Aircraft That Changed the World

We fearlessly (or foolishly) pick 10.

  • By The Editors
  • Air & Space magazine, July 2008
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Mark Dusenberry built and flew this replica of the Wright 1905 aircraft. Mark Dusenberry built and flew this replica of the Wright 1905 aircraft.

Dan Patterson

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This MiG-15, a trainer bought by retired California contractor Tom Smith, has performed at U.S. airshows, demonstrating that jet fighters need not be pointy to impress. Since 1949, the Soviet Union and other nations have cranked out more than 18,000 examples of this internationally popular classic.

See more photos from the story


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World changers. It’s almost easier to explain what we don’t mean by that phrase than to define what we do. We have not compiled a list of trailblazers, like the de Havilland Comet, the world’s first jetliner. Nor is this a list of airplanes that represent the greatest advances of aeronautics, such as the experimental aircraft that led to supersonic flight. Rather, we looked for craft that had an impact beyond the realm of things that fly, that reached into the larger culture and touched even those who aren’t frequent fliers or connected to aviation.

Some of our choices are individual airplanes that happened to play a critical role in a world-changing event; others are aircraft types that were so significant in commerce or in war that we could truly say of them: “These changed history.”

We were inspired by the recent book 50 Aircraft That Changed the World, and we could see immediately that authors Ron Dick and Dan Patterson had followed a wiser course: They had picked 50. We could accommodate only 10. We ended up with a list that includes some of those in the book, plus  a few of our own.

The most heated debate that broke out in the course of making our selection was also the most revealing; it showed how stringent our standards were—and how subjective. It was over The Spirit of St. Louis. Some editors argued that of course we had to include the airplane flown on the first solo, nonstop trip across the Atlantic Ocean—a trip that made its pilot an international celebrity and inspired a generation to fly long distances, or at least dream about it. Months after the 1927 event, when Charles Lindbergh flew the airplane, a purpose-built Ryan, on a tour across the United States to promote aeronautics, an estimated 50 million people—42 percent of the nation—turned out to see it.

But was it the airplane that people found so inspiring, or the pilot? It’s hard to imagine that journey being completed by anyone other than Lindbergh, but not so difficult to think that he could have done it in another type of airplane. In fact, he had considered an alternative, the Wright Bellanca WB 2.

We’re sure there are readers (more than a few in St. Louis and in San Diego, where The Spirit was built) who will disagree with that reasoning, or with other choices we made. In the end, selecting 10 aircraft from so many possibilities simply became a good excuse to do one of our favorite things:  talk about airplanes. We bet you’ll want to join the discussion.

—The Editors

 

 

1. Wright 1905

We knew we wanted to start with a Wright airplane, but which most deserved the title of world changer? Wright biographer Tom Crouch, a National Air and Space Museum curator of early flight, nominated the brothers’ third powered aircraft. “The 1905 was the world’s first practical airplane,” he observes.

“The best of the four flights made by the 1903 aircraft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, was only 852 feet in 59 seconds,” Crouch continues. “With that marginal success in hand, the Wrights decided to transfer flight operations to Huffman Prairie, eight miles east of their hometown, Dayton, Ohio. They built and tested two aircraft there, one during 1904 and another in 1905.

“Over the course of those two seasons, the Wrights fine-tuned their design, stretching the aircraft to improve stability and control, enlarging the control surfaces, and improving the propellers. (The same engine, a virtual replica of the one that powered the 1903 aircraft, powered both the 1904 and 1905 models.) On October 5, 1905, Wilbur Wright flew a distance of 24.5 miles in 59 minutes, 23.8 seconds. The brothers had finally achieved their original dream: developing a practical airplane capable of remaining aloft for a significant time and maneuvering under the full control of the pilot.

World changers. It’s almost easier to explain what we don’t mean by that phrase than to define what we do. We have not compiled a list of trailblazers, like the de Havilland Comet, the world’s first jetliner. Nor is this a list of airplanes that represent the greatest advances of aeronautics, such as the experimental aircraft that led to supersonic flight. Rather, we looked for craft that had an impact beyond the realm of things that fly, that reached into the larger culture and touched even those who aren’t frequent fliers or connected to aviation.

Some of our choices are individual airplanes that happened to play a critical role in a world-changing event; others are aircraft types that were so significant in commerce or in war that we could truly say of them: “These changed history.”

We were inspired by the recent book 50 Aircraft That Changed the World, and we could see immediately that authors Ron Dick and Dan Patterson had followed a wiser course: They had picked 50. We could accommodate only 10. We ended up with a list that includes some of those in the book, plus  a few of our own.

The most heated debate that broke out in the course of making our selection was also the most revealing; it showed how stringent our standards were—and how subjective. It was over The Spirit of St. Louis. Some editors argued that of course we had to include the airplane flown on the first solo, nonstop trip across the Atlantic Ocean—a trip that made its pilot an international celebrity and inspired a generation to fly long distances, or at least dream about it. Months after the 1927 event, when Charles Lindbergh flew the airplane, a purpose-built Ryan, on a tour across the United States to promote aeronautics, an estimated 50 million people—42 percent of the nation—turned out to see it.

