The problem with gliders and hot air balloons was that a. they couldn’t be easily controlled b. they were difficult to make c. they didn’t have room for passengers
The Wright Flyer made its first flight in a. 1903 b. 1905 c. 1910
By 1905, the Wright brothers’ plane could a. house multiple passengers and cargo b. stay in the air for several minutes and fly in circles c. land on and take off from water
Discussion/essay questions
Do you travel often? How do you feel about air travel?
Transcript
Many people throughout history tried to solve the problem of flight. Although people had managed to build gliders and hot air balloons in the 18th and 19th centuries, these aircraft could not be easily controlled. The first powered aircraft that could be controlled by a pilot was known as the Wright Flyer. It was designed by American inventors Wilbur and Orville Wright. Its first successful flight took place in December 1903, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The brothers flew the plane four times in one day, with the longest flight lasting 59 seconds and travelling over 800 feet. By 1905, they had created a plane that could stay in the air for several minutes and fly in circles. After that, aircraft technology progressed very quickly for military and commercial use.
On November 24th, 1971, a from Portland to Seattle was hijacked by a man named Dan Cooper, who had brought a bomb on board. He demanded that the flight crew get him four parachutes and $200,000 in . Once Cooper received the ransom, he asked the to take him to Mexico City. In the middle of the flight, he jumped out of the with the money. He was never seen again. Although he had used the alias “Dan Cooper”, a misinterpretation caused the to call him “D. B. Cooper”, the name that most people know him by today. In 1980, some bills from Cooper’s ransom were found near a river, which caused many people to believe that he didn’t survive the jump. However, the case is still unsolved.
Comprehension questions
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Discussion/essay questions
Do you know of any other unsolved mysteries?
D. B. Cooper’s case quickly drew the attention of the public. Why do you think people are so interested in unsolved cases?
Transcript
On November 24th, 1971, a flight from Portland to Seattle was hijacked by a man named Dan Cooper, who had brought a bomb on board. He demanded that the flight crew get him four parachutes and $200,000 in cash. Once Cooper received the ransom, he asked the pilot to take him to Mexico City. In the middle of the flight, he jumped out of the plane with the money. He was never seen again. Although he had used the alias “Dan Cooper”, a misinterpretation caused the media to call him “D. B. Cooper”, the name that most people know him by today. In 1980, some bills from Cooper’s ransom were found near a river, which caused many people to believe that he didn’t survive the jump. However, the case is still unsolved.
While it is very likely that Amelia Earhart crashed in the Pacific Ocean, no one knows for sure what happened to her. Do you have any other theories about why her plane disappeared?
Transcript
American pilot Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897. She became interested in flying after her first airplane ride at age 23. She began to take flying lessons in 1921, and earned her pilot’s license in 1923. In 1928, Earhart was a passenger on a historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The flight took over 20 hours, and after the plane landed, Earhart quickly became famous. Determined to prove that she was a capable pilot herself, Earhart made another trip across the Atlantic – this time as the pilot of the plane. She completed this flight in 14 hours, which was a new record. After her solo flight across the Atlantic, Earhart made several other historic flights, including the first solo flight from Hawaii to California. In 1937, Earhart decided that she wanted to fly around the world. She departed from Miami, Florida, and travelled nearly 40,000 kilometres before her plane mysteriously disappeared. Earhart was never found. The most common explanation is that she crashed in the Pacific Ocean after her plane ran out of fuel.
