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Official "On This Day In Aviation History" Thread


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March 6, 1944

600 heavy bombers dropped 1,600 tons of bombs in first major daylight attack on Berlin.

**In full disclosure: In some research I've done online, this date is sketchy and ranges from March 4 to March 7.**

March 6, 1990

SR-71 Blackbird sets a transcontinental record of flying 2,404 miles in 1:07:54. This was done flying from the West Coast to the East Coast of the United States. Three other records were set by the SR-71 on this day as well.

Wikipedia SR-71 History

SR-71 "Senior Crown" Records (see 4th printout for 3/6/90 records)

Prime Portal SR-71 taxi & flight photos

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March 7, 1961

The X-15 Test aircraft exceeds Mach 4 (3,045mph or 4,900 kmh)

Wikipedia North American X-15 History

Prime Portal X-15A2 Walkaround

March 7, 1942

First cadets graduate from flying school at Tuskegee.

Tuskegee Airmen Official Website

Wikipedia's Tuskegee Airmen History

March 7, 1959

M.C. Garlow becomes first aviator to ever fly 1 Million miles (1.61 Million km) in a jet-powered aircraft.

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March 8, 1946

Bell's 47B is granted the world's first commercial helicopter license.

Wikipedia's Bell 47 History

March 8, 1954

Sikorsky S-58/H-34 Choctaw makes first flight.

Wikipedia's Sikorsky H-34 History

Various H-34 Walkarounds

March 8, 1955

First unit formed of F-84Ks FICON capable of being launched and recovered by a GRB-36 Peacemaker.

Wikipedia's FICON Project History

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March 9, 1945

Over 300 B-29 Superfortress Bombers made an incendiary night raid on Tokyo, destroying about 1/4 of the entire city.

Wikipedia's B-29 Superfortress History

March 9, 1961

First animal successfully launched into and returned from orbit in space, The dog was named "Churnushka" and was aboard Sputnik 9. Total time off ground was 1:41.

Wikipedia's Sputnik Program History

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March 10, 1948

Test Pilot Herbert Henry Hoover becomes the first civilian to exceed the speed of sound when he flies the No. 2 Bell XS-1 to a speed of 703 mph (Mach 1.065).

Wikipedia's Bell X-1 History

Prime Portal X-1B Walkaround

March 10, 1956

The first aircraft to exceed 1,000 mph (1,609 km/h) is an English Fairey Delta 2. Piloted by Lt. Cdr. Peter Twiss, it reaches a speed of 1,132 mph (1,822 km/h).

Wikipedia's Fairey Delta 2 History

Wikipedia's Peter Twiss Biography

I hope that everyone doesn't mind me continually using Wikipedia and Prime Portal.

My reason for doing so is that I know these are safe sights with no possibility of spyware or pop-ups. They also are the best single places for comprehensive history. I'll do my best to introduce other websites as hotlinks when I find good ones.

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March 11, 1959

Sikorsky S61 (CH/HH3, SH-3/ASH-3 Sea King) makes first flight.

Wikipedia's S-61 History

Wikipedia's SH-3 Sea King History

Prime Portal S-61N Walkaround

March 11, 1957

The prototype Boeing 707 jet lands after a press demonstration flight from Seattle, Washington to Baltimore, Maryland during which it covers 2,350 miles in a record time of 3 hours 48 minutes.

Wikipedia's Boeing 707 History

YouTube Boeing 707 Year One Video (circa 1959)

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March 12, 1955

Aerospatiale SE313B (Alouette III) makes its first flight.

March 12, 1908

The first flight of the first airplane built by the U.S. Aerial Experiment Association takes place when Frederick W. Baldwin (other sources name him Thomas Baldwin) flies the Red Wing (Aerodrome No.1). The flight of the biplane ends in a crash landing.

Aviastar Red Wing Profile

Wikipedia's Frederick W. Baldwin Biography

I apologize.....I could find little/no cool aviation history for today. :thumbsup:

I guess March 12 has historically been a boring day....unless of course, it is your birthday.

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March 13, 1917

Army Air Intelligence Subdivision Office is approved.

March 13, 1928

The first Canadian woman to obtain a pilot’s license, Eileen M. Vollick, passes her flight test in Hamilton, Ontario on a Curtiss aircraft.

Centennial of Women Pilots short Biography of Eileen Vollick

March 13, 1974

Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris opens its doors....and runways.

Wikipedia's Charles de Gaulle Airport History

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March 15, 1957

A U.S. Navy ZPG-2 nonrigid airship sets a new unrefueled endurance record when it lands, having remained aloft for 264 hours (11 days) 12 minutes, beating the record set by the Graf Zeppelin in 1929.

GlobalSecurity's ZPG-2 Info Page

March 15, 1938

De Havilland D. H. 88 Comet racer G-ACSS begins a record-breaking flight from England to New Zealand and back for what some regard as the most notable success of the Comet’s achievement: a return flight time of 10 days 21 hours 22 minutes.