But was it the airplane that people found so inspiring, or the pilot? It’s hard to imagine that journey being completed by anyone other than Lindbergh, but not so difficult to think that he could have done it in another type of airplane. In fact, he had considered an alternative, the Wright Bellanca WB 2.

We’re sure there are readers (more than a few in St. Louis and in San Diego, where The Spirit was built) who will disagree with that reasoning, or with other choices we made. In the end, selecting 10 aircraft from so many possibilities simply became a good excuse to do one of our favorite things:  talk about airplanes. We bet you’ll want to join the discussion.

—The Editors

 

 

1. Wright 1905

We knew we wanted to start with a Wright airplane, but which most deserved the title of world changer? Wright biographer Tom Crouch, a National Air and Space Museum curator of early flight, nominated the brothers’ third powered aircraft. “The 1905 was the world’s first practical airplane,” he observes.

“The best of the four flights made by the 1903 aircraft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, was only 852 feet in 59 seconds,” Crouch continues. “With that marginal success in hand, the Wrights decided to transfer flight operations to Huffman Prairie, eight miles east of their hometown, Dayton, Ohio. They built and tested two aircraft there, one during 1904 and another in 1905.

“Over the course of those two seasons, the Wrights fine-tuned their design, stretching the aircraft to improve stability and control, enlarging the control surfaces, and improving the propellers. (The same engine, a virtual replica of the one that powered the 1903 aircraft, powered both the 1904 and 1905 models.) On October 5, 1905, Wilbur Wright flew a distance of 24.5 miles in 59 minutes, 23.8 seconds. The brothers had finally achieved their original dream: developing a practical airplane capable of remaining aloft for a significant time and maneuvering under the full control of the pilot.

“The Wrights then faced the task of selling their invention. By the spring of 1908 they had been granted a patent and had signed contracts to sell airplanes to both the U.S. Army and a French syndicate.

“The brothers had not left the ground since the October 5, 1905 flight, however. In addition to brushing up on their flying skills, they had to make their first flights with a passenger, something required by both contracts, and operate a new set of controls necessitated by upright seating, another stipulation of the contracts.

“They pulled the 1905 machine out of storage and modified it with two upright seats and the new control system. They shipped it back to the Kill Devil Hills of North Carolina because they wanted to undertake the test flights in an area with steady winds, soft sand, and isolation from prying eyes. On May 14, 1908, first Wilbur and then Orville took their mechanic, Charles Furnas, up for a ride. These were the first airplane passenger flights in history.”

Crouch’s Museum colleague, early-flight curator and Wright scholar Peter Jakab, concurs with this choice of aircraft: “Even the Wrights did not see the 1903 airplane as the conclusion of their experimental work,” he says. “They had identified the final goal as a ‘machine of practical utility.’ They understood that the 1903 airplane, although embodying all the key technology, was not quite that. When they could stay aloft for an extended period, under the sure command of the pilot, and consistently land safely, they knew they had that ‘machine of practical utility.’ The 1905 machine was that airplane.

“When the Wrights were regularly flying over Huffman Prairie in the fall of 1905,” says Jakab, “that’s when the world truly changed.”

2. Junkers F13

“The F13 was essentially the first aircraft to anticipate the onset of ‘modern’ air transport: cantilever [no wing struts], all metal, low wing, monoplane, streamlined (by the standards of the day),” says aviation historian Dick Hallion, this year’s A. Verville Fellow at the National Air and Space Museum. The metal construction, adds NASM air transport curator Ron Davies, “made it sturdier and less vulnerable to damage than the wood-and-fabric biplanes of its competitors. The metal was especially critical in resisting heat and humidity in tropical countries.”

The F13 first flew in 1919 (as the J13), and by the end of the year was in commercial service in Germany. “It established [founder Hugo] Junkers in a position of global air transport dominance that his firm would not relinquish until the mid-1930s, to Donald Douglas,” says Hallion. The F13 was used in the first airline service in the Americas (Colombia’s SCADTA).

Says Davies, “Unlike postwar transport airplanes that were modified from military types, the F13 was designed to carry passengers in an enclosed cabin. The four cushioned seats had seat belts, and the cabin was lighted and had picture windows.” Now that’s air travel.

After World War I, Germany was prohibited from operating the aircraft, but it sold them or licensed manufacture to 30 countries, including Hungary, Iceland, the Soviet Union, and Japan. In those years, the F13 established air routes in both Europe and the Americas. The last retired in 1948.

3. Boeing 314

In the hands of Pan American Airways, Boeing’s majestic flying boat, the 314, established mail and passenger routes across the north Atlantic, south Atlantic, and Pacific. In Pan Am, An Airline and Its Aircraft, NASM’s Ron Davies writes: “The B 314 flying boat put up all kinds of records, but none could compare with the establishment of the North Atlantic service in 1939 in the epoch-making series of inaugural flights which were, perhaps, Pan American’s greatest contribution to air transport in all its distinguished history.”

