finder (RDF), to indicate the direction to one or more radio beacons, which can be used to determine the plane's position. A satellite navigation (satnav) system, to provide an accurate position. See also Aircraft flight mechanics Airliner Aviation Aviation and the environment Aviation history Fuel efficiency List of altitude records reached by different aircraft types Maneuvering speed Rotorcraft References Notes In 1903, when the Wright brothers used the word, "aeroplane" (a British English term that can also mean airplane in American English) meant wing, not the whole aircraft. See text of their patent. Patent 821,393 – Wright brothers' patent for "Flying Machine" Citations Bibliography Blatner, David. The Flying Book: Everything You've Ever Wondered About Flying on Airplanes. External links The airplane centre Airliners.net Aerospaceweb.org How Airplanes Work – Howstuffworks.com Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's How Things Fly website "Hops and Flights – a Roll Call of Early Powered Take-offs" a 1959 Flight article (Wayback Machine copy) Aircraft configurations Articles containing video clips