Six Pioneering First Flights

[Eric Mc]

Anybody clicked on the Honda Jet ad at the bottom of the page. The six pioneering "flights" are -

Wright Brotthers 1903 - fair enough

Chuck Yeager 1947 - no problem

The flight of the Honda Jet - maybe not pioneering but at least a flight

but these are also listed as "flights" -

John Stapp on a rocket sled (never left the ground)

Felix Baumgartner's jump from a balloon - that's a fall, not a flight and it more or less replicated something done 50 years earlier

The London Eye - no idea why that's there

How dumb do they think we are?

[Simpo Two]

A playground ride in London is clearly more important than the flight of Apollo 11...

Need Alcock & Brown 1919 too.

[Eric Mc]

Expand it to 10 and I would list -

Montgolfier Brother balloon flight in 1783
The Wright Brothers flight in 1903
Louis Bleriot's Channel flight in 1909
Alcock and Browns Trans Atlantic flight in 1919
Charles Lindberg's Trans Atlantic Flight in 1927
The flight of the Heinkel He178 jet in 1939
The breaking of the sound barrier in 1947 with the Bell X-1
The first flight of the De Havilland Comet 1 in 1949
The flight of the first Boeing 747 in 1969
The flight of Apollo 11 in 1969

[b14]

I think you've got to include Concorde's first supersonic trip with passengers and probably the first flight of the Shuttle as well.

[Simpo Two]

If we're including space rockets then Gagarin 1961 as the first man in orbit would have to be included I think, and arguably more significant than the Shuttle.

I discounted Lindberg as whilst it was an epic flight/personal achievement, the first aeroplane across was 8 years earlier.

[Eric Mc]

I was thinking of the social and cultural impact as much as the engineering achievement. Lindberg's flight was by no means the first flight across the Atlantic - but it was the flight that galvanised the world as regards to what aeroplanes might do in the future.


Also, I included the 747 because of the way it changed aviation and how we live and travel.

Whilst Concorde and the Shuttle were remarkable technical achievement, I think we will see these as technical dead ends - much like the airships.

[aeropilot]

Simpo Two said:

If we're including space rockets then Gagarin 1961 as the first man in orbit would have to be included I think, and arguably more significant than the Shuttle.

I discounted Lindberg as whilst it was an epic flight/personal achievement, the first aeroplane across was 8 years earlier.

I agree. I'd only make a few changes to Eric's list.

My 10 would be.....

Montgolfier Brother balloon flight in 1783
The Wright Brothers flight in 1903
Louis Bleriot's Channel flight in 1909
Alcock and Browns Trans Atlantic flight in 1919
The flight of the Heinkel He178 jet in 1939
The first flight of the first practical single-lift rotor helicopter design, the VS-300 in 1940
The breaking of the sound barrier in 1947 with the Bell X-1
The first flight of the De Havilland Comet 1 in 1949
The flight of Vostok 1 in 1961
The flight of Apollo 11 in 1969

[Mr_B]

First helicopter ?

[aeropilot]

Mr_B said:

First helicopter ?

<cough>

[anonymous-user]

Buzz Lightyear's demo to Woody in Toy Story.
Landmark moment.

[Eric Mc]

If we're going down that route I'd propose Dumbo's first flight back in 1941.

[Simpo Two]

And David Niven test-flying the Spitfire!

[peter tdci]

I'd say Apollo 8 over 11. The first manned flight to leave Earth orbit. That was pioneering.

[Simpo Two]

peter tdci said:

I'd say Apollo 8 over 11. The first manned flight to leave Earth orbit.

- and the first men to see the dark side of the moon. But it was much easier to do than land - so I guess we need to work out criteria first, as Eric suggested.

[AER]

Pioneer 10?

[IforB]

My first solo isn't in that list, therefore it's nonsense!

[Eric Mc]

AER said:

Pioneer 10?

I think humans would need to be on board. If you are going to include robot craft you would have to include Sputnik 1 as well.

[The Mad Monk]

The first regular flight to Australia which departed Hounslow in 1919. In a Vickers Vimy IIANM.

[Eric Mc]

I don't think it was regular. Regular flights to Australia from the UK only really started in the 1930s and they involved lots of overnight stopovers and changes of aircraft.

There are lots of important pioneering flights - many more than 10. Narrowing the choice to 10 makes you consider the flights that really mattered and had an impact on the wider world.

[AER]

Eric Mc said:

AER said:

Pioneer 10?

I think humans would need to be on board. If you are going to include robot craft you would have to include Sputnik 1 as well.

...and Sputnik wasn't somehow historic or pioneering...?