On the 314’s Pacific route (San Francisco-Honolulu-Midway Island-Wake Island-Guam-Manila), service was opulent—even the flight deck was described as luxurious—with a lounge, dining area, sleeping berths, and dressing rooms, as well as chefs and china from four-star hotels. Advertisements for the Clippers (named for their nautical forebears) promised an experience that was not just safe but sumptuous, exciting the public about flight.

The 314s were the stars of Pan Am’s fleet for only three years; World War II shut down commercial operations. Still, it was not until the 1960s, with the debut of wide-body airliners such as the Boeing 747, that the B-314s were dethroned as the world’s largest scheduled-use commercial aircraft.

 

4. The Enola Gay

It was the first use of an atomic bomb: On August 6, 1945, the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay bombed the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing 70,000 and hastening the end of World War II. (When another Superfortress, Bock’s Car, dropped a second atomic bomb three days later on Nagasaki, Japan surrendered.) The two missions averted a planned U.S. invasion in which casualties were projected to run into the millions.

The image of those mushroom clouds was unforgettable. For the next 50 years, the nightmare scenario of another attack of such magnitude kept the two nuclear superpowers locked in a tense and costly cold war.

The B-29 was the world’s first nuclear-capable aircraft. It also was the first with a pressurized compartment for the flight crew and the first U.S. bomber with an integrated radar to supplement its Norden bombsight. With a maximum takeoff weight of 140,000 pounds, the four-engine, 11-crewman B-29 could carry up to 20,000 pounds of bombs. It was flown from 1943 to 1954, although the Air Force continued flying variants as tankers until 1978.

Late in World War II, three  B-29s made emergency landings (a fourth crash-landed) in Vladivostok, Siberia, after bombing runs over Japan. The Soviets kept them, studied them, and copied them, producing the Tu-4 bomber. Until about 1955, the Tu-4 was the main bomber of the Soviet Union—America’s cold war enemy.

5. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15

Still a hot-looking airplane 59 years after it entered service, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 made its mark during the Korean War as the Soviet Union’s first jet-powered day interceptor with a pressurized cabin and an ejection seat.

The MiG-15’s mission was to pick off U.S. B-29 bombers, which led to storied dogfights between the MiGs and the B-29s’ fighter escorts, North American F-86s. Though an improved version of the MiG-15 could climb higher and faster than the F-86, U.S. Air Force pilots generally made up the difference with better aerial combat training. Still, the 670-mph MiG-15 put the world on notice that the Soviets could build cutting-edge aeronautical technology.

“The MiG-15 gave the Soviet air arm legitimacy and lethal potential in the early years of the cold war,” says Von Hardesty, NASM’s curator of Russian aviation history. “The MiG-15 also possessed a certain aesthetic quality: sleek, fast—the very embodiment of what a jet fighter should be.”

Its performance must have reinforced that impression. More MiG-15s —12,000—have been made than any other jet aircraft in history. (Counting licensed versions made in other countries, the number reaches 18,000.) The type has been sold to 43 countries—from Sri Lanka to Cuba to Uganda.

6. Sikorsky S-55

While the helicopter — with its enviable ability to hover, dart in all directions, and land virtually anywhere—had achieved a measure of success in the 1930s and 1940s, it wasn’t until the Sikorsky S-55 made its debut with the U.S. Navy in Korea in 1950 that rotary-wing history was utterly transformed. “For my money,” says Roger Connor, NASM’s vertical flight curator, “though other models pioneered various military and civil applications, the S-55 was the one that saw a real return on the investment put into helicopter development.”

The dazzling success of the S-55—both nationally and internationally—was based on the aircraft’s ability to fill multiple roles:  troop and cargo transport, air assault, and casualty evacuation. That versatility resulted in unprecedented demand—1,700-plus were built, more than any previous helicopter type.

The design was brilliant: Sikorsky Aircraft completely reconfigured its earlier layouts to create the first helicopter with a cabin capable of carrying 10 passengers or seven stretchers, and moved the engine to the nose, enabling easier maintenance and solving the center-of-gravity problems previous single-rotor models had experienced. By the end of the Korean War, Sikorsky’s machine had rescued downed pilots, saved the lives of 10,000 wounded soldiers, and delivered escaped prisoners from behind enemy lines.

In addition, the S-55 served as the core of counter-insurgency efforts by the British in Malaya and the French in Indochina, pushing both nations to establish their own aggressive helicopter programs. In American and foreign civil service, the S-55 pioneered helicopter airline transport.

Says Connor, “The accomplishments of the S-55 shifted public opinion—as well as the opinion of military and aviation insiders—from seeing the helicopter as an amusing but not terribly practical curiosity to a necessary tool of the modern age.”

