Category Science

On 3 October, 1967 an American X-15 rocket-powered aeroplane reached 7,270 kph. It’s still the world record speed for an aeroplane. The X-15 also holds the altitude record of 107,960 metres. That’s nearly 108 kilometres above the Earth’s surface!

Which plane had no wings?

In the 1970s, US Air Force pilots flew an experimental plane called the X-24A without wings. This rocket plane had a specially shaped fuselage, or lifting body, to keep airborne.

Is it true? You can travel faster than the speed of sound.

Yes. Some supersonic planes with powerful engines, like Concorde, can fly faster than sound. Sound travels at about 1,225 kph.

Amazing! The famous American fighter ace and test pilot Chuck Yeager was the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1). In 1947 he flew the rocket-powered Bell X-1 to Mach 1.015.

Which is the fastest jet?

The fastest jet aircraft ever was the American Lockheed SR-71A ‘Blackbird’ spy plane. It holds the official speed record of an incredible 3,529.56 kph, which it set in 1976. In 1974 it set the New York to London record time of 1 hour and 55 minutes.

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The biggest plane in the world is the six-engined Antonov An-225 transport aeroplane. It can carry other aircraft on its back as well as cargo inside. It can take off weighing a massive 600 tonnes.

Which transatlantic airliner has only two engines?

The Boeing 777 flies across the Atlantic with only two engines. Before 1984, all transatlantic airliners had three or four engines in case one failed. Now, engines are more reliable.

Is it true? Some aeroplanes carry tanks.

Yes. Monster military transport planes like the Lockheed C5 Galaxy and Antonov An-124 are big enough for tanks. The Galaxy can lift two 50-tonne tanks, which drive in up ramps in the nose or tail.

Amazing! One gigantic flying boat with eight engines, the Hughes H4 Hercules, measured nearly 100 metres from one wing tip to the other and could have carried 700 passengers! Nicknamed ‘Spruce Goose’, it only flew once in 1947 and is now in a museum.

Which airliner carries the most people?

The airliner that can carry the most passengers is the two-deck Boeing 747 ‘Jumbo Jet’. Seats for up to 660 passengers can be fitted into the most modern model, the 747-400. There are plans for a double-decker airliner that will carry up to 900 passengers.

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A flying boat is an aeroplane with a fuselage shaped like the hull of a boat. It takes off and lands on water instead of a runway. During the 1930s huge flying boats such as the Short C-class Empire were popular for travelling long distances. 

Is it true? Some seaplanes fly just above the waves.

Yes. Experimental seaplanes called surface-effect vehicles fly very close to the water surface. Air squashed between their wings and the water helps to keep the plane flying. It means that the wings can be smaller than those on normal aeroplanes of the same size.

Amazing! In 1938, a seaplane was carried into the air by a flying boat. The seaplane did not use any fuel to take off and so was able fly non-stop across the Atlantic.

How fast could seaplanes go?

In 1931, a Supermarine seaplane set a new world speed record, and won the Schneider Trophy. It was powered by a special Rolls Royce engine, and reached 655 kph!

How do planes land on snow?

Aeroplanes can land on a flat stretch of snow or ice if they change their wheeled undercarriage for skis. One of the first planes with skis was a Fokker F.VIIA used to fly over the North Pole. Modern ski planes take supplies to polar bases.

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The jet engine was first thought of in 1930 by British engineer Frank Whittle. By 1937 he had built a working jet engine. At the same time in Germany Hans von Ohain was building a similar engine.

Amazing! When the first jet-powered aeroplane took off on its maiden flight, it sucked a bird into its engine. The plane was the Heinkel He 178. All modern jet engines are designed to withstand ‘bird strikes’, which could snap off the engine’s fan blades and cause a crash.

What was the first jet plane?

The first two jet planes were experimental fighters built during the Second World War. The German Heinkel He 178 flew in 1939 and the British Gloster E.28/39 in 1941.

Is it true? Jet engines have fans.

Yes. At the front of a jet engine there is an enormous fan which sucks in air. Large airliners have jet engines called turbofans, with fans as tall as a person. The fan compresses the air and forces it into the engine. Fuel burns in the air, creating a rush of hot gases which blast out of the engine. They spin a turbine that works the fan.

What was the first jet airliner?

The first jet airliner to carry passengers was the de Havilland Comet I. It had four jet engines set into the wing roots. The first airline service using the Comet was begun in 1952 by the British Overseas Airways Corporation, between London and Johannesburg.

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American pilot Charles Lindbergh made the first non-stop transatlantic solo flight in 1927. His all-metal Ryan monoplane, called Spirit of St Louis, was built specially for the job. The flight took 33 hours and 30 minutes. Lindbergh tried to stay awake all the time to avoid crashing into the sea.

Amazing! US Navy airman Richard E Byrd was the first man to fly over both the North Pole and the South Pole. He reached the North Pole in May 1926 as navigator in a Fokker F. VIIA and the South Pole in November 1929 as commander of a Ford tri-motor.

Who was first to fly across the Pacific?

In 1928, Australians Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm and their navigators made the first flight from America to Australia in a Fokker tri-motor. They refueled four times on Pacific islands.

Is it true? The first solo aeroplane flight around the world took nearly eight days.

Yes. The first round-the-world solo flight was made between 15 and 22 July, 1933. Total flying time was 7 days, 18 hours and 49 minutes for the 25,099 kilometres. The pilot was an American called Wiley Post, and his aircraft was a Lockheed Vega.

Which woman flew solo from England to Australia?

English pilot Amy Johnson made the first solo England-Australia flight by a woman, in a Gypsy Moth biplane in 1930. She had many near disasters on the way, including almost flying into a mountain side.

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The hydrogen-filled airship Hindenburg exploded in 1937, killing 35 of the 97 people on board. It was one of the two largest airships ever. It was 245 meters long. That’s two and half soccer pitches!

Who flew the first airship?

Frenchman Henri Giffard flew the first airship in 1852. It had a propeller driven by a small steam engine. Giffard travelled 27 kilometres at 8 kph.

Amazing!  In 1802 Frenchman Andre Jacques Garnerin jumped from the basket of his hot-air balloon above London. He floated safely down under a parachute. It was the first successful parachute jump.

Is it true? The first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight was in 1999.

Yes. Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones flew the Breitling Orbiter 3 from Chateaux D’Oex in Switzerland, and crossed the finishing line in Mauritania 19 days, 21 hours and 55 minutes later. Piccard and Jones finally landed in the Egyptian desert.

Are airships used today?

Today small airships fly above major sporting events. They carry television cameras to give viewers a bird’s eye view of the action. They often have huge advertising displays on their sides.

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