Wikipedia's DH.88 Comet History

March 15, 1949

"The Sunkist Lady" begins its record breaking endurance flight of 1,008 hours and 2 minutes or just a couple of minutes over 42 days.

City of Fullerton, CA "Sunkist Lady" page

Please note that this webpage also has a link to a video that can be downloaded. The video contains original footage from 1949.

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March 16, 1983

After being used to train pilots for 18 years, the Luftwaffe withdraws the Lockheed F-104G and TF-104G from service.

Wikipedia's F-104 Starfighter History

YouTube F-104 Video (with TF-104 footage)

March 16, 1983

A Boeing 767 lands after a nonstop flight of 5,499 miles from Lisbon, Portugal to set a distance record for a twin-jet airliner in commercial service.

Wikipedia's Boeing 767 History

March 16, 1918

Royal Flying Corps Captain George Edwin Thomson scored his 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th victories.

Wikipedia's George Edwin Thomson Biography

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March 17, 1968

General Dynamics F-111A aircraft are used operationally for the first time in Vietnam.

USAF National Museum F-111A Factsheet

Prime Portal F-111A Walkaround

March 17, 1969

Prototype of single-turboshaft utility helicopter Aerospatiale SA 315B Lama flown for the first time.

Wikipedia's Aerospatiale SA 315B Lama History

March 17, 1976

A Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 makes the first non-stop flight from Tokyo to New York, covering the 6,300 mile journey in 11 hours 30 minutes.

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March 19, 1970

Maj. Jerauld R. Gentry, an Air Force Flight Test Center test pilot, made the first powered flight of the Martin Marietta X-24A Wingless Lifting Body over Edwards AFB, California. A B-52 dropped the X-24A.

X-24A History and Milestones

NASA Dryden X-24 Movie Collection

NASA Dryden X-24 Photo Collection

March 19, 1989

First flight prototype utility tilt-rotor aircraft Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey.

Wikipedia's V-22 Osprey History

March 19, 1997

The 509th Bomb Wing conducted the longest B-2 Spirit mission to date when "The Spirit of Florida" flew from Whiteman AFB, Missouri, to Puerto Rico. The nearly 30-hour, round-trip flight had four aerial refuelings and a live conventional weapon release at the Vieques Range in Puerto, Rico.

Wikipedia's B-2A Spirit History

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March 20, 1966

The 43rd Bombardment Missile Wing, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, received the first KC-135Q. It was an A model modified to carry the special fuel for the SR-71 Blackbird.

Wikipedia's KC-135 Stratotanker History and Variants

March 20, 1959

The site in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, was approved as the location for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

NORAD History and Mission

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March 21, 1933

James L. Kinney makes the first successful cross-country test of blind flying (all instrument flying and landing) from College Park, MD to Newark Airport, NJ.

March 21, 1962

A bear became the first creature successfully ejected at supersonic speeds. A two-year-old female black bear (supposedly named Yogi) was ejected from a B-58 Hustler at 35,000 feet, while the aircraft was going 850 mph. The bear landed safely. Lucky for the USAF, PETA hadn't been formed yet. :whistle:

B-58A Ejection Capsule Article

March 21, 1971

Westland Lynx makes its first flight.

Wikipedia's Westland Lynx History

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March 22, 1976

The first A-10 Thunderbolt is delivered to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., for operational test and evaluation.

Wikipedia's A-10 Thunderbolt History

Prime Portal A-10A Walkaround

March 22, 1950

The only jet-powered U.S. Air Force flying wing, the YB-49, crashed at Edwards AFB, California.

Wikipedia's YB-49 History

YB-49 Photo Gallery

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March 23, 1983

B-1A No.2 (modified for the B-1B effort) flew its first flight at Edwards AFB, California, to begin the flight test program.

Wikipedia's B-1 Lancer History

Prime Portal B-1B Walkaround

March 23, 1964

The GAM-72A Quail missile made its first operational test flight (nicknamed Shotgun) at Eglin AFB, Florida.

Wikipedia's Quail Missile History

Short Quail Missile Description

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March 24, 1977

Tactical Airlift Command's 552nd Airborne Warning and Control System Wing at Tinker AFB, Okla., received the first production E-3A air warning and control system aircraft.

Wikipedia's E-3 Sentry History

Prime Portal E-3A Sentry Walkaround

March 24, 1971

As a result of votes in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, Boeing cancels its supersonic transport (a.k.a. Boeing 2707). The elaborate, full-size mock-up is eventually sold to a promotion specialist who puts it in a Florida amusement park.

Wikipedia's Boeing SST History

Unreal Aircraft's Boeing SST Page

YouTube Original Boeing 2707 Promo Film

March 24, 1956

First flight of the Piper PA-24 Comanche.

Wikipedia's Pipe Comanche History

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