Northern Ireland Aviation Enthusiast's Forum
General Aviation Discussion => On This Day ... => Topic started by: Angry Turnip on April 01, 2018, 07:11:43 PM
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A new month,no April Fools in here.
1st April 1911.....The first flight of the Avro Type D,an experimental aircraft,and the first biplane designed by AV Roe.CH Pixton was the pilot,and 7 of the type were built.
1st April 1915.....Lt Roland Garros scores the first WWI kill using a non-synchronised machine gun,in a Morane Saulnier Type L to down a German Albatros.He was shot down and killed 5th Oct 1918.
1st April 1918.....The Royal Flying Corps,and Royal Naval Air Service combine to form the Royal Air Force.Early headquarters were at Hotel Cecil on the Strand in London.
1st April 1921.....French woman Adrianne Bollard becomes the first woman to fly over the Andes.Using a Cauldron biplane her rout from Mendoza Argentina to Santiago Chile,takes 10hrs.
1st April 1924.....The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is established.It is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for operation of naval aircraft.
1st April 1924.....The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is founded.
1st April 1933.....The Indian Air Force commissioned its first squadron,No 1 Sqn had four Westland Wapiti biplanes and five Indian pilots.
1st April 1935.....The first flight of the North American T-6 Texan,a single engine advanced trainer.Used by military forces worldwide,15,495 were built in various versions.
1st April 1939.....The first flight of the iconic Japanese fighter,the Mitsubishi A6M-Zero.The Zero had excellent range and gained a legendary reputation as a dogfighter.
1st April 1940.....The first flight of the Grumman XF5F Skyrocket,a prototype twin engine naval fighter.It had a low wing and a short fuselage,only one was built.
1st April 1947.....A development of the Blackburn Firebrand,the Blackburn Firecrest makes it`s first flight.It is a strike fighter for the FAA-it was found to be unsuitable for carrier use.
1st April 1953.....British European Airways and Air France introduce "tourist class" fares.Later to be widely know as "Sardine Class" :-)
1st April 1954.....The last operational sortie of an RAF Spitfire was by PR Mk19 PS888 from RAF Seletar,Singapore in a photo-recce against bandits in Mayala.
1st April 1955.....Post war bans on powered flight in West Germany are lifted.
1st April 1964.....The Hawker Siddeley HS121 Trident,or de Havilland DH121 as it was originally called,entered service with BEA.
1st April 1975.....SADC is renamed the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).
1st April 1978.....The Canadian Snowbirds aerobatic team officially becomes 431 Air Demonstration Squadron.
1st April 1982.....Air France flies Concorde to Rio De Janerio and Caracas for the last time.
1st April 1993.....A mass flypast to mark the 75th anniversary of the RAF is cancelled due to bad weather.The Queen reviews 70 aircraft on the ground instead.
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2nd April 1937......The Swedish aircraft manufacturer Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolagat (SAA) is established in Trollhattan,Sweden.It later became part of the Saab Group.
2nd April 1949......The first flight of the French SNCASE SE2010 Armagnac,a large French 4 engine airliner.It was powered by P+W R-4360-B13 Wasp Major`s of 3500hp each.
2nd April 1955......Trans Canada Airlines introduce the Vickers Viscount airliner into service.Thus making it the first North American airline to use turbine power aircraft.
2nd April 1957......The first flight of the Short SC.1 (CTOL).It was an experimental aircraft designed to conduct in depth studies into V/TOL flight.
2nd April 1965......The first flight of the Italian built Partenavia Oscar,a two/four seat light tourer high wing monoplane.Over 300 were built,mainly operating in Italy.
2nd April 1982......The Falklands War begins as Argentina in vade the Falkland Islands,South Georgia,and the South Sandwich Islands.A ceasefire was declared on 14th June 1982.
2nd April 1984......Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma becomes the first Indian astronaut,when he is launched with Soyuz T-11.They head to the Salyut 7 Space Station.
2nd April 1987......A RAF Vickers VC-10 sets a new record time between the UK and Perth,Australia of 16hrs and one minute.
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3rd April 1933.....Two British aircraft,a Westland PV-3 and a Westland PV-6,fly over and photograph Mount Everest.The PV-3 was fitted with an uprated engine and prop.
