Glen Curtiss developed the first float-plane in 1912, and he produced more than 7,000 JN Jenny’s in World War I. The Navy-Curtiss 4 made the first staged aerial crossing of the Atlantic in 1919. The aircraft became more militarized due to World War I nationalism. In 1931, Britain’s Supermarine S.6B became the inspiration for the Read More…
The Wright brothers are generally credited with developing the airplane, but helicopters have a much longer and troubled history. Engineers, inventors, and scientists around the world worked to turn the idea of the “gyroplane” into a working machine. But they lacked the necessary knowledge to control the aeronautical forces that lifted a helicopter off the Read More…
The mechanics that make helicopter flight possible have been around for centuries. In ancient China, children put slightly twisted feathers on sticks and rapidly spin them, so that they would lift into the air and gently fly back to the ground. In ancient Greece, the mathematician and inventor Archimedes created a rotating screw for a Read More…
At the beginning of 1923, Juan de la Cierva, a Spanish engineer, developed a rotor blade design and articulated rotor blades. Cierva used a flexible hinge to attach the blades to a shaft. Once the articulated rotor blades began moving, the hinge enabled Cierva to control the lift created by the blades. Once he figured Read More…
Flying as a commercial pilot means you are permitted earn income as a pilot. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that you obtain a Commercial Pilot’s Certificate before you may be paid as a pilot. The basic requirements for becoming a Commercial Pilot include: Be at least 18 years of age. Must hold a Read More…