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Official "On This Day In Aviation History" Thread


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April 24, 1946

First flights of the first Soviet designed and built jet aircrafts, MiG-9 and Yak-15, are made.

Wikipedia's MiG-9 History

Wikipedia's Yak-15 History

April 24, 1962

The U.S. Air Force used an orbiting satellite for the first time to transmit television photographs from Camp Parks, California to Westford, Massachusetts.

April 24, 2009

A Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless (BuNo 36291) was recovered from Lake Michigan.

Wikipedia's Dauntless History

ARC's Dauntless Walkaround

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Today is the 30th Anniversary of Operation Eagle Claw. While it began on the 24th, the unsuccessful mission ended in tragedy on the 25th. Lest not forget the 8 men who gave their lives.

-JS

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April 26, 1949

Dick Reider and Bill Barris set a world endurance record for a flight-refueled aircraft in the U.S.

They flew continuously in their Aeronca Chief light aircraft for 1,008 hours, and one minute (over six weeks). They received food and fuel handed up from a speeding vehicle four times a day.

April 26, 1962

At the remote airfield in Groom Dry Lake, Nevada, the first Lockheed A-12 makes its first flight.

April 26, 1964

At Norfolk, Virginia, the USAF Thunderbirds fly their first show in the Republic F-105B Thunderchief. The use of the F-105 only lasted 6 shows.

April 26, 1971

Lt. Col. Thomas B. Estes flew an SR-71 to a record speed at high altitude in a 10-hour 30 minute flight from Beale AFB, California. He flew 15,000 miles at speeds over Mach 3 above 80,000 feet.

April 26, 1987

The first full-scale prototype of Saab's hi-tech JAS 39 Gripen fighter is unveiled in Sweden.

April 26, 1995

A Mikoyan MiG-29 sets a new FAI class C-1h world altitude record of 90,092 feet.

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April 27, 1927

Ryan Aircraft Company, San Diego, Calif., completes the soon to be famous airplane, NX 211, better known as the Spirit of St. Louis.

April 27, 1939

U.S. Army Air Corps orders the P-38.

By war's end, a total of 10,037 P-38s had been built.

April 27, 1995

The Global Positioning System satellites were declared fully operational.

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Keep it gping B-1 Nut..

most interesting are fact that happened not many years ago...

Thank you for taking the time to research and put in this time and effort to updates this thread..

Most grateful..{I am learning things I did not know before.}

HOLMES :thumbsup:

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April 28, 1919

American Leslie Irvin makes the first jump from an airplane using a free-type (to be opened at will by a rip chord) back pack parachute and lands at McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio.

April 28, 1937

The first commercial flight across the Pacific is made as a Pan-American Boeing 314 Clipper seaplane arrives in Hong Kong.

Wikipedia's Boeing 314 "Clipper" History

April 28, 1961

Lieutenant Colonel Georgi Mossolov takes E-66A, a rocket-powered variant of the MiG-21 fighter, to 34,714 meter altitude (113,891 feet).

Wikipedia's MiG-21 History

Prime Portal MiG-21 Walkaround

April 28, 2001

Billionaire businessman, 60-year old Dennis Tito of California, became the first paying passenger to go to outer space.

Tito set off from Kazakhstan at 1338 local time (0838 GMT) for an eight-day holiday aboard the International Space Station. Mr. Tito paid $20m (£14m) for his trip.

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April 29, 1931

The Boeing B-9 bomber flies for the first time and marks the next step in airframe development in the evolution of the Boeing 247, the first modern-type airliner.

April 29, 1965

The Air Force initiated the F-X (later F-15) program by directing Air Force Systems Command to begin efforts toward acquiring a new tactical fighter.

April 29, 1972

U.S. Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger redirected the lightweight fighter program as a competition between the YF-16 and YF-17 to become the new air combat fighter for the Air Force.

April 29, 1988

The first flight of the Boeing 747-400 is made.

The 747-400 can carry between 412 and 509 passengers over 8,000 miles. Sales in 1990 of 170 of these wide-body transports broke all records.

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The fact about Leslie Irvin doing a "parachute" jump is interesting ...

In those days I guess it was try it out and see if it worked ,and maybe lives wee put at risk for that venture, but nonethe less it was done..AWESOME!

We have courageous pioneers like those guys in the days gone by to thank for their tenacity and for fori mproving aviation and getting us here ..

Thanks agian B-1 Nut..

Keep up the GOOD work..

{I appreciate it}

HOLMES :salute:

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Sorry for the delay, guys.

TurbineSurgeon and I helped move Chopperpilot71 up from Titusville, FL yesterday and today. Just got back in and remembered I needed to catch up the facts.

April 30, 1917

Pacific Aero Products Company changes its name to Boeing Airplane Company, with William E. Boeing as its president.

