Early Aviation History

Vintage photographs of early aircraft and aviation pioneers, showcasing historical aviation development and aircraft designs.

Thomas Selfridge and Wright Brothers Prepare for Takeoff

Photography from albums from Meisters-Airport companies in Gothenburg. Karl Gistaf Meister.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War Cody aircraft mark IA medium close up of centre section. Both army and civilian personnel are stood next to the aircraft carrying out some work on it. This aircraft was the rebuilt version of the original aircraft in which Cody made his first flight. The main difference between that and the mark IA was the addition of the biplane lifting tail and moving the front rudder to behind the elevator. 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 evolution of his aircraft Cody would probably not have classified them in such a detailed manner.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War A Henri Farman pusher biplane with a 80 horse power Gnome rotary engine on the ground.

Landing 2.7.18. .

Photograph of Thomas Sopwith's biplane. Thomas Sopwith (1888-1989) an English aviation pioneer and yachtsman. Dated 20th Century

Thomas Selfridge and Wright Brothers Prepare for Takeoff

Farman plan on the ground Airplane Farman HF 22 on the ground for starting on the ore. People around the plane. Carl Silow in Driversits, under Östgötamanövern 1913.

Geoffrey Quill - Geoffrey Quill showing him flying the aircraft and about to take off in the demonstration he gave.Geoffrey Quill, the famous test pilot who has flown at a speed of 650 m.p.h. flew today at the Royal Aeronautical Society's garden party a Bleriot aircraft of 1909 vintage, at White Waltham near Maidenhead. May 09, 1949. (Photo by Daily Mirror).

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War An Avro 500 biplane on the ground with a group of onlookers.

Fighter plane Cleaning the propeller; Koledzyani near Narajow.

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.

Paris International Air Show 1953. Photographs of Marshall Plan Programs, Exhibits, and Personnel

This photo dates to the early 1920s. The caption reads: The British Vickers-Vimy bombing plane, which made the first non-stop flight across the atlantic, June 16, 1919.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War Cody aircraft mark V on the ground. Note that the balance of the aircraft means that it is resting on the skid trailing behind the undercarriage not the small wheel in front. The photograph also shows the uneven nature of the ground from which Cody usually flew from. 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. Note the triangular rudders similar to those on the monoplane. 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

Biplane SIT type Voisin fighter, used in the bombing in France, World War I, from L'Illustrazione Italiana, Year XLII, No 49, December 5, 1915.

Airplane Thulin D with drivers set up in Ljungbyhed. At Enoch Thulin's flight school.

Reproductions of engl.-franz.flugen.

At the airfield landing of the apparatus in Kragla.

Airplane Albatros # 6 with ski . Aircraft Albatros # 6 with skis stands on Storsjöns ice, 1915. Flygörare Carl Silow and airplane in place in the airplane. Flying mechanics next to the aircraft. View from the side.

British Aircraft Pre-1914 Roe Biplane 1910/11. Pilot: W.D. Beatty and passenger: Jenkins.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War Burke army aeroplane flying low over the ground.

Light aircraft used to spot game. Several men surround a light aircraft used to spot game on safari. Tanganyika Territory (Tanzania), 1927. Tanzania, Eastern Africa, Africa.

British Cauldron G-2 Biplane, Aldershot, England, UK, Bain News Service, 1915

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War Cody aircraft mark II taxiing across a field with trees in the background. 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 April whilst Cody was teaching him to fly. It

Flight Driver in front of Thulin Type L in Boden Flights in front of aircraft Thulin type L in Boden. Two mechanics in work at the aircraft. In the background tenthangars.

German Biplane Ago type

aeronautica, lipsia, aviatore e passeggeri al record mondiale di volo, 1911

Jesse Seligman

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War A medium close up of Cody aircraft mark II outside the shed on Laffan's Plain, with Cody and passenger aboard. 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 April whi

Paulhan biplane photographed at Farnborough. This was the second aircraft to be purchased by the British Government.

Single-seater fighter plane Hauptmann R. Stoisavljevic in a single-seater fighter plane, South Carinthia. Photographer: 10. Armeekommando.

British Aircraft of the First World War 1914-1918 An Avro 500 in 1913.

Image of an airplane at the Soesterberg airbase in Soesterberg (municipality of Soest).

