland

The vintage military biplane

12/31/1929. The American pilot Charles A. Lindbergh with his plane "the Spirit of Saint Louis", with which he made the first solo and non-stop Atlantic flight.

Women in airplanes: Mr. & Mrs. Wagner

Anefo photo collection. Flying boat (Lockheed aircraft factory). July 12, 1962

Anefo photo collection. Fly accident VCG. Overview. May 1, 1948

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War DERA FARNBOROUGH (ROYAL AIRCRAFT ESTABLISHMENT). Medium close up of the gondola of the army airship Delta with men stood inside it and around it.

Creator: Greany, Malcolm J. Subjects: Jim King Collection; Aircraft; Aircraft; Transportation; Work of the Service; Alaska. . 1998 - 2011.

Mel, crashed plane. .

KRESS's PROJECT The flying machine of Wilhelm Kress, prior to testing on an Austrian lake Date: 1900

Claude Grahame-White, English aviation pioneer, 1910 (1933). Artist: Flight Photo.

Heinkel HD 24 L Tsingtau plane, 1920s, (1932). Creator: Unknown.

Aircraft and Balloons Used by Some of the Air Pioneers Who Were Contemporary With Samuel Franklin Cody. An unmanned (presumably remote controlled) aerial target (mark II) sat on the ground outside a corragated metal shed.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War Cody aircraft mark V close up of 120 HP, Austro Daimler engine. With the help of his family and friends Cody built the mark V mainly from the remains of the mark III in just four weeks, after both the aircraft that he intended to enter in the trials were written off. It was powered by the 120 hp Austro-Daimler engine which was relatively unscathed from the crashes it had been in. It was with this machine that Cody won both the International Division and the British Division (GBP5000 prize in total) of the 1912 military trials, a competition to find an aircraft for the army. 32 machines were entered from 21 companies in a series of tests. These tests covered areas such as rate of climb, speed (both fast and slow), glide angle, landing distance, time of assembly and ability to fly in a high wind. The aircraft had to meet certain other criteria such as having dual control and room for an observer, having an endurance of at least three hours,

Madrid, 10/2/1919. Air service. ABC decides to undertake a new project: to send the newspaper to the main Spanish provinces. An "Avro" airplane, loaded with specimens, leaves from Madrid to Ciudad Real and Seville. After a first frustrated attempt, due to a strong storm, the plane reached its destination two days later. The operation was a success and the resellers announced it enthusiastically shouting "ABC arrived by airplane!".

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance,ENGINES War

G.M. Heckscher's Curtiss Flying Boat 60 m.p.h.

Malcolm Allison - Gliding

On February 19, at 5:30 p.m. the drifting "North Pole" station finished its work. The herole Papanin quartet was removed from the drifting ice-floe in the Greenland Sea by the crews of the two ice breakers, "Taimir" and "Murman". May 14, 1938.

Flight of Wilbur Wright with his pupil Paul Tissandier, near Paris, January 1909. One the ground are coachmen and horse drawn carriages (BSLOC_2018_2_150)

Airplane with a portrait of aviator clément from Maasdijk; The Hollandsche Aviator C. van Maasdijk, in flight. .

L.J. Bergdoll's aeroplane in hangar

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War A close up of the aileron and wing tip stabilising wheel of British Army Aircraft I. The ailerons were discarded before the first 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 1

Anefo photo collection. Tour of Prince Bernhard by West Netherlands. An airplane with which Prince Bernhard will leave. June 29, 1945

The Ford Monoplane was used for Air Mail carrying and was manufactured by a subsidiary company of the ford Motor Company. It was fitted with a 400 H.P. Liberty Engine. The plane was constructed entirely of corrugated aluminium and had a six seater passenger cabin. Span 58 ft., length 46ft. maximum speed 115 m.p.h. ceiling 12000 ft. 1924

Many horses in England now travel by air in a Miles Aerovan, converted for the purposes. Here two ponies enter the Aerovan. October 7, 1946.

From left to right: the pilot P Van Gaver, Charles Terres Weymann and the painter Giuseppe Neri in a biplane, ready for the flight from Mourmelon to Reims, France, from L'Illustrazione Italiana, Year XXXVIII, No 7, February 12, 1911.

Brzezany: At the airfield II.

H.R.H. the Duke of Gloucester farewells the inaugural Qantas service which linked up with Imperial Airways at Singapore to provide Australia's first regular airmail link with the United Kingdom. On the Duke's right is the airline's Managing Director W. Hudson Fysh (now Sir Hudson Fysh and Chairman of the Board). The aircraft followed a 44-stop route with the airmail arriving in London 12 days later. December 10, 1934.

12/31/1926. The American pilot Charles A. Lindbergh with his plane "the Spirit of Saint Louis", with which he made the first solo and non-stop Atlantic flight.

Piaggio p9. 1930.

Aerial mechanics at aircraft FVM J 23 in a tenthangar, 1923 Portrait. Two aerial mechanics standing at airplane FVM J 23 marked number 3111 in a tenthangar. Aircraft belonging to the aircraft company.

