♣ ♠ Interactive Timeline ♦ ♥

At Wanderer we strive to bring together entertainment, casual learning and design. This special interactive site does all three. Below are the 54 illustrations from the Airborne deck, every illustration below has a different plane or figure associated with the topic of aviation. To learn about more about each card simply click on one of the illustrations below to learn more. You can also use the navigation above to jump to specific times in history. This site aims to tell the story of each card that makes up this traditional 54 card playing deck. Throughout this site you will learn everything from the first time that a plane took to the sky to the time we went faster than the speed of sound. You will learn about the pioneers in the field of aviation and the famous faces who helped grow the field. Lets takeoff and learn about the great history of aviation!

1903

According to the Smithsonian Institution and Fédération Aéronautique Internationale the Wrights made the first sustained, controlled, powered heavier-than-air manned flight at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903. The first flight by Orville Wright, of 120 feet in 12 seconds, was recorded in a famous photograph. In the fourth flight of the same day, Wilbur Wright flew 852 feet in 59 seconds. The flights were witnessed by three coastal lifesaving crewmen, a local businessman, and a boy from the village, making these the first public flights and the first well-documented ones.

1920

After World War I, experienced fighter pilots were eager to show off their skills. Many American pilots became barnstormers, flying into small towns across the country and showing off their flying abilities, as well as taking paying passengers for rides. Eventually the barnstormers grouped into more organized displays. Air shows sprang up around the country, with air races, acrobatic stunts, and feats of air superiority. Amelia Earhart was perhaps the most famous of those on the barnstorming / air shows circuit. She was also the first female pilot to achieve records such as crossing of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In 1927 Charles Lindbergh took the Orteig Prize of $25,000 for the first solo non-stop crossing of the Atlantic.

1930

1940

World War II saw a great increase in the pace of development and production, not only of aircraft but also the associated flight-based weapon delivery systems. Air combat tactics and doctrines took advantage. Large-scale strategic bombing campaigns were launched, fighter escorts introduced and the more flexible aircraft and weapons allowed precise attacks on small targets with dive bombers, fighter-bombers, and ground-attack aircraft. New technologies like radar also allowed more coordinated and controlled deployment of air defense. In October 1947 Chuck Yeager took the rocket-powered Bell X-1 through the sound barrier. This was the first controlled, level flight to exceed the speed of sound. Further barriers of distance fell in 1948 and 1952 with the first jet crossing of the Atlantic and the first nonstop flight to Australia.

After World War II, commercial aviation grew rapidly, using mostly ex-military aircraft to transport people and cargo. This growth was accelerated by the glut of heavy and super-heavy bomber airframes like the B-29 and Lancaster that could be converted into commercial aircraft. The DC-3 also made for easier and longer commercial flights.

1950

1960

In 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon, the same year Boeing unveiled the Boeing 747 and the Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic passenger airliner had its maiden flight. The Boeing 747 was the largest commercial passenger aircraft ever to fly, and still carries millions of passengers each year, though it has been superseded by the Airbus A380, which is capable of carrying up to 853 passengers. A few years earlier the SR-71 Blackbird had set the record for crossing the Atlantic in under 2 hours, and Concorde followed in its footsteps. In 1979 the Gossamer Albatross became the first human powered aircraft to cross the English Channel. This achievement finally saw the realization of centuries of dreams of human flight.

1970

1980

The last quarter of the 20th century saw a change of emphasis. No longer was revolutionary progress made in flight speeds, distances and materials technology. This part of the century instead saw the spreading of the digital revolution both in flight avionics and in aircraft design and manufacturing techniques. In 1986 Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager flew an aircraft, the Rutan Voyager, around the world unrefueled, and without landing.

1990

Unfortunately none of the Illustrations found in this deck are from the 1990s. Does this mean aviation ceased to exist in the 90s? Of course not! In 1999 Bertrand Piccard became the first person to circle the earth in a balloon. Other achievements included the digital fly-by-wire system that allows an aircraft to be designed with relaxed static stability. Initially used to increase the maneuverability of military aircraft such as the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, this is now being used to reduce drag on commercial airliners. 21st century aviation has seen increasing interest in fuel savings and fuel diversification, as well as low cost airlines and facilities. Additionally, much of the developing world that did not have good access to air transport has been steadily adding aircraft and facilities, though severe congestion remains a problem in many up and coming nations. About 20,000 city pairs are served by commercial aviation, up from less than 10,000 as recently as 1996.

2000

Hopefully this site has shed some light on the wondrous topic of aviation. With every product we create we aim to faithfully describe and explore a subject. As this book illustrates both literally and metaphorically, aviation is something that has drastically influenced all of our lives. Since Wilbur and Orville Wright first took flight in 1903 we as a society have made tremendous strides to make the world smaller through aviation. In aviation’s just over century long life it has already mad a profound impact on our way of life. Planes deliver all things, from people and packages to bombs and troops. In a plane we went faster than the speed of sound. In a plane we can ride to visit our relatives and loved ones. It is the planes that gave us an evolved perspective of our world. It was the technology found in aviation that got us to the moon and birthed the realistic idea of space travel. Hopefully this book illustrates that like humans, planes come in all different shapes, and sizes and all have different purposes. As we grow as a species so to does our desire for exploration and innovation, aviation has fueled this desire. We must remember that aviation has been a tool used to bring joy and wonder to civilization.