7. Cessna 172

Cessna’s four-seat, high-wing classic is the fresh-faced girl next door: no knockout but a great personality. In 2006, on the occasion of the 172’s 50th birthday, Air & Space/Smithsonian researcher Roger A. Mola wrote, “There’s hardly a pilot flying today who hasn’t logged at least a few hours in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk.” It’s the most successful mass-produced light aircraft ever, with some 36,000 built and still counting, recalling those McDonald’s signs boasting “Billions and Billions Served.”

One flight made the ubiquitous little airplane a world changer. In 1987, Mathias Rust, a young West German, rented a 172 from his flying club and flew it to the Soviet Union, setting down in Red Square in the heart of Moscow, a gesture he called building an “imaginary bridge” (“The Notorious Flight of Mathias Rust,” June/July 2005). Rust reasoned that if he could get through the Iron Curtain without being intercepted, “it would show that [Soviet leader Mikhail] Gorbachev was serious about new relations with the West.” Author Tom LeCompte noted that “Rust’s flight damaged the reputation of the vast Soviet military and enabled Gorbachev to remove the staunchest opponents to his reforms.” Soviet citizens had been told that if they let their military guard down for an instant, the West would annihilate them. “Rust’s flight,” observed LeCompte, “proved otherwise.”

Last year, Cessna announced it will build a 172 Skyhawk TD, for “Turbo Diesel,” that will burn Jet A fuel.

8. Learjet 23

"There were 'bizjets' that preceded the Learjet," says Air & Space founding editor George C. Larson, "but Bill Lear's idea for a smaller and simpler—but fast—aircraft really popularized the idea that businessmen ought to travel based on their own schedules."

The idea of jets dedicated to business travel first  found incarnation in the early 1960s, with the introduction of the Lockheed JetStar and North American Sabreliner. Both were spinoffs of military jets. The Learjet likewise evolved from a fighter: the Swiss P16, which never made it into production.

Says Larson, now a senior editor at Business & Commercial Aviation: “The first Learjet was called the model 23 because it was certificated under Federal Aviation Regulations Part 23, for airplanes less than 12,500 pounds, and that made it easier to get through the Federal Aviation Agency’s approval process. Part 25, for heavier aircraft, was way harder. What was wonderful about the Part 23 thing is that the airplane was certificated with a max gross weight of 12,499 pounds. Oh, that Bill Lear.”

The Learjet 23 carried a crew of two and up to seven passengers. It had a range of 1,800 miles and cruised at 485 mph.

Larson notes that the jet succeeded in part because “the company sold the airplanes very effectively, offering to ‘recourse,’ or buy back, an airplane if things weren’t working out for the company that bought it.  That brought a lot of individual entrepreneurs and people like [celebrity lawyer] F. Lee Bailey on board.”

The first production 23 was delivered in October 1964. Cost:  $550,000. Says transportation writer John W. Smith: “A whole new class of aircraft had been created: the personal jet.”

9. Boeing 747

So magnificent a technological achievement was the Boeing 747 airliner that cultural historians have called it the 20th century’s cathedral. Nearly 40 years after its first flight, it remains, along with the photograph of Buzz Aldrin standing on the moon, the most recognizable symbol of U.S. engineering brilliance. When it was introduced, airports the world over reinforced runways and made other infrastructure changes to receive it.

Still, it is not grandeur or technology or even impact on infrastructure that qualifies it for a place on this list. It was, after all, an evolutionary design. Its creators—Boeing president Bill Allen and Pan American Airways legend Juan Trippe—believed it was merely an interim answer to the demand that airlines would eventually meet with a revolutionary supersonic transport. The SST, they predicted, would relegate the 747 to hauling cargo.

But as wise as those two  were, they could not see the future. And what qualifies the Boeing 747 as a world changer is that since it entered service in 1970, 96 carriers around the world have used the wide-bodies to fly 3.5 billion people to their destinations. Consider the impact of all of those trips: the business deals made or altered, the information exchanged, the exposures to other cultures, the families and friends reunited.

10. General Atomics MQ-1 Predator

In November 2002, a vehicle traveling in Yemen and believed to be carrying terrorists was destroyed by a Hellfire missile. What makes the kill historic is that it was executed by a flying robot. The first unmanned aerial vehicle to kill human beings, the MQ-1 Predator has changed the rules of warfare.

Built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the Predator has been operational in Bosnia since 1995 and now is flying missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Air Force deployed the latest version, the MQ-9 Reaper, to Afghanistan last October.

The Predator, which has an operational ceiling of 50,000 feet, is flown remotely by a “pilot” and two sensor operators housed in a trailer on the ground. The UAV has a nose camera, variable-aperture TV and infrared cameras, and a synthetic aperture radar to see through smoke, clouds, or haze. The RQ (R for “reconnaissance,” Q for “un-manned”) model flies long-endurance, medium-altitude surveillance missions, while the MQ (“multi-role”) version can carry up to four Hellfire II anti-armor missiles, two laser-guided bombs, and a 500-pound, GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition precision bomb.