Portrait of Anthony Fokker in his plane during the Queen's Feast in Haarlem, 1911, The Netherlands, Anonymous.

Hot driving of motor on aircraft Gloster Gladiator for start from F 19 in Veitsiluoto . Hot run of motor on airplane Gloster Glörosiator before start from F 19 in Veitsiluoto, Swedish NGOs in Finland. Military people in work. A paper mill is visible in the background. .Ur f 19 collection.

Britain's First All-Wing Jet Plane. The Armstrong Whitworth A.W. 52. Jet England All-wing Aircraft photographed at Baginton Aerodrome today. Britain's first jet-propelled "Flying Wing," the Armstrong-Whitworth A.W. 52. will shortly be making it's Test flights. Powered with two Rolls-Royce Derwent turbo-jet engines, it has a wing span of about 90 feet. The two seater plane is a true all-wing in design, except for the wing-tip rudders, the windscreen assembly and a slight bulge underneath. Decembe

This Widgeon was acquired by the FWS in 1949. Subjects: Jim King Collection; Transportation; Aircraft; Amphibious vehicles; Alaska. . 1998 - 2011.

Sir Herbert Samuel's second visit to Transjordan, etc. Bedouin boys under wing of airplane. 1921, Jordan

O. Dahlbecks Bristol-Biplan 1912. GNOME MOTOR 50 hp.

Lincoln J. Beachey 1887-1915 a celebrated American aviator and stunt pilot an in 1912 bi-plane. He performed dives loops and upside-down flight and died on March 14 1915 in a crash during a performance over San Francisco. LC-USZ62-17970

Demonstrating The Sky Jeep... Fuselage Life Up To Take Streetweek Case. Showing how the fuselage lifts to make way for the stretcher and stretcher Case in the new "Sky Jeep". The test pilot Mr. D. Lowry "Leads" the aircraft. A demonstration is being held at London Airport for ***** new Chrislea "Sky Jeep" - a tiny machine for tilitarian use.... The machine is fitted with a 155 H.. Cirrus Major 111 engine and has accommodation for four seats, with provision for two occasional seats for children

German Pfalz Scout (No.G-110) D-3. This photograph, taken in June 1918, showcases the various types of German airplanes used during World War I. The Pfalz Scout is shown in detail, highlighting its distinct features and markings. The image is part of the Photographs of American Military Activities collection.

White's wrecked machine towed back

Artwork: "Aircraft Maintenance in Russia" Artist: Rudolf Riege. Country: Unknown

Lt Locklear Changes Planes In Flight Charles Hubbell (American)

Aeroplane "Loon" at pier

Bridgeschool in Hedel. Construction of a floating bridge.

Elsevier photo collection. Shot German Junkers JU-52 plane, shot Dutch breeder G1. 1940

Flying airplane above Washington D.C.. Fédèle Azari (Italian, 1895 - 1930)

Finnish Junkers the 50 "Junior".

A selection of black-white vector images of the trike

Portrait, five people and aircraft portrait, company in front of civil registration aircraft. Two military officers and three civilian people, a man, a woman and a girl on the ore.

Poll photo collection. Report Schiphol. Airplane in hangar at Schiphol. 1933. Noord-Holland, Schiphol

Editors of Indian Newspapers inspecting a De Havilland 9 at Hendon Aerodrome, October, 1918.

Wilbur Wright Gliding at Big Kill Devil Hill

Orville Wright's aeroplane flying in a field C. 1910

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) in flight. 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, here the additional elevators at the side of the central one (which has now been split in two down the centre) are missing, the rudder is in the original position above the elevator, a tail skid and balancing planes have been added between the wings on the rear outer struts. Particularly with his earlier aircraft Cody made constant adjustments to the arrangement of the flying surfaces, often after crashes, in order to obtain better performance and handling. These changes mean that identifying specific sub-marks of Cody aircraft can at times be very difficult, it should also be remembered that because of this constant

Moissant aero. Wrecked

Frank Stanton & "Prince of Princeton"

Illustration depicting Hiram Maxim's steam-powered plane. Hiram Maxim (1840-1916) an British inventor. Dated 19th Century

The picture shows two pilots watching a map.They stand in front of a double decker and wearing air hood with glasses.To their feet are postpacks.Original text: "Flyer's driver and his escort study the map before the start.".The picture shows two pilots watching a map.They stand in front of a double decker and wearing air hood with glasses.To their feet are postpacks.Original text: "Flyer's driver and his companions study the map before the start.

The Willoughby Hydro-aeroplane. Pelican.

Italian aviator Giacomo Macchi.

Man in a boat. Man in a boat

Information office radio broadcaster Dutch Guinea. Guinea Aviation Society "De Kroonduif" started one-running beaver devices December 1954. February 1955. Guinea

1st mail carrier 1928 , Biplanes, Air shows, Eastern Air Transport. Edmund L. Mitchell Collection

First catapult post delivery, 1929, (1932). Creator: Unknown.