Airplane on the ground at start or landing aircraft called 5 No. 66 on the ground.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War A good medium close up of the passenger accommodation and undercarriage on Cody aircraft mark IIE (Omnibus - so named because of its passenger carrying capabilities) - four tractor seats. Cody first 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 mark IIE was fitted an Austro-Daimler engine with an output of 120 hp was fitted. It was two Green engines with the same combined output of 120 hp that Cody originally intended to use when he designed and built the mark II though problems with synchronicity meant that this was never carried out and instead just one of these engines was used meaning that aircraft was underpowered though alterations to the engine and the removal of excess weight partly sol

British Aviation Prior To the First World War Short monoplane. Short Brothers first attempt at a monoplane.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War A De Havilland biplane on the ground with several onlookers.

At the airports. .

aeronautica, aeroplano dei fratelli wright, dalla rivista mensile 1908 p 508

Historic photograph, pioneer of aviation, around 1915

Biplanes of the Royal Flying Corps, the British military air arm, parked on the ground, together with an observation balloon. First used for aerial reconnaisance on 13 Septemebr 1914.

Airplane on the ground airplane fvm p s 21 on the ground on the ore.

Aircraft and Balloons Used by Some of the Air Pioneers Who Were Contemporary With Samuel Franklin Cody. A Breguet two seater biplane on the ground with some onlookers. The photograph is grainy.

Wilbur Wright Flies Over New York Harbor

Albatros Biia in front of tenthangars in Boden, winter, 1916 . Airplane Albatros Biia with skis in front of tenthangars in Boden, winter, 1916. A man stands at the propeller.

Mascot cat "Spark Plug" on plane

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War Medium close up of Gustav Hamel sat in the cockpit of the Bleriot monoplane whilst the aircraft is on the ground.

Imperial Airways Liners. February 18, 1949.;Imperial Airways Liners.

Harriet Quimby

Flyer constructed by MSc Lars Fjällback on David Baker Street. The image is from about 1913 on the ice at Lidingö. In the machine Angstrom. The machine was called the Kannariefågeln.gnôme engine.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War Medium close up of the engine of a Maurice Farman biplane.

The Wright Flyer demonstrations at Fort Myer Virginia on September 3 1908. In January 1907 the Wright Brothers submitted a bid to the U.S. War Department to design a plane for $25 000.

The Swiss aviator Agenor Parmelin's plane after landing, flight over Mont Blanc from Geneva to Aosta, photograph by Brocherel, from L'Illustrazione Italiana, Year XLI, No 8, February 22, 1914.

351 - Early Planes (See Also: Aust. Flying Corp.). December 3, 1934.

Curtiss 160 H.P. Military Plane

Katharine Wright, wearing a leather jacket, cap, and goggles, aboard the Wright Model HS airplane with Orville, 1915 - digital file from original | Library of Congress

At the airports.

Fokker plane sideview D-VII

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War An excellent photograph of Cody aircraft mark II in flight close to the ground. Cody can be clearly seen piloting the aircraft. 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

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) flying close to the ground and about to fly straight overhead. 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 sho

Sikhorsky i.e., Sikirsky Aeroplane RUSSIAN KNIGHT

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A Fairey Swordfish landing on the 'Lily'floating air strip. The 'Lily'floating air strip was invented by Mr R M Hamilton. His 'Swiss roll' floating roadway was used for convoy transport from ship to shore during the Normandy landings at Avranches in 1944. Note depression in the surface under the weight of the plane.

388 Aviation. April 9, 1930.

The first Indian Air Mail arrives at Croydon Airport, south London, 1929, (1935). Creator: Unknown.

Picture from Oscar Ask's operations in Landskrona with several locations, the years 1910-1915.The machine downheld to be transported to Ljungbyhed for approach, 1911.

The Wright Flyer was the first successful heavier-than-air powered aircraft. It was designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903, near Kill Devil Hills, about four miles (6.4 km) south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Historic photograph, aeroplane passengers, around 1926

Two flyers with funeral crown are in aircraft Thulin E. At Enoch Thulin flight school.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War An FE 2 pusher biplane fitted with floats instead of a conventional undercarriage, on the water with three men wearing civilian clothes stood in the water inspecting the machine. Image similar to RAE-O 766.