Today, the United States and other countries are increasing their use of UAVs for civilian missions, such as law enforcement, border control, and ocean surveillance. Even Hollywood has discovered their potential, putting them to work as movie camera platforms. Here’s an aircraft that has changed not just the real world but the world of fantasy as well.


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Comments (42)

How could anyone compile a list like this, and not include the aircraft that:
revolutionised passenger air travel (made it profitable, long range and safe),
was licensed and copied all over the world
made one of the greatest contributions to the second world war of any piece of equipment,
was the backbone of post WW2 air travel and freight haul, and
was even operational in the Vietnam war?
The DC3/C47 surely should be top of the list

Posted by Jim Trewin on May 11,2008 | 11:03 PM

A previous commenter speaks about the DC3, which I support. They are still used in some parts of the world. I think that the Ford Tri Motor which launched passenger service in the 1920's and the Pan-Am Clippers that established some of the first world-wide service should also have been considered.

Posted by Rick Eckhart on May 14,2008 | 12:54 PM

I applaud the A&S editors for having the guts (or lunacy?) to pick a "Top Ten" out of so many worthy aircraft. The process is as thankless as attempting to single out a favorite child from a large family. Some will bristle and defend while others cheer. The comments posted around this article may prove more interesting than the article itself! I can't wait to read on...

Posted by Karen Escalona on May 17,2008 | 01:25 PM

Regarding the Boeing 747 in the ten aircraft that changed the world, the statement that "96 carriers around the world have used the wide bodies to fly 3.5 million people to their destinations." The figure 3.5 million seems a bit low, perhaps by a factor of several thousand. This is an inaccurate bit of information to find in a publication that specializes in aviation. In more of a nit than a challenge of statistics, the nice little story on restoring the Arrow Sport, Mr. Rhode is noted as having accumulated 35,000 hours with National and Pan American airlines. Technically correct but I would think that to maintain accuracy, the editor would have given each airline its proper corporate name which was National Airlines and Pan American World Airways.

Posted by Walt Coleman on May 19,2008 | 08:26 PM

There are several planes missing from this list, most notably Rutan's plane which rocketed into space.

Posted by Luke Buhrman on May 29,2008 | 01:51 PM

I agree with the previous posters, the DC-3/C-47 should DEFINITELY be included, as I believe it was the MOST influential aircraft ever built.

One could also include the DeHavilland Comet for ushering in the age of jet airliners. Even more than that, the Comet's failure changed the way we design aircraft, with respect to metal fatigue. The Comet experience is reflected in every single aircraft designed since.

Another could be the Piper J-3 Cub, for revolutionizing general aviation. Just like today there are few pilots who have never flown a Cessna 172 or 150, for years there were very few pilots who had never flown a Cub.

Posted by Alex Rudy on May 29,2008 | 06:30 PM

Okay - what astonishes me is that there are no pictures of the airplanes on this story!!

I know, I know, all I have to do is google the airplane name for a picture - but here you've got this cool site - and there are all those ads there all over the place, so don't tell me it's a band-width issue or something.

Posted by David M Bowman on June 7,2008 | 12:54 AM

After I read this story I knew I had to post a comment. When I opened the article on line I found that first two comments had already voiced shock that the DC-3/C47 was omitted. This plane first flew for American Airlines in the mid 1930's and a few are still WORKING today; not just flying as restored antiques, but working. This plane truly led the transition into the modern era of flight.

While any top 10 list will bring questions about items left off, I wondered if omission of the DC-3 and Piper Cub, a plane that was the leader of post WWII private aviation, was an effort to spark a reaction from your readers. All 10 of your planes have made significant contributions to aviation and world history, but I would only rank the Wright brothers invention above the DC-3 and Piper Cub.

Posted by Richard Beltle on June 8,2008 | 09:01 PM

I would have to include the Canadian Avro Arrow as a quantum leap in fighter technology. Unfortunately scuttled by politics. Many of the engineers ended up in California working on advanced US fighters.

Posted by Malcolm Barnes on June 11,2008 | 05:43 PM

Let me be the millionth person to notice the omission of the DC-3/C-47, which may be the single most significant aircraft of all time. I just flew out of Long Beach (LGB) & viewed 2 separate (and beautiful) examples on the tarmac. Other candidates: The 707 & the Vickers Viscount seemed to have had greater impact than the Boeing 747 or 314. The B-47 set the layout for many aircraft to come. The Me 262, while suffering many problems, was possibly the greatest leap forward in operational combat aircraft technology in wartime. The Mirage III/5 series, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, and the English Electric Canberra (and B-57 version) were simply the world’s best combat aircraft for many years. The B-52 may serve as a front-line combat aircraft longer than any other flying machine, unless the Russians keep flying the Tupolev Tu-95. The C-130 will probably be carrying stuff long after the last B-52 and Tu-95 are grounded.

