Aircraft from 1900-1909 The era of heavier-than-air manned flight officially begins.
1
Bleriot XI The Bleriot XI was one of the first notable monoplanes to achieve any level of fame. Primitive by today's standards, the system became a standard all its own in the early 1900s. The type served in a limited capacity during th...
1909
2
Wright Flyer (Series) Though the prospect of manned flight had been around for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, it would be the Wright Brothers - Orville and Wilbur - that would put theory to practice and produce the first in a series of h...
1903
1900-1909:
This page features aircraft covering the time period between 1900 and 1909. During this time, flight was just being pioneered and the air war in World War One would solidify the aircraft as a viable fighting machine. Designs throughout wartime forced aviation engineers to learn at a fast pace, usually outdoing themselves design after design. Such was the air of wartime design for aircraft that many would only live to see service for a matter of months before being replaced by more powerful and deadly versions. Design and production of aircraft for military use would continue at war's end and would cause a boom in military spending for new and faster model capable of much more. Aircraft design during these two decades would still revolve around the tried and true fabric-covered skins with synchronized-firing machine guns in the monoplane or biplane designs.
Most photographic images appearing on this site are courtesy of the United States Department of Defense and are approved for public use.
Other images acquired through the public domain.
Digital art work courtesy of Dan Alex. Business Consulting by Kyle Williams
Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for
hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.
