The first successful human flight in history occurred aboard a hot air balloon over Paris, France, in 1783. by the Montgolfier brothers, who were inspired by the "lifting power" of hot air rising from a fireplace. Also aboard was a French artillery officer, the Marquis d'Alandes.

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Wilbur and Orville Wright's achievement was so significant not only because it was the first time in history that a manned, powered aircraft flew, but it proved to nay-sayers around the world that heavier-than-air flight was practical. After the Wrights proved their critics wrong, the field of aeronautical engineering was born. Governments, universities, and inventors soon began dedicating vast resources to understanding the science of flight and methods of building improved flying machines.

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This milestone occurred during the Italian-Turkish War in North Africa. Italian pilot Lieutenant Giulio Gavotti earned the honor when he threw four small grenades out of his plane by hand to terrorise Turkish troops below. This constituted the first aerial bombardment in history.

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A pivotal advancements in aviation was the development of the turbojet engine, credited to Sir Frank Whittle of Britain and Hans von Ohain of Germany who both invented the technology independently early 1930.

A simple Jet Engine

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A pivotal advancements in aviation was the development of the turbojet engine, credited to Sir Frank Whittle of Britain and Hans von Ohain of Germany who both invented the technology independently.

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Sikorsky's was the first successful design incorporating all the components of rotary wing design. Igor Sikorsky's principal contribution was the use of a tail rotor to counteract the torque produced by the main rotor. The VS-300 made its first flights in 1939,while tethered to the ground for safety. The first free flight occurred on 13 May 1940.

• Chinese Tops-Early on!
• Leonardo da Vinci, 15th Century

The majority of the public and scientists believed that the "sound barrier" could never be broken. Chuck Yeager's historic flight in the X-1 proved them wrong.

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Perhaps no event in aerospace history had as much of a psychological impact on the two superpowers and the course of the Cold War as the first successful artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957.

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Commercial Flight: parts of the world that were once inaccessible could suddenly be visited within a matter of hours, and the world became without borders.

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Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first man to orbit the Earth.

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One of the truly remarkable moments in human history was the first time man set foot on another planet. Neil Armstrong's small step was the ultimate achievement of the space race.

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To place the Aerospace Engineering Degree in NTU in the forefront of aerospace engineering education, research and outreach programmes in Asia and the pacific region.