Posted by Doug Peterson on June 11,2008 | 11:34 PM

Hello,

I dare to say the B-747 is not so significant. Rather choose the B-737, if you look at the future, the B-787 is closer to the 737 or the 767, rather then the Jumbo Jet. Four engines bad, two engines good is the eternal mantra, because airlines operate on maintenance related savings, rather than majesticity.

On the other hand I think it should be the Tu-95, rather then the MiG-15 for the soviet mention. That giant commie bomber with its german designed windmill engines really made the USA scared and led to a huge missile and B-52 build-up. The MiG-15 was a short range fighter, which never threatened the CONUS.

I agree on the Junkers F-13 choice, congrats. Here is Budapest we have one in the museum, the best condition original in the world, never used since 1921 (the occasion of a failed monarchist coup d' etat). The DC-3 was wrongly omitted, that's a shame.

To choose a UAV is silly. We still don't know if that is the future. May very well be just hacker-fodder. I would never trust anything that can be remotely accessed and reprogrammed. It is just a stupid computer with wings, which has no sense of loyalty or patriotism, unlike that redneck from Texas. A computer will serve the chinese or the russians gladly if given the right buffer overflow.

Thanks for your attention, regards: Tamas Feher from Hungary.

Posted by Tamas Feher from Hungary on June 12,2008 | 10:09 AM

Pictures please. Re do the article. Show pictures of all aircraft and put the DC/3 as #2.

If you want make it the "Top 11" or call it:
The Top 10 + 1.

Posted by Bob Katz on June 12,2008 | 12:07 PM

How can you possibly miss:

Commercial aircraft:

Douglas DC-3
Boeing 707
de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver

All three are still flying after more than 50 years in commercial service.

Military aircraft:

Hawker Hurricane
AVRO Lancaster

These two carried the load during early part of WWII. Besides, you can't mistake the sound of the 4 Merlins in the Mynarski Lancaster flying over Toronto.

Posted by David Slater on June 12,2008 | 12:39 PM

Sorry folks! There is a huge mistake in this list. The first airplane was the 14-Bis (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14_Bis), not this Wright Bros lie.

Posted by Roberto on June 12,2008 | 02:19 PM

I would argue that the Predator isn't really an airplane; it's a remote-controlled two-stage missile.

And I second the inclusion of the Me-262 - twin jet engines and 4x 30mm cannons in 1941! - and the Avro Arrow and it's amazing Iroquois engines - accelerating straight up, fly-by-wire controls and potential to hit Mach 3 - all in 1957! And at the risk of sounding redundant and repetitive, the DC-3 - an example of which I recently had the slightly scary pleasure of taking to Chichen Itza.

I think the biggest mistake in your list, though, was your attempt to limit a technology that has seen such staggering advances in the last 100 years to just 10 examples :-) Still, kudos for trying!

Posted by Dale P on June 29,2008 | 10:17 PM

Historically, the Spitfire Mk I won the battle of Britain. This Victory allowed for D-Day. Which airplane did more to change the world we live in?

Also, the Hindenburg changed the flying machines world, its disaster dooming airships in favor of winged aircraft.

Posted by Dentarthurdent on July 3,2008 | 05:36 AM

Dentarthurdent, If you were to include the Spitfire because of it's work in the Battle of Britain, then it follows that you would also have to include the aircraft that did most of the work that the Spitfire took all the glory for; the Hurricane. Anyway, you would be more interested in space travel wouldn't you? (or do you restrict your hitchiking to Earth now?)

Posted by Jim Trewin on July 7,2008 | 01:22 AM

No SR71 Blackbird? Or U2? hmmmm...

Posted by jim on July 9,2008 | 11:56 AM

It is obviously a thankless task to pick a top ten but even so the DC3/C47 is a glaring ommission. Transporting airborne troops and urgently needed supplies to D-Day troops, flying over the Himalayas to supply troops in the Asian theatre, the Berlin Airlift to save a whole city, and a stalwart of civil airilnes until recently. It might be American but it is a giant in the history of aviation!

And then I might be an insular Brit, but I cannot but say that you have to chose either the Hawker Hurricane, the Supermarine Spitfire or the P-51 Mustang. My choice- the Hurricane; it bore the brunt of the Battle of Britain and if we had been defeated then today's western world would be different.Emotionally the Spitfire becuae it is gorgeous to behold and the Mustang protected day-time bombers. But without the Hurricane thetre would not have been the airfields to take-off from.

But top ten is a real challenge; make it a top 25 to make it easier

Posted by Mike Daly on July 11,2008 | 04:24 PM

You have to include the U2. It may have been the plane that help avert WWIII.

Posted by Dave T on July 16,2008 | 02:35 PM

there have been only two airplanes built, concorde and all of the rest. (concorde captain and piper cub owner)

Posted by manton fain on July 19,2008 | 06:48 PM

In response to Don P and his June 29th posting... the Predator is NOT a missile (curious where you got your information, it isn't correct) and I think deservedly belongs on this list of incredible aircraft due to the overwhelming impact it has had on warfare as we know it and will know for years to come.

