Aviation history refers to the history of development of mechanical flight from the earliest attempts in kites and gliders to powered heavierthan-air , supersonic and space-flights . The first form of man-made flying objects were kites . The earliest known record of kite flying is from around 200 B . C . in China , when a general flew a kite over enemy territory to calculate the length of tunnel required to enter the region . Chinese emperors also tied prisoners to paper kites , most of whom fell to their death . Centuries later , the first glider flight was demonstrated by Abbas Ibn Firnas in Córdoba , Spain in 875 A . D . Leonardo da Vinci ’ s dream of flight found expression in several designs , but he did not attempt to demonstrate flight by literally constructing them . Earliest record of the use of buoyancy to achieve un-manned flight is as old as the 3rd century , when Zhuge Liang used hot air balloons for military signaling and to scare away enemy troops . With the efforts to analyze the atmosphere in the 17th and 18th century , gases such as
hydrogen were discovered which in turn led to the invention of hydrogen balloons . Various theories in mechanics by physicists during the same period of time notably fluid dynamics and Newton ’ s laws of motion led to the foundation of modern aerodynamics . Tethered balloons filled with hot air were used in the first half of the 19th century and saw considerable action in several mid-century wars , most notably the American Civil War , where balloons provided observation during the battle of Petersburg . Experiments with gliders laid the groundwork to build heavier-than-air crafts , and by the early 20th century , advancements in engine technology and aerodynamics made con-trolled , powered flight possible for the first time .
12 | FlyUAA | www . FlyUAA . org | November Issue