The Evolving Aircraft: Aviation Keeps Climbing Altitude

Connor Spiers, Age 11

St Paul's Camden

Introduction

“Aviation keeps climbing altitude” -Connor Spiers. This collection of stories is about the anthology, and the improvement of aircraft around the world. This will include the first powered flight in an aeroplane, first crossing of the English Channel, the first rocket in space, first hot air balloon, and the first commercial jet flight.

First Rocket Ever

1232. The war against the Mongols has been harsh. So we, the almighty Chinese, have devised to fire “flaming arrows”. These arrows will use a fuel that will burn and push the arrows into the Mongols territory. We are trying to push the Mongols back and away. We finally used the “flaming arrows” in the battle of Kai-Keng.

I was out fighting and I suddenly heard a loud bang, and then whistling. I looked up and saw flaming balls of fire. Then fell in a graceful arc, then smashing into the Mongols army huts. The huts caught fire and I could hear screams. The fire grew. I yelled an order to stay away from the fire, but to move into the Mongols territory.

First Manned Hot Air Balloon

21 November 1783. As Jean and I went into the basket of the hot air balloon, I knew that history was being made. The hot air balloon was made by the Montgolfier Brothers, and Jean and I were picked because we were important. I was an army general. We heated the balloon so that we could rise up, because hot air go’s up. When we lifted off the ground, I felt the weird but wonderful sensation of being weightless. We rose 3,000 feet (about 1 kilometre) above the great city of Paris, for about 25 minutes. We could see all of Paris from up here, it was amazing! After we were done, we let all of the hot air out of the top of the balloon, letting all of the hot air out, because hot air goes up, and that lets the cold air get in, making us go down. After we landed we started talking about the adventure in the sky. Everyone thought that it would be amazing to fly because you don’t have to walk all over the place!

First Powered Flight

December 17, 1903. Watching my brother step into the cockpit of our first flyer, I had never been more excited and worried that all our preparations and calculations could be wrong. I don’t know what I would do without Orville. I made sure the cable was safe and strong, before giving the thumbs up to my brother. He started the engines and I could hear the roar and feel the wind. Orville looked at me and nodded. I let the cable loose and Orville roared down the track which we designed. The plane we designed had two main wings on top of each other and two smaller wings (also on top of each other) in front. It had a huge propeller behind the pilot. Orville took off and started flying! He only stayed in the air for twelve seconds, but he covered one hundred and twenty feet! After Orville landed, I ran over too him and told him how this could change the world, having a aeroplane that can fly that far! Afterwards, Orville was saying that it was difficult to control. We left to work out how we can make it sturdier and easier to control.

First Crossing over the English Channel in an Aeroplane

July 25, 1909. I started up the engine and prepared to take off in the flyer I designed myself. I wanted to be the first person to fly across the English Channel. I felt the now familiar feeling of rushing through the air that comes with takeoff and I felt the familiar feeling (yet again!) of becoming weightless. During the flight over the English Channel, I experienced turbulence and my visibility declined. ‘I am alone. I can see nothing at all.’ I muttered to myself. When I landed in England, near Dover, I felt kind of happy and relieved that I had finished the flight. That was the place where I completed history.

First Commercial Jet Airliner

After months of preparation, years of planning, my team and I were ready to present to the world the first jet airliner. The de Havilland Comet! This amazing plane has only two jet turbines on each wing, but they are not underneath them, (Authors note: the Comet is not like an Airbus or Boeing) they are inside the wing. The plane rolled out of the shed, drawing gasps from the crowd. It also has a long, thin metal pole out the front of the plane. It has 24 seats for the passengers, and has two pilots in the cockpit. But the first jet airliner, that’s an achievement!

First Rocket in Space

Watching the little rocket rise was one of the greatest things I have seen in my life. Knowing that it was going to be the first artificial object in space, I obviously felt great pride as I was included in designing and making the satellite. I watched it ascend using the RD-108 engine which my team designed. As it flew out of sight, I turned to the control room to try and hear if Sputnik would (later) use its instruments to ping back to Earth. We will receive the pings with dish’s on the ground.

First Supersonic Jet Airliner

December 31, 1968. The crowd screamed when Tupolev rolled out of the shed. It was ready for commercial use already. The plane looked like a Concorde, with the nose able to go down, a sleek body with a straight up tail fin. It also has a delta shaped wing. The engines are big and underneath, looking like big square holes underneath the wing. When the nose is lowered, two small wing looking pieces of metal come out, kinda making it look like a bird. It has multiple wheels at the back, while the front has only two. Watching them roll, I had a feeling of pride. I couldn’t wait to see how it held up in flight.

First Rocket Powered Aircraft

I could hear the roar of the engines as the plane powered up. The plane was the Heinkel He 176. It is the first EVER mainly rocket powered plane. That means that the plane is solely dependent on liquid rocket fuel. It is basically a rocket with wings. It has an enclosed cockpit, and looks stout and fat. The wings sorta stick out of the side, and are exceptionally long. The plane surged forward, screaming down the runway before taking off. I couldn’t believe the speed I was going at! That definitely was an experience I would never forget in my life.

The Concord

2 March 1969. The second supersonic aircraft was going to take off today. The plane looked a lot like the Tupolev supersonic airliner. The Concorde ( as it was called) was a joint operation of the English Aerospace industry, and the French Aerospace Industry. It was said to be able to go over Mach 1, breaking the speed of sound. I was preparing to go to the cockpit. As I sat down in the pilot's seat, I felt a surge of pride about this beautiful creation. It was to go so fast, hence getting you places faster, even if it is very far away. I felt so proud and lucky that I would be the first to fly The Concorde.