This diagram of a helicopter was created by Leonardo Da Vinci in about 1500. The device was supposed to fly by spinning up into the air.

In this photo Orville Wright eases the first Flyer airplane into the air on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They made four flights that day the longest lasting 59 seconds and covering more than 850 feet.

Charles Lindberg made the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean on May 20, 1927, in his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis. He took off in New York and landed in Paris 33.5 hours later.

Amelia Earhart became the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. Then three years later she made the first solo flight from Hawaii to California. In 1937  

The Boeing 747-400 is the largest aircraft in service today. It was made in 1969. It can carry up to 568 people and weigh 395 tons at take-off. It has a length of 230 feet and a wing span of 210 feet. 

The Airbus A380 is going to be the largest aircraft in service. It seats 535 people and has a wing span of 262 feet.

The Concorde was the fastest passenger plane in service until it crashed shortly after take-off when a tire blew up. It could fly faster than twice the speed sound cruising at 1,335 mph.  When the Concorde reaches the speed occurs as shown in the front and back of the aircraft.

Airliners usually cruise at a height of about 42,500 feet. At this altitude the air can be as cold as -76 degrees and to thin to breathe, so the air is pressurized by the engines and pumped into the cabin.

The Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager was the first airplane to circumnavigate the earth without refueling. Their 25,000 mile trip took nine days, three minutes, and forty-four seconds.