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An aircraft is a type of craft designed for atmospheric flight, and were in common usage on the planet Earth during the 20th and 21st centuries. Airplanes were different from spacecraft as they were usually designed to fly no higher than the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere.

Examples of these craft include balloons, fixed-wing airplanes or jets, and rotary-wing helicoptors.

Types of Aircraft

Balloons

Airplanes

German Fokker airplane

A German Fokker airplane during World War I.

Airplanes are a type of fixed-wing aircraft, driven by a propeller, that is supported in air by dynamic action.

The first successful "flying machine" was invented at the turn of the 20th century by two Ohio brothers named Orville and Wilbur Wright. They made their first successful flight on December 17, 1903. Eventually, they were able to get almost 30,000 feet in the air. In 2153, Bethany taught a classroom of schoolchildren about the Wrights' airplane while on a Skagaran planet. (ENT: "North Star")

P-51 Mustang

A P-51 Mustang airplane, used during World War II.

In 1937, Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan where among the first humans to attempt circumnavigating the Earth. During their flight the plane and its two passengers were abducted by the Briori and taken to the Delta Quadrant. (VOY: "The 37's")

Military application of airplanes was first demonstrated during the first world war. For example, Germany introduced the highly successful single seat "Albatros" and "Fokker" sesquiplane fighter series. A German aircraft fighter appeared in the opening credits of ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly", indicating the plane was manufactured on the Mirror Universe Earth as well.

File:F16.jpg

An F-16 fighter.

In an alternate version of 1944, a Nazi/Na'kuhl alliance used airplanes to patrol Earth's skies. (ENT: "Zero Hour", "Storm Front, Part I & Part II)

Technological advanced in aviation technology made aircraft play a crucial role during the Second World War. These aircraft would remain in service into the 22nd century where they appeared in air-shows. (ENT: "Storm Front)

File:Vietnam War bomber.jpg

A bomber during the Vietnam War.

One of the most succesful military aircraft of the 20th century, introduced during the Cold War, was the F-16 multi-role jet fighter, built in the United States of America. Designed as a lightweight fighter, it evolved into a succesful multi-role aircraft, remaining in service until the early half of the 21st century. An F-16 fighter appeared in the opening credits of ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly", indicating the plane was manufactured on the Mirror Universe Earth as well.

Aircraft again played a crucial role during the Vietnam War, where for the first time chemical weapons were deployed extensively on both military and civilian targets. A Vietnam War-bomber appeared in the opening credits of ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly".

Lockheed L-10 Electra (fore)

Propellers of a Lockheed L-10 Electra.

In 2371, the crew of the starship Voyager discovered an ancient Earth aircraft on the surface of a planet which was the source of an automated distress call. (VOY: "The 37's")

During one of the missions in the holosuite program Julian Bashir, Secret Agent, Julian Bashir meets up with a beautiful female secret agent who had just jumped out of an airplane at 20,000 feet, yet did not have a hair out of place. (DS9: "A Simple Investigation")

Also see:

Jets

F-104 Starfighter

An F-104 Starfighter jet.

Jet are a type of fixed-wing aircraft, driven by a jet engines, and are supported in air by dynamic action.

One of the characters in the holosuite program Julian Bashir, Secret Agent, named Mona Luvsitt, is an accomplished jet pilot. (DS9: "Our Man Bashir")

During the 1960s, the US Air Force employed jets to protect its' 498th Air Base in Omaha, Nebraska. (TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday")

Also see:

Helicoptors

Huey204

A Huey 204 helicoptor

Helicoptor are a type of rotary-wing aircraft that achieve flight by use of a rotating wing.

In 1986, Plexicorp owned a helicoptor which could be used for hauling sheets of plexiglass. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

The US National Guard of California employed helicoptors during their siege on the San Francisco Sanctuary District's in 2024. (DS9: "Past Tense, Part II")

Mona Luvsitt, a character in the holosuite program Julian Bashir, Secret Agent, is an accomplished helicoptor pilot. (DS9: "Our Man Bashir")

Also see: Huey 204

Related Craft

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