April 30, 1996

The U.S. Air Force revealed the Tacit Blue aircraft that was secretly used until 1985 to test stealth technology. With its 56-foot wingspan, Tacit Blue furnished the technology used to produce the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

Wikipedia's Tacit Blue History

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May 1, 1960

A Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, piloted by U.S. Air Force Col. Francis Gary Powers, is shot down over the Soviet Union by a surface-to-air missile (SAM).

May 1, 1963 -- Jacqueline Cochran takes off from Edwards Air Force Base, California, to set a 100-km (62-mile) closed-circuit world speed record for women of 1,203.7mph in a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter.

May 1, 1965

The Lockheed YF-12A (SR-71 Blackbird prototype) set nine FAI records at Edwards AFB, California: 2,070.101 mph for straightaway speed; 1,642 mph for a 500-kilometer closed course; 1,688 mph for a 1,000-kilometer closed course; and 80,257 feet for sustained altitude in horizontal flight.

May 1, 1967

A UH-IF helicopter in Ohio completed the first two-way communication via satellite relay to a NASA ground station in Australia.

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May 2, 1957

The U.S. Air Force accepted its first McDonnell F-101 Voodoo.

Wikipedia's F-101 Voodoo History

May 2, 1977

First Lt. Christine E. Schott becomes the first woman undergraduate pilot training student to solo in the Northrop T-38 Talon supersonic jet trainer.

May 2, 1988

Col. Philip J. Ford flew the last Rockwell (now part of Boeing) B-1B Lancer from the Rockwell International plant to McConnell AFB, Kansas.

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B-1 Nut..

I see that you have included some famous women here too...

Nice to know that they were and are a part of the Aviation History..Once again thank you for the time you take to do this...

Appreciated... :cheers: :blink:

Good going...Hope the trip to move Chopperpilot 71 went okay...

HOLMES

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May 3, 1952

First successful North Pole landing was made. A ski-and-wheel USAF C-47 Skytrain was the aircraft used.

First North Pole Landing story

May 3, 1966

An HC-130H completed the first live ground-to-air recovery with a single harness capture of Capt. Gerald T. Lyvere and a double harness capture of Col. Allison Brooks and Airman 3rd Class Ronald L. Doll. This procedure, known as the "Fulton recovery system" was commonly referred to as the "skyhook".

Wikipedia's Skyhook History

May 3, 1990

An all-Air Force crew flew Northrop's B-2A Spirit for the first time. Lt. Cols. Tom LeBeau and John Small flew the Stealth Bomber on a seven hour, and 20 minute test flight above Edwards AFB, California.

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May 4, 1924

The first helicopter flight in a closed circle is made in France by Etienne Oehmichen's helicopter No.2.

May 4, 1949

The Canadian Blue Devils aerobatic team is formed.

Wikipedia's Blue Devils History

May 4, 1979

First flight Fairchild-Republic A-10B Thunderbolt IIWarthog at Edwards AFB, California.

Aero-Web A-10B Profile

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May 5, 1947

The H-20 Flying Bike, the world's first ramjet helicopter, completed its first flight.

May 5, 1952

The Grumman XF10F-1 Jaguar first flew. It had a swept-wing variable geometry wing.

May 5, 1968

The first non-stop Atlantic crossing by an executive jet aircraft is made as a Grumman Gulfstream II lands in London, England after completing a 3,500-mile (5,633 km) flight from Teterboro, New Jersey.

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May 6, 1912

Three U.S. Army planes made the first group cross-country flight.

May 6, 1937

The Hindenburg, the famous German dirigible, is destroyed by fire and an explosion of an unknown origin during landing proceedings at NAS Lakehurst, New Jersey. 36 people lost their lives.

May 6, 1941

Igor Sikorsky, though aged fifty-nine at the time, pilots the Sikorsky VS-300 helicopter in Stratford, Connecticut, on a flight of 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 26 seconds, a world endurance record for a helicopter.

May 6, 1941

First flight of the P-47 Thunderbolt.

In its 25 years of service, more than 15,600 were made by Republic Aviation in Farmingdale, New York.

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May 7, 1937

The first successful pressurized airplane cabin is achieved in the Lockheed XC-35.

The distinction of the world's first pressurized aircraft goes to the Junkers Ju 49.

Wikipedia's Lockheed XC-35 History

May 7, 1952

First flight of USAF X-17 ramjet test vehicle.

Wikipedia's Lockheed X-17 History

May 7, 1984

First flight Pilatus PC-9, a low-wing tandem-seat turboprop training aircraft.

Wikipedia's PC-p History

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May 8, 1935

Amelia Earhart Putnam flies nonstop from Mexico City to Newark, New Jersey, in 14 hours, 18 minutes, and 30 seconds.

She was the first person to fly this course nonstop from South to North and the only woman to fly it either way.

May 8, 1935

The U.S. Commerce Department announces that blind-landing radio equipment developed by a U.S. Army Air Corps team is to be installed at all major airports between New York and Los Angeles.

May 8, 1973

The Airbus A300B prototype makes the type’s first fully automatic landing in Toulouse, France.

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