The omission of the DC3 from this list is noteworthy as its storied history was remarkable in every way

The 747 has had, and continues to do so, an impact on passenger travel on a global scale, although, there were other aircraft that have lasted longer and I can see the arguement for this aircraft not being on the list.

I'm sure a tremendous amount of thought went in to this list and I sincerely appreciate the efforts of all those involved. (Even if you left the mighty F-14 Tomcat off the list!) :)

Thanks for the hard work in putting this together!!!

Posted by Ken on August 22,2008 | 05:25 PM

When I saw the title of this post, the first plane that came to mind was the DC3. I agree with previous posters that you could not compile this list correctly without it. I also think the U2 belongs on this list.

But the worst sin committed here was not having photos of each and every plane on the list.

Posted by Conibear Trapp on September 24,2008 | 11:11 AM

Must add comments about the C-47 Skytrain (DC-3 military version) to further endorse the universal appreciation of this over-looked but long-lived, durable and fun-to fly workhorse -- still around and still 100% reliable. The "gooney bird" is tough, dependable and can handle rough weather, overloads and short fields. Comparable, and as resilient and even more rugged, was the larger C-46 Curtiss Commando, the "super goon". She's still hauling goods, too. Both rightfully earned reputations as bush pilot and military jock favorites, whether crossing the "hump" (Burma-China theater), carrying troops, cargo and mail in Europe (WW II), handling troop carrier/combat cargo workloads in Korea, or doing vital AC-47 work in SVN. I'm compelled to mention and compare these two "survivors" as I have many fond, although a few rather tense, memories of piloting these venerable flying machines to where we had to go.

Posted by Bob Throckmorton on September 25,2008 | 11:59 PM

Before seeing you chose a Predator -which obviously I dissagree- I was thinking on "Concorde", but in fact, Concorde changed nothing finally. I would say that the "Enola Gay" B29 should not be in the list; B29s had been flying for years before, while later DC3 were for long time cheap workhorses for military and civilian use. Congratulations, you did a good job, though it is impossibel to make happy all your readers, it was a very good try. maybe in the future...

Posted by Alfredo A. Gonzales on October 1,2008 | 09:53 PM

Must add comments about the C-47 Skytrain (DC-3 military version) to further endorse the universal appreciation of this over-looked but long-lived, durable and fun-to fly workhorse -- still around and still 100% reliable. The "gooney bird" is tough, dependable and can handle rough weather, overloads and short fields. Comparable, and as resilient and even more rugged, was the larger C-46 Curtiss Commando, the "super goon". She's still hauling goods, too. Both rightfully earned reputations as bush pilot and military jock favorites, whether crossing the "hump" (Burma-China theater), carrying troops, cargo and mail in Europe (WW II), handling troop carrier/combat cargo workloads in Korea, or doing vital AC-47 work in SVN. I'm compelled to mention and compare these two "survivors" as I have many fond, although a few rather tense, memories of piloting these venerable flying machines to where we had to go.

Posted by Bob Throckmorton on September 25,2008 | 08:59PM

Before seeing you chose a Predator -which obviously I dissagree- I was thinking on "Concorde", but in fact, Concorde changed nothing finally. I would say that the "Enola Gay" B29 should not be in the list; B29s had been flying for years before, while later DC3 were for long time cheap workhorses for military and civilian use. Congratulations, you did a good job, though it is impossibel to make happy all your readers, it was a very good try. maybe in the future...

Posted by kaitlyn on November 6,2008 | 04:05 PM

Where is Santos Dumont in this book?

Posted by Martin Afonso Farias on September 21,2009 | 06:57 AM

Need the F-22 Raptor in there somewhere. EDITORS' REPLY: Interesting. Can you make the case that the Raptor has already been world-changing?

Posted by alec on December 23,2009 | 12:21 PM

To Roberto:
The Wikipedia page you posted states that 14-Bis was the first to fly in Europe, not the first to fly in the world. 14-Bis flew on 23 October 1906. The Wright Flyer took off almost three years earlier, on December 17, 1903.

Posted by Jacob L on January 28,2010 | 04:15 PM

i just need to know the name of the guy/woman who wrote this article? EDITORS' REPLY: The editors of the magazine wrote it, a mix of guys and women.

Posted by Joel on May 19,2010 | 10:51 PM

How has space travel affected the world and its people?
from melissa :) EDITORS' REPLY: Good question, Melissa. There is no short answer. We suggest you go to this site and explore: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html

Posted by melissa davies on June 14,2010 | 09:58 AM

My picks:
Fokker D7: specifically mentioned in the surrender treaty of WW1, the welded tubular steel structure was common through to WW2)
DC2/3 (of course!)
DH Mosquito: pioneering composite construction methods/adhesives, reliance on speed and stealth instead of defensive guns (so normal today, that probably few would realize how revolutionary this was)
Lockheed Constellation: in 1944 Flight magazine archive, there is a photo of a very impressive looking Connie that had flown to Britain , in the same issue is an article about recriminations in parliment over the USAs huge advantage in airliner design.
B29: heavy gauge stamped skin, first true production line aircraft, pioneered modern airliner construction methods.
Douglas Skyhawk: Ed Heinman masterpiece of weight reduction, perhaps the most influential military aircraft of the latter 20th century)

Posted by Ian on December 17,2010 | 03:55 AM

I flew (1950's) with the muscles moving the control surfacs. I've been asked when the power-assisted controls were introduced. I remember ww2 bombers with auto-pilot sytems relieving the pilots. please advise.

