All of them were a combination of knowledge, innovation and courage. The pioneers of aeronautics helped shape the aviation we enjoy today. Each small step represented an enormous effort at the time.
The passion for flying has been a constant throughout human history. Some of the oldest writings already mention this fact, which was always limited in practice because neither knowledge nor technology allowed for something so foreign to human natural abilities to be carried out.
That desire to fly has evolved and continues to this day. Travelling by aeroplane still has a special appeal, to such an extent that the latest trend is “flights to nowhere”, one- or two-hour journeys where the origin and destination are the same and the sole purpose is to enjoy the flight.
The road to get here has been neither short nor easy. There is evidence that almost three thousand years ago, in China, several people were lifted into the sky using kites. The first tests were carried out on prisoners, in case something went wrong, but after confirming its feasibility, this technique was used for military observation purposes.
It can be said that the first person who truly studied the possible techniques for flying, and who put them into practice, was Abbas Ibn Firnas, an Andalusian who, in the 9th century, launched himself in a rudimentary parachute from the tower of the mosque in Cordoba and, a few years later, flew for several seconds in a glider made of wood, fabric and bird feathers. He survived both events, and did so no less than a thousand years before the Wright brothers took off from the ground with their Flyer I.
Since then, many pioneers have theorised and put flight techniques into practice, some more successfully than others. But in most cases, they incorporated small advances which, taken together, have brought us to the present day, where aeronautics is one of the most advanced and complex industries.
In this infographic, we review some of those pioneers who, until the early 20th century, displayed creativity, determination and courage to fulfil the dream of flying. Each of them contributed an innovation that advanced aeronautics. Together, they shaped the technology of aviation that we enjoy today and on which so many other everyday activities depend.
In fact, the world as we know it today would not be viable without aviation.