Model of Chinese Wheelbarrow. Original caption: National Museum. Model of Chinese wheelbarrow. Used throughout China for transporting passengers from place to place. State: Washington, D.C.

New York - Flushing Bay. Flushing Bay Dike. At low tide this boat stood almost perpendicular, the bow being fastened on the dike and the stern down on the mud.

Everybody Can Wear His Own Autogyro, Take Off In Street -- Paul Baumgartl wearing the 'Heliofly'. The 'Heliofly', a device which, strapped to the body, enables the wearer to take off in the street, climb to an altitude of 3,000 feet and fly Baumgartl, a 28-year-old Viennese technician, after three years' experiment and trial. The apparatus consists of an air screw resembling an autogyro's, and a motor; total weight does not exceed 30 pounds. Baugartl says he is going to start mass production of the 'Heliofly' as soon as the Allied occupation authorities permit powered aviation in Australia. October 24, 1946.

A scout-observation type seaplane of the U. S. Navy , Seaplanes, Military personnel, Military scouts, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Bleriot XI "La Manche", Europe's big vintage aeroplane meeting on the Hahnweide, Kirchheim-Teck, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany, Europe

An aircraft lodged into the muddy ground at Rich Field, Waco, Texas, during World War One. This image was taken by a D.M.A. photographer in 1918 and is marked "For Official Use Only." The aircraft appears to have nosedived into the field near Milford, Texas.

Permission for the reproduction of these photographs in advertising matter only is granted subject to the words "Flight" Photograph being printed immediately beneath every reproduction. October 30, 1952.

The Guggenheim Medal for the Spaniard De La Cierva - The Guggenheim Medal, which is awarded to an inventor each year, which has contributed to safety in air traffic is, in this jar on the Chicago World's Fair the inventor of the screw flight tool, deem Spaniards been De La Cierva, Awarded.The Spanish aircraft constructor De La Cierva. August 1, 1933.

The nose of a cargo glider is opened prior to loading with freight. The work is done by the directorate of Air Transport members. Archerfield, Brisbane, Australia. May 1943.

Photo production of a drawing, representing an aircraft from Farman with a portrait of lieutenant Lethux, Anonymous, c. 1908 - Before 1911 photomechanical print paper collotype aircraft, aeroplane. pilot

Ezra Meeker at aviation event, Los Angeles, USA. Meeker was the self-appointed champion of the Oregon Trail. 1910

Wright Brothers Airplane Ready for Takeoff

Crowd watching airplanes , Airplanes, Crowds. Leon Abdalian Collection

British Army Monoplane

Samme Motor indbygget i en Marine Flyvebaad. Artist: Jacob Christian Hansen Ellehammer (Danish, 1871-1946); Vilhelm Ellehammer (Danish). Dimensions: Image: 3 3/8 × 4 5/16 in. (8.5 × 11 cm)Sheet: 9 5/8 × 12 13/16 in. (24.4 × 32.6 cm). Date: 1905-19.Unaware of the Wright brothers' success, the Danish engineer Ellehammer worked in isolation to invent a means of flight, a feat he achieved on September 12, 1906. He soon shifted his attention to vertical flight craft, succeeding in 1912 in hopping along above ground in an experimental helicopter. It is those early, tentative helicopter flights that we see in these remarkable photographs, part of an album documenting Ellehammer's experiments in aviation between 1905 and 1920. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

'Antoinette' monoplane of French aviator Hubert Latham, c1910. Artist: Unknown

Airplane 'Southern Cross' refuelling gelatin dry plate negatives, black-and-white negatives

07/20/1921. Burgos. Aviation Festival. 1.- Our graphic "Reporter" Julio Duke in the airplane in which he made a long flight over the City. 2.- view of Burgos from the airplane.

O. Wright flying in his airplane, crowd on field

WASHINGTON, D.C. USA. Wooden propeller on Bleriot X! Monoplane on display in Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. (Editorial Usage Only)

Coloured card depicting forms of early aircraft. Dated 20th Century

aeronautica, francia, campo di anvours, aviatore wilbur wright e un passeggero, 1910

ATC-CCB Boats , Ships, Naval Vessels, Boats, Naval History, Navy

05/23/1910. At the national exhibition in Valencia, a car that won first prize in the Battle of Flores held on the big track.

Italian aviator Ambrogio Colombo posing next to the aircraft Breda Ba.33.

DF-SC-86-09063. Country: Unknown

Victor emmanuel III of Italy. biplane caproni Ca.100. 1930.

Alfred Leblanc (13 April 1869 - 22 November 1921) was a pioneer French aviator. In 1910, flying a Gnome-engined Bleriot XI, he won the Circuit de l'Est, covering the 805 km (500 mi) in 12hr 1 min 1 sec, an average speed of 66.99 km/h (41.63 mph).

USA, Man selling oil, circa 1920

Ice Auto at Duluth

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