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The evolution of airplanes

This document summarizes the evolution of fixed-wing aircraft from unpowered balloons and gliders to experimental scramjet aircraft. It covers propeller, jet, supersonic, solar, unmanned, rocket, ramjet, and scramjet powered aircraft. The technologies have progressed from simple unpowered flight to jets that can reach over Mach 9 and experimental scramjets are being developed but are still in the testing phase.

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By ChristianProduct Evolution: Fixed-Winged Aircraft
Unpowered AircraftBalloons, gliders, hang gliders, paragliders, kitesFly without onboard propulsionMost are mainly used for recreation
Propeller AircraftMake use of reciprocating internal combustion engines that turns a propeller.Quieter than jet aircraft.Fly at lower speeds, and have lower load capacity that jet aircraft.
Jet AircraftMake use of turbines for the creation of thrustGreater weight capacity and fly faster than propeller driven aircraftVery noisy
Supersonic jet AircraftMilitary fighters and bombers, Concorde, and others.Make use of turbines (often utilizing afterburners), that generate the huge amounts of power for flight faster than the speed of the sound(768 mph).
Solar Powered AircraftGenerates the needed energy by means of solar cellsStill mainly in experimental stages
Unmanned AircraftNo person aboard the aircraft and control is achieved remotelyAircraft is controlled only by remote controls or other electronic devices.
Rocket Powered AircraftNot in common usage todayRocket-assisted takeoffs are used for some military aircraft.SpaceShipOne is the most famous current rocket aircraft, being the test bed for developing a commercial sub-orbital passenger service.
Ramjet AircraftA ramjet is a form of jet engine that contains no major moving parts.The SR-71's Pratt & Whitney J58 engines ran 80% as ramjets at high speeds (Mach 3.2 or 2,304+mph) and have max altitude of 100,000+ ft.
Scramjet AircraftScramjet aircraft are in the experimental stageThe Boeing X-43 is an experimental scramjet with a world speed record for a jet-powered aircraft – Mach 9.7, nearly 12,000 kilometers per hour (7,500 mph) at an altitude of about 36,000 meters (118,000 ft).
Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-wing_aircraft#Solar-powered