Airplane J 8 Gloster Gladiator . Airplane J 8 Gloster Gladiator marked 6 stands on ore airfield. View from the side.

Airplane in a field. Fédèle Azari (Italian, 1895 - 1930)

Calais (France). 07/23/1909. Historic moment when the French aviator Louis Bleriot prepares to leave Calais for Dover, on the first crossing of the English Channel.

96B - Commander Byrd's Plane For The South Pole. December 12, 1953. (Photo by Wide World Photos).

FVM 18 with flight drivers and airplanes, winter . Airplane FVM S 18 marked number 980 with flight drivers and airplaners fly over Malmen in winter. The aircraft equipped with skis.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War Cody aircraft mark II on the ground at the Lanark Aviation Meeting. Cody did only limited flying at this meeting due to problems with the engine (see below). 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 cras

Image of the Fokker C.IV 578 aircraft, at the Soesterberg Air Base in Soesterberg (municipality of Soest).

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War A FE 2a pusher two seater biplane in flight. The aircraft is virtually a silhouette.

Exposed Van de German Airplane Works. .

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War De Havilland aircraft mark 2 on the ground with a small group of onlookers.

Potstight and aircraft Two men at the aircraft Triplane marked 831, on the ore, winter time.

James Frederick Cane by a biplane. From the album: James Cane photograph album gelatin silver prints, black-and-white prints

A man and a boy at airplane Macchi M.7, 1920s motif: A man and a boy standing at the airplane Macchi M.7 by Lake Roxen at Berg's locks.

Wilbur Wright flies Model A Flyer, Tempelhoferfältet, Berlin, summer 1909, between August 30 and September 18. Motor 26kW. Model Flyer A saw the day of the day in 1906, and was a development of Flyer III from 1905. Model A was the bridging model that was intended to cook mercillary production.

S 6a flying over fields, 1933 . airplane s 6a marked number 5356 flying over fields. Airline panel in back seat.

For Merna to go down forced plane, understood in disassembly. .

AMERICA with third engine

World War I 1914-1918: French aviator who has crashed on a reconnaissance mission, standing beside his biplane which has landed upside down. From Le Pays de France, Paris, 23 September 1915. Flying, Aviation

Bi-plane, Wigram, 1920s to 1930s, Christchurch, by Roland Searle.

Sk 12 on an airfield, 1936 . Aircraft so-called 12 marked number 59 associated war air school F 5 on an airfield. Side view.

Back view of a Hanriot HD 1 airplane. Fédèle Azari (Italian, 1895 - 1930)

Wright Model A airplane flying above spectators at Army trial flights at Fort Meyer, Virginia, 1908. The airplane met all the requirements stated in 'Signal Corps Specification 486,' of Dec. 1907, for a 'heavier-than-air flying machine' (BSLOC_2018_2_147)

Damage to aircraft J 6 Number1205 Close-up of damage to the wings on aircraft J 6 number 1205.

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War A good view of Cody aircraft mark IV Monoplane with Cody aircraft mark III in the background, outside the shed on Laffan's Plain. Cody built this aircraft specifically for the 1912 military trials. This single engine tractor design, radically different from his previous ones was significantly quicker and more manoeuvrable than the aircraft he had built before, though this was partly because of the more powerful Austro-Daimler engine which had been transferred from the mark IIE aircraft. Note the unusual tail arrangement with twin elevators and rudders. The Cockpit was semi enclosed with two side by side seats. Also note the aircraft's large size compared to other contemporary monoplanes. Approximately four weeks before the trials (sources disagree on the exact date) Cody struck a cow whilst attempting to make a forced landing after an engine cut out. Cody was thrown clear, largely unhurt, but the cow was killed and the aircraft, apart from

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

Picture from Oscar Ask's operations in Landskrona with several locations, the years 1910-1915.maskinen performed for photography, 1911.

Anefo photo collection. Airplane accident at Moerdijksbrug with roadside assistance. September 5, 1953

Albatros biia on a field motif: airplane albatros biia on a field. Military and crowd around the aircraft.

Close-up of nose on aircraft s 6 with skis, winter time. Design: Close-up of the nose on aircraft s 6 with skis, winter time.

Sea-plane. Fédèle Azari (Italian, 1895 - 1930)

Airplane. Fédèle Azari (Italian, 1895 - 1930)

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