FLY!

From Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machines to the crossing of the English Channel by Louis Blériot in 1909, this first episode of History of Aviation recounts two centuries of incredible inventions.

Long before aviation took off, many attempts to fly were conducted: using simple rotor blades, or bat-like wings, then on to the hot-air balloon invented by the Montgolfier brothers and the famous blimp. Who would have imagined that the first flight tests would take place from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower? From steam power to combustion power, how were the first aircraft engines made? How did Blériot's exploit revolutionize the aviation industry?