Orville Wright demonstrates America's first military airplane at Fort Meyer, Virginia in 1908.
The Pioneers, 1910 to 1914 -- Once shown the way, aeronautical engineers in America and Europe quickly catch up to the Wrights and surpass them. Races and air meets improve the speed and endurance of aircraft. The box-kite appearance of the first primitive pusher aircraft gives way to the streamlined design of the tractor biplanes and monoplanes.

The 1910 Dunne Flying Wing, the world's first airplane that was developed in strict secrecy.
The Great War, 1915 to 1918 -- The First World War elevates the aircraft from a machine for scouting and observation to a versatile weapon with both defensive and offensive roles in warfare. The first fighters and bombers evolve during this conflict.

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