The Wright brothers’ first powered flight in 1903 lasted only 12 seconds.

The first commercial airplane flight occurred in 1914, between Tampa and Saint Petersburg, Florida.

The Boeing 747, introduced in 1969, was the first aircraft dubbed a “jumbo jet.”

The Anglo French plane the Concorde could fly from New York to London in under 3 hours.

Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932.

The first jet aircraft ever flown was Germany’s Heinkel He 178 in 1939.

The longest nonstop commercial flight today exceeds 9,500 miles nonstop.

The Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger jet, can hold over 850 passengers.

The Lockheed SR 71 Blackbird is still the fastest aircraft ever built. The Blackbird was so fast it could outrun missiles fired at it.

Modern jet engines are so powerful they can draw in several tons of air per minute.

A jet engine’s exhaust can exceed 1,300°C (2,372°F).

Airplane wings are designed to flex and can bend up to 26 feet on some models without breaking.

The flaps on a wing increase lift during takeoff and landing.

Most airplane fuselages are made of aluminum alloy, but newer jets use carbon fiber composites.

The A380 has 22 wheels on its landing gear.

The Boeing 777’s engines are so large that a Boeing 737 fuselage could fit inside the diameter.

Commercial jets fly at around 35,000 feet because it balances fuel efficiency and safety.

Aircraft windows are round to prevent pressure related cracking at the corners.

The “black box” is actually bright orange, so it is easy to find after a crash.

A plane stays up due to Bernoulli’s principle and Newton’s third law acting together.

Jet fuel is more similar to kerosene, not gasoline.

At cruising altitude, outside temperatures can drop to minus 60°C (minus 76°F).

Airplanes typically fly faster with a tailwind and slower against a headwind.

Turbulence is mostly caused by air currents, weather fronts, or jet streams.

Commercial jets cruise at around 500 to 600 mph.

Air pressure inside the cabin is equivalent to being at 6,000 to 8,000 feet on a mountain.

Lift is produced as faster air flows over the wing’s curved airfoil shape.

The winglets at the tips of wings reduce drag, increasing fuel efficiency.

Modern planes rely heavily on autopilot, especially during cruise.

Pilots typically use the call sign “roger” to mean “message received.”

Mayday comes from the French phrase “m’aider,” meaning “help me.”

Pilots and copilots eat different meals to avoid both receiving food poisoning.

Airplanes are struck by lightning about once per year, but they are built to withstand it.

The busiest airport in passenger traffic is usually Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta or Dubai.

Pilots are required to sleep strategically, depending on long haul flight regulations.

The flight numbers of tragic accidents are often retired permanently.

The seat belt sign is used not only for turbulence, but also for air traffic instructions.

The airplane horn exists for use on the ground, not during flight.

The tiny hole in airplane windows is called a bleed hole, used to balance pressure.

The first airplane toilets were simple buckets.

A Boeing 747 wing weighs more than an entire small airplane.

Airplane tires are inflated to 200 psi, which is six times the pressure of car tires.

Airplane tires can strike the runway at 170 mph without exploding.

Many planes can fly on one engine if necessary. Commercial jets can glide over 100 miles if all engines fail.

The cabin lights dim during takeoff and landing so your eyes adjust in case of an emergency evacuation.