Humans have been fascinated with flight for a long, long time. The ancient Chinese built the first kites, mimicking the shapes of birds, as far back as 475 BCE. Around 300 BCE, the ancient Greek mathematician Archytas built a steam-propelled flying pigeon. And then there was Bladud, king of the Britons, who, according to legend, was so obsessed with the idea of flight that around 850 BCE he donned a pair of homemade wings, jumped off a building, and promptly fell to his death. 

It's safe to say that humans have progressed since the days of Bladud. Flight is now a fundamental part of human society, from the way we travel to the way we wage wars. Since the Wright brothers took the first and most famous powered flight in 1903, aviation has developed at breakneck speed, taking us across the sound barrier and even beyond our own atmosphere. Here are five famous planes that have shaped the history of aviation and, in so doing, the history of human progress itself.

The Wright Flyer

At Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, the Wright Flyer completed the world's first successful flight of a powered, heavier-than-air flying machine. Brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright had achieved sustained and controlled aviation, with the best flight of the day covering 838.5 feet in 59 seconds. The Wright Flyer — a biplane with a wingspan of 40 feet and one 12-horsepower four-cylinder engine driving two pusher propellers — should have instantly become the most famous flying machine in history, but it didn’t. The Wright brothers had achieved something so incredible that much of the public — including scientists — remained skeptical. It took time to convince them that the course of human flight had, indeed, been changed forever. 

The Spitfire

The Supermarine Spitfire is the most famous British fighter aircraft in history, and it was an iconic symbol of freedom during — and after — World War II. It was a vital Allied aircraft in 1940, helping to defeat wave after wave of German air attacks during the pivotal Battle of Britain. It was also the only fighter plane capable of taking on the deadly Messerschmitt Bf-109E on equal terms. Even today, the sight and sound of a Spitfire in the skies above Britain is enough to send shivers down the spines of anyone watching from below. Special mention must also go to the Hawker Hurricane, which sometimes sits in the shadow of the more famous aircraft. The Hurricane, built 20 years earlier than the Spitfire, shot down more than half of all the enemy airplanes destroyed in the Battle of Britain.

Spirit of St. Louis

On the morning of May 20, 1927, aviator Charles Lindbergh took off from Long Island, New York, on the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Thirty-three hours and 30 minutes later, he landed safely at Le Bourget Field near Paris, where a delighted crowd of some 100,000 people greeted the pioneering pilot. Lindbergh’s name went down in history, as did the name of his airplane: the Spirit of St. Louis. A single-engine, high-wing monoplane modified to Lindbergh’s specifications, it would normally have seated five people, but extra fuel tanks took up much of what would have been cabin space. Rather than retire the plane after this achievement in aviation, Lindbergh took the Spirit of St. Louis on a tour of the United States and parts of Central and South America, further cementing the aircraft’s fame.

Concorde

The Concorde was the world’s first supersonic, passenger-carrying airplane, designed and built through the combined efforts of aircraft manufacturers in Great Britain and France. The aircraft made its first transatlantic crossing in 1973, with scheduled supersonic services — run by British Airways and Air France — beginning in 1976. A sleek, tailless aircraft with a distinctive droop nose for landing visibility, it could carry up to 128 passengers. With a cruising speed of 1,350 mph — more than twice the speed of sound — it could fly from London to New York in a little under three and a half hours. Flights, however, were incredibly expensive due to the airplane’s sky-high operating costs. In 1996, British Airways charged $7,574 (more than $15,000 today) for a round-trip flight from New York to London. This placed it way beyond the budget of most customers, and financial losses made the Concorde ultimately unsustainable. Despite its iconic status and breathtaking design, only 14 Concorde aircraft went into commercial service before it was retired in 2003.

Boeing 747

Dubbed the “Queen of the Skies,” the Boeing 747 revolutionized air travel, allowing people to travel farther, faster, and more affordably than ever before. Taking its maiden flight in 1969, it was the first airplane referred to as a “jumbo jet.” Since then, more than 1,574 Boeing 747s have been purchased, logging a combined total of more than 118 million flight hours and nearly 23 million flight cycles. It has become a true icon of the skies, and one of the most famous planes in movie history, too, with appearances in hundreds of films including Airplane!, Air Force One, Die Hard 2, and Tenet. After more than half a century of faithful service, Boeing delivered its last 747 in January 2023, marking the end of an aviation era.