Posted by paul hill on January 6,2011 | 05:10 PM

I belive a little plane called the Bell X-1 had a little impact.

Posted by Michael Cherkinian on March 19,2011 | 01:44 PM

RE: Need the F-22 Raptor in there somewhere.



EDITORS' REPLY: Interesting. Can you make the case that the Raptor has already been world-changing?




I get what the terse comment was going for and here's my take:




The amazing costs involved with the F-22 have moved the USA (and everyone else) towards UAV's. Without the wake up call from the F-22 budget battles and relatively narrow mission profiles, we'd still be focused on human carrying vehicles. The search for something cheaper and more flexible has led us down the UAV path and now, with armed UAV jet versions on the drawing board, the F-22 may be the last of its kind. When you're so expensive you force a technological change across the world's air forces, including your own, isn't that a world-changing plane?

Posted by Ducksoup on May 6,2011 | 06:45 PM

And the Concorde is where?

Posted by conor madden on May 7,2011 | 02:23 PM

AWESOME for school because we are doing a time line.

Posted by hotgirl123 on August 23,2011 | 04:08 AM

I luv aircraft. I am gonna be an engineer!

Posted by Roslun on September 13,2011 | 08:32 PM

What about the R-7 missile? Although not technically an "aircraft", it certainly had enormous impact on how military aviation developed from 1957 onward.
B-29 is not a groundbreaking concept at all: it is a logical continuation of the already existing concept of strategic bomber.
MiG-15 is not worthy of the list, either. It is not the first Russian jet fighter, it is not head and shoulders above competition, and its engine is a copy of Rolls-Royce Nene.

Posted by Tim on September 15,2011 | 03:30 PM

No less than honorable mention should be given to the aircraft that identified a whole generation. An aircraft that has been in continuous production for over 50 years. The aircraft that made the transition of rotary wing aviation from flying oddity to worldwide usage. THE helicopter of the "helicopter war", the UH-1 "Huey". Millions and millions of people, around the world, many of which can't tell a Cessna, from a Piper, from a Boeing, can look at that aircraft and say "it's a Huey". And a lot of those people don't even have to see it. They know what it is just by hearing it's familiar "wop wop wop". I don't know of any other aircraft that has that distinction.

Posted by John LaDue on January 14,2012 | 09:03 AM

I have a request (inquiry) that I would like to post regarding a U.S. Navy C-47 aircraft, BUNR 17254, that went missing in Chile (South America) on August 4, 1969. This aircraft has NEVER been located and virtually forgotten in terms of any historical record.



At the time I was a young dependent child of a U.S. Air Force service member stationed in Chile and we knew some of the passengers.



U.S. Military investigative documentation on the disappearance of the U.S. Navy C-47 is available at the following webpage for the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, JAG Manual Investigations:




http://www.jag.navy.mil/library/jagman_investigations.htm




At this webpage you can access the rather lengthy investigative documentation by clicking on “Download” for the following description:




1969 04 AUG MISSING AIRCRAFT BUNO 17254 Download




According to the report, the U.S. Navy aircraft was on a scheduled maintenance flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina and on board were 16 passengers (U.S. Navy/Air Forcs personnel along with several spouses).



Radio contact with the U.S. Navy aircraft was lost after the aircraft was approximately 27 miles south of the capital city of Santiago somewhere between Rancagua, Chile and Angostura, Chile.



The lost radio contact happened at least 15 minutes before the aircraft was even scheduled to reach the southern beacon point at Curico, Chile.



A search was conducted at the time by Chilean military and civilian personnel along with some American military aircraft. It ended on August 14, 1969. This tragedy was overshadowed due in part to the fact that on July 24, 1969 the Apollo 11 Astronauts had just returned from the first successful moon landing.



New technology would be very helpful in locating any wreckage. This incident needs to be brought to the attention of our government, the Chilean government and anyone else that might have expertise in finding and recovering lost and missing aircraft.

Posted by Brad Burris on March 21,2012 | 03:04 PM

the omission of the DC3 renders this list absurd.

Posted by AB Buttacavoli on December 6,2012 | 08:38 AM

Using of 13x6.5 Carbon Fiber Propeller Set is also a great way to increase your engine capacity of a UAV. See


http://www.aerobot.com.au

Posted by Unmanned aerial vehicles on January 4,2013 | 04:21 AM

the first air plane went about 120 feet and lasted 12 sec. in the air

Posted by sam on February 4,2013 | 07:19 PM

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