3rd April 1939.....The first flight of the Gloster F.9/37,a twin engine heavy fighter.It was powered by a pair of 14 cylinder 1000hp Bristol Taurus radial engines.
3rd April 1941.....HMS Argus dispatches 12 Hawker Hurricane fighters to a beleaguered Malta,which is relentlessly attacked by German and Italian aircraft.
3rd April 1948.....Alitalia launches it`s first post war service from Rome (Ciampino) to London (Northolt).
3rd April 1953.....BOAC introduces a weekly service to Tokyo using the de Havilland DH-106 Comet jet airliner.
3rd April 1982.....The first flight of the Airbus A310,a twin engine wide body jet airliner.It has also proved popular with military operators.
3rd April 2008.....ATA Airlines formally known as American Trans Air,ceased flight operations.
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3rd April 2008.....ATA Airlines formally known as American Trans Air,ceased flight operations.
That was a sad day. I loved ATA. I had 4 flights on their Tri-Star aircraft including on one that was landing as Air Force 2, and a couple of Hercs were taxiing for take off. Good memories.
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4th April 1907......Santos Dumont makes a second attempt at flight in his No.14 Bis,he manages a short flight of 164ft in Saint-Cyr,France.
4th April 1913......Emmanouil Argyropoulos becomes the first Greek military aviator to die when his Bleriot XI crashes on a recon mission over Thessaloniki during the Balkan wars.
4th April 1917......The first flight of the French WW1 Biplane fighter,the SPAD S.XIII.It was developed from the SPAD S.VII.Almost 8500 were built and were used by many air arms.
4th April 1947......The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is founded in Montreal Canada,its aim is to regulate air transportation worldwide.
4th April 1949......The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is formed.It is a collective defence alliance,formed from North American and European countries.
4th April 1950......The first flight of the French light aircraft trainer/tourer,the Jodel D.11.Engines were available in a range from 55hp to over 100hp.
4th April 1957......The first flight of the English Electric Lightning P.1B XA847 ,a supersonic interceptor / fighter.The P.1A had first flown in 1954.
4th April 1993......The first flight of the Fokker 70,a twin engine narrowbody,medium range jetliner.Sempati Air (now defunct) were the launch customer.
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5th April 1907.....The first flight of the Bleriot V,an experimental monoplane built by Louis Bleriot.It only managed two flights before sustaining unrepairable damage.
5th April 1937.....The Douglas Aircraft Company takes over Northrop.Jack Northrop later founded the Northrop Corporation in 1939,which in 1994 became Northrop Grumman.
5th April 1940.....The first flight of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-1,a WWII era fighter.It was powered by a Mikulin-AM-35A V-12 of 1350HP.It was developed into the Mig-3.
5th April 1944.....The first flight of the Miles M.33 Monitor,a twin engine glider tug.None entered service and the 20 that were built were scrapped.
5th April 1946.....The Brewster Aeronautical Corporation was dissolved by it`s shareholders.It`s best known aircraft was probably the Brewster F2.A known as the Buffalo in British service.
5th April 1959.....The first flight of the Aero L-29 Delfin,a Czechoslovakian military jet trainer and light attack aircraft.3,600 were built and they are now a popular warbird.
5th April 1968.....Monarch Airlines,a charter and low cost airline,it was highly successful in the days of the package holiday,but it folded in October 2017.
5th April 1976.....Howard Hughes,business magnet and aviation engineer and pilot,dies from kidney failure in a Learjet piloted by Jeff Abrams enroute to a hospital.
5th April 1996.....The first flight of the new generation of C-130,the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules.It features a new flight deck,new engines,props,and many advanced systems.
5th April 2008.....Ultra low cost US airline Skybus Airlines folds after less than a year in business.It`s company slogan was "Only the birds fly cheaper"
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5th April 1946.....The Brewster Aeronautical Corporation was dissolved by it`s shareholders.It`s best known aircraft was probably the Brewster F2.A known as the Buffalo in British service.
There were all sorts of weird things that went on in the Brewster factories. Not only did they bid on too much work, leading to delays, but apparently there was a number of the workers who were 'sympathetic' to the Axis cause and sabotaged the aircraft.
After Brewster's own designs were dropped they started to build the Corsair under contract until the Navy cancelled that contract, too, due to poor build quality and once again apparent sabotage. Arrestor hooks would come loose suspiciously easily...
