An aircraft or aircraft (informal aircraft) is a fixed wing aircraft propelled forward by the thrust of a jet engine or propeller. Airplanes come in all sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. A wide range of uses include entertainment, cargo and personnel transportation, military and research. Commercial aviation is a huge industry, involving thousands of passengers to fly every day. Most of the planes are boarded by pilots, but some are designed for remote or computer control.

The Wright brothers invented and flew the first airplane in 1903, which is recognized as "the first airplane that is more important than the air under continuous control". They are based on the concept of modern aircraft (later built and flown models and successful passenger gliders) proposed by George Cayley in 1799. Between 1867 and 1896 Otto Lilienthal, the German pioneer of human aviation, also studied heavier than air flight. After being restricted in the first World War, aircraft technology developed continuously. The plane took part in all the major battles of the Second World War. The first jet was the German Heinkel he178 in 1939. The first jetliner, de Haviland comet, was launched in 1952. Boeing 707 is the first widely successful commercial aircraft, which has been used in the commercial field for more than 50 years since 1995. 1958 to at least 2013.