| Timeline |
| 1901 | Samuel Pierpont Langley builds a gasoline-powered version of his tandem-winged model, the first to propel an aircraft, and launches large unmanned steam-powered models on many successful flights. |
| 1903 | The Wright Brothers Flyer makes the first successful manned and powered flight. |
| 1914-18 | World War I encourages rapid development in aviation. |
| 1927 | Charles Lindbergh becomes first person to cross the Atlantic solo and nonstop. |
| 1930s | As the aviation industry begins to mature, planes such as the B-17 Flying Fortress and DC-3 appear on the scene. |
| 1936 | German Focke-Achgelis Fa-61 rotary-winged aircraft demonstrated. |
| 1937 | Sir Frank Whittle in England and Hans von Ohain in Germany construct the first turbojet propulsion engines. |
| 1939 | The Heinkel He-178 experimental aircraft, powered by Hans von Ohain's centrifugal-flow HeS-3b engine, makes the world's first turbo-jet powered flight. |
| 1939 | Igor Sikorsky invents the VS-300 helicopter, the first single-rotor helicopter. |
| 1940s | WWII aircraft - Messerschmitt, B29 |
| 1940s | Rolls Royce engines - many materials new to the aircraft industry in WWII are used in automobile making. |
| 1947 | On December 17, the XB-47 stratojet lifts from the runway on its first flight. |
| 1950s-60s | New aircraft are introduced during this time period, including Boeing's 707, 727, and 747, the DC-8 and DC-9, and McDonnell's F-4 Phantom II. |
| 1970s | McDonnell Douglas F-15. |
| 1980s | Commercial airplanes introduced include the Concord, Airbus, and Boeing 757 and 767. |
| 1990s | Military aircraft (Lockheed) and McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. |
