HISTORY OF FLYING

People have always wanted to fly like birds in the sky. History is full of stories of gods, humans and even horses that could fly. In 1250, Roger Bacon, an English scientist, drew a vehicle that would flap its wings to fly. In 1490, Leonardo da Vinci drew sketches of various types of flying machines. On 17 December 1903, in North Carolina in the United States, Orville and Wilbur Wright had the first successful flight. By 1931, pilots were able to fly around the world with several stops. Amelia Earhart, the best-known female pilot of the time, flew alone across the Atlantic in 1932. There are planes that can land on or take off on water or land. Seaplanes stay on the water by small, airtight floats. If a seaplane has a body on the water, it is called a flying boat.