Aviation Pioneer Tapestries

"Chuck" Yeager. Portrait of Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager (1923-2020), the American who was the first to fly faster than the speed of sound. On 14 October 1947 Yeager flew a Bell X-1 aircraft at a speed of 1078 kilometres per hour at an altitude of 12,800 metres - equivalent to 1.015 times the speed of sound. Yeager had begun his career as a fighter pilot during World War II, destroying 13 enemy aircraft. He spent several years flying experimental aircraft, including the X-1. He then commanded fighter and test pilot units in Europe and America, eventually rising to the rank of Brigadier-General. Photograph of Yeager in a NF- 104 Starfighter aircraft in 1962.

Howard Hughes (1905-1976), American aviation pioneer. Hughes was 16 when his mother died. When his father died unexpectedly two years later, Hughes inherited the family estate and dropped out of university. In 1932, Hughes formed the Hughes Aircraft Company to indulge his passion for aircraft. Two years later, Hughes built and test- piloted the world's most advanced plane, the H-1, in which he set a new speed record of 352 miles per hour. Hughes went on to set two more transcontinental records. Hughes died in 1976, having lived as a recluse for the last 20 years of his life.

Alfred V. Verville is an aviation pioneer who was commemorated with this stamp in the 1980s.

The Wright Brothers, Orville (1871-1948), left, and Wilbur (1867-1912), right, American aviation pioneers. The brothers were interested in flight and were inspired by the German glider, Otto Lilienthal. They began their own experiments, using basic wind tunnels to study aerofoil shapes and designed 'wing warping' as a means of control, emulating the way birds control their flight. They even designed and built their own light-weight engine. On 17 December 1903 at 10.23am, their powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer, made its first flight with Orville at the controls. The era of aviation was born.

Wright Flyer. Orville Wright crash landing the Wright Flyer at Kill Devil Hill, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA, in 1911. Following the first ever powered flight in the Wright Flyer I at Kitty Hawk in 1903, the brothers continued to develop their aircraft design. This resulted in aircraft that were able to travel further and at greater altitudes.

Wright brothers' glider. Wilbur Wright piloting a test glider in 1902 at Kill Devil Hill, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA. These test flights along with wind tunnel experiments allowed Wilbur and Orville Wright to construct the first ever powered flight aircraft, which they flew at Kitty Hawk on 17th December 1903.

Two famous brothers who forsook all others to invent the miracle of flight!

Lindbergh with his airplane. US aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) on tour in 1928 with the airplane, Spirit of St Louis, in which he made the first solo transatlantic flight. This flight, also the first non-stop transatlantic flight in an airplane, took place in May 1927. Lindbergh took off near New York, USA, and flew for over 33 hours to reach Paris, France, over 5700 kilometres away. Spirit of St Louis was a monoplane (a single wing mounted above a fuselage) built from steel. It was 8.5 metres long with a wingspan of 14 metres. The single nosecap propeller was powered by a Wright radial motor (cylinders jutting out of nosecap, upper right). Photographed on 13 January 1928, after a tour to Cuba.

Bleriot XI Airplane Blueprint. Drawing Plans or Schematics with design outline for the Bleriot XI Pioneer Airplane built by Louis Bleriot

Bleriot XI Airplane Blueprint. Drawing Plans or Schematics with design outline for the Bleriot XI Pioneer Airplane built by Louis Bleriot

New revelations about the disappearance of Amelia Earhart have re-invigorated the quest for the truth about her last flight.

Fly High and Reach The Sky