Thats a tough one...

It seriously depends how you define it.

Some might say Curtis's early planes because they had ailerons whereas wing warping was on the Wrights, but Curtis's control system was odd.

First semi-monocoque airplane would be significant from a structural standpoint, that being the Dornier D.1.  This construction method is still used today, even on composite aircraft such as the 787.

Speaking of composites, those are becoming fairly popular now, and pretty much any airplane today has some composites (even though Cessna jets are aluminum, some fairing panels and control surfaces are composite, for example).  By this argument, the DeHavilland Mosquito stands out for it's balsa-ply-balsa sandwich construction.

Instrumentation is important too, so first plane with a six pack.  But then again, the first plane with a glass cockpit would be significant too.  Or first with a HUD...the list goes on.

I think the true key is to find the balance, but there isn't really.  I of course turn to the DC-3.  It's aluminum construction, retractable gear, enclosed cockpit, etc were all very modern, but most of all it ushered in the age of aviation and airlines as a viable business, more than just a mail carrier that happens to carry passengers.  The DC-3 made it's operators money by carrying passengers alone.  Without it, no modern airlines would have ever existed. 

Of course, that doesn't cover military or GA. 

Finally, I'll finish with this thought: Aviation technology is constantly changing, and even technologies that aren't directly affiliated with aviation tend to get their first shot in airplanes.  So defining a modern airplane is impossible.  Would you consider a 737 modern?  The design is 40 years old.  Same story for a Citation Jet.  The Cessna 172 is around 60 years old, and yet I would still look at parts of it as modern (the G1000 is amazing ).  It's easier to define a modern car: 3 pedals (or two) always in the same location, a steering wheel thats normally the same size, the same set of gauges, doors, seats, engine, etc.  But airplanes?  Some have instruments from one manufacturer while others have them from another.  Different planes for the same mission have entirely different configurations, and sometimes even different types of engines.  Some are metal, some are plastic, high wing low wing, pusher puller, etc...There isn't one set standard that all others adhere to

707 for the first modern airliner.


Don't know about the first modern 'plane' though.

Along with another Canadian Blunder by stupid politicians, the AVRO Jetliner...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Canada_C102_Jetliner

Steve M wrote on Nov 16^th, 2011 at 7:37pm:


What about all the planes that don't have attendants?  Business jets?  Single engines? etc..

Steve M wrote on Nov 17^th, 2011 at 7:53pm:


Not necessarily.  In fact, I'd say MOST business jets are too small.  And you aren't getting a stewardess on a 172, unless it's your wife

Here's an idea. I would say the first modern airliner would be the Boeing 727.

The 727 was the first commercial jet that really opened up flying to the masses. It could get in and out of short strips easily and didn't require a runway the size of a small country to stop and take off on like the 707.

It established the standard shape of the Boeing fuselage which we see today in the 737 757 767 and 777.

It's also still in commercial service which most of the early examples of aircraft are not.

I think the 727 is less of a genesis moment for aircraft and more of the aircraft that brought in the modern age of air travel.  Kind of the VW Golf of the aircraft world.

The 727s predecessors were never really mass produced like the 727 and were still slightly experimental.