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6th April 1909......Anglo-French Henry Farman takes to the air in his HF1 biplane,the first aircraft to incorporate practical ailerons.
6th April 1917......The USA declares war on Germany,bringing them into WWI.
6th April 1930......US Navy Lt.Apollo Soucek sets a world altitude record of 43,166ft.His aircraft is a Wright XF3W Apache,with a P+W R-1340B 450hp engine.
6th April 1938......The first flight of the US built Bell P-39 Airacobra,it was one of the most successful fixed wing aircraft built by Bell.In total 9588 were built.
6th April 1949......A Sikorsky S-51 completes a world record helicopter flight of 3,750 miles,from Elizabeth,New Jersey to Port Angeles,Washington.
6th April 1957......Aristotle Onassis forms Olympic Airways,from the ashes of former TAE Greek National Airlines which went bankrupt in 1955.
6th April 1962......The RCAF retires its last Canso flying boat of 162 Sqn,Downsview Ontario.Canso was the Canadian name for the Catalina,Canadian-Vickers built 620 under license.
6th April 1965......The BAC TSR.2 Advanced tactical strike and recon aircraft is cancelled.Bitter political fighting surrounded the project,with some suggesting the US F-111 was the best option.
6th April 1967......TWA becomes the first American airline with a fleet made up of entirely jet aircraft.
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7th April 1922.....The first mid-air collision of airliners occurs when a de Havilland DH.18 G-EAWO collides with a Farman F.60 F-GEAD All 7 on board the two aircraft are killed.Both aircraft were following a road as reference,in bad weather.
7th April 1940.....The French twin engine bomber,the Amiot 354 enters service with the French Air Force.Four were commandeered by the Luftwafe after the Battle Of France in WWII.
7th April 1941.....The Douglas A-20 Havoc/Boston enters service with the RAF 85 Sqn as a night fighter.Almost 7500 were built in many different versions.
7th April 1945.....USAAF P-51 Mustangs based on Iwo Jima become the first allied fighters to escort B-29 Superfortresses all the way to Toyko and back.Typical escort flights are 7+ hrs duration.
7th April 1967.....The first flight of the SUD Aviation / Aerospatiale SA340 Gazelle utility helicopter.The SA341 version first flew August 1971.1775 were built,some under license.
7th April 1983.....Space Shuttle Challenger launches.STS-6,this is the first Space Shuttle mission to include a spacewalk.
7th April 1992.....Azerbaijan Airlines is founded,formally established Aug17th 1992.Their headquaters are at Baku,the airline statrted with a mix of Tupolev airliners.
7th April 2006.....The first frrefall test of the X-37,a reusable crewless spacecraft.Upon landing the craft over ran the runway and sustained mainor damage.
7th April 2010.....A minor international incident occured onboard United Airlines flight 663,from Washington DC to Denver.A Qatari diplomat promted an alert after smoking in the toilet.
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8th April 1920.....The first flight of the de Havilland DH.18,it was a single engine biplane with an enclosed cabin for 8.The pilot sat in an open cockpit behind the cabin.
8th April 1931.....Amelia Earhart climbs to a record altitude of 18,415ft in a Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogyro at Willow Grove.
8th April 1943.....The first flight of the Douglas BTD Destroyer,a dive/torpedo bomber developed for the USN.A small number had been delivered before WWII`s end,but none saw combat.
8th April 1946.....Ethiopian Airlines commenced flight operations.It began with 5 Douglas C-47 Skytrains,although intended for military use,the airline operated them in a mixed passenger/cargo configuration.
8th April 1967.....The first flight of the Beagle B.121 Pup.It is a 2/4 seater trainer and touring aircraft.Design and production of the military version,the Bulldog was taken over by Sottish Aviation.
8th April 1988.....Pacific Southwest Airlines shuts down operations and is interegrated into US Air,now called US Airways.
8th April 1993.....Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-56,with ATLAS-2 Science Platform.
8th April 2002.....Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-110,an ISS assembly flight.
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9th April 1929......French airline,Air Union commences a nightly service from Paris to London.They operated a range of Farman and Bleriot aircraft,before merging with 4 other French airlines to form Air France.
9th April 1937......A Mitsubishi Ki-15 named Kamikaze(J-BAAI),makes a record flight from Toyko to London.Flight time 51hrs 17mins.In WWII they served with