History of Flight
Since the beginning of time, humans have spent a lot of time admiring, studying and understanding nature. This is how sciences were born. The idea of flight has always stirred the human imagination. Flight has appeared in myths, legends, fairy tales and in our dreams. The first flying devices were hang gliders and rockets, which are believed to have been created in China in the 2nd-3rd millennium BC. The desire to take off from the ground in humans initiated the research of flight technology. During the first attempts, they tried to copy the flight techniques of birds. In the 15th century, this could also be observed in the work of Leonardo da Vinci. The master was fascinated by the ability to fly, so he worked a lot on his plans related to flight. He created the first most successful invention plans for hang gliders and helicopters and he was the first to consider fixed-wing devices.
It is interesting to note that the parachute was also his idea, which we still use today. At the end of the 18th century, the first manned balloon took to the air in Paris. It was piloted by Jean-François Pilatre de Rozier, a French chemistry and physics teacher, and François Laurent, Marquis d’Arlandes. On their first flight, they flew 9 kilometers (~5.5 miles) over Paris in 25 minutes. In the 19th century, the first Zeppelin appeared, which was already capable of making journeys across oceans. More serious experiments began in the early 20th century. The first successful powered controlled flight was made by two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, on December 17, 1903, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright Flyer traveled 36 meters and its flight lasted 12 seconds. This marked the beginning of the age of aviation.
“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
– Leonardo da Vinci
A fantastic exhibition
Kunovice is located 75.7 kilometers (~47 miles) from Brno in the South Moravian region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the border of the Vizovice Mountains and the Lower Morava Valley. The Olšava River flows through the town and flows into the Morava River. The first written records of the town date back to the 12th century, but it was first mentioned as a market town in the early 15th century. The Kunovice Aviation Museum is located here, a branch of the Slovak Aviation Club in Kunovice. It is a voluntary non-profit enterprise supported by the town of Kunovice. The town provides the land for the museum free of charge and also financially contributes to its operation and events organized for the public. Its members are passionate about aviation. Their goal is to introduce and educate about the history of aviation technology, to present aircraft and to preserve them for the future.
The theme of the exhibition is the history of aviation and aircraft manufacturing in former Czechoslovakia. Each exhibit can be walked around, we get a glimpse into the interior of the aircraft, and we can also read the most important data about them. What is perhaps a bit negative is that their website is only available in Czech, as are the flight data and flight history displayed on site. I had to use a translator to read the information. Among the more than 30 exhibits, we can see transport and sport aircraft, helicopters and military aircraft. The owners are constantly expanding the collection, and they are also planning to build new hangars.
The exhibition includes: Aero L-29 R, Avia Il-14 FG, Suchoj Su-7 U, Suchoj Su-7 BM, IAB-500 , Mil Mi-4-A, MiG-15 bis SB, MiG-21 F-13, MiG-21 MF , MiG-23 MF, Let L-13 J, Let L-200 D, Let L-410 UVP Turbolet, Let L-610 M, Let L-410 A Turbolet, Let L-410 M Turbolet, Let XL-410, Let Z-37, Aero Ae-45, Aero L-29 A, Zlin Z-37 TM Turbo Military, Aero L-39 ZA Albatros, Sojka III / TVM, Zlin Z-126 / C-105 Trener, Ivčenko AI-25TL, Jakovlev Jak-40, Tupolev TU-154 M and many more.
“The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air.”
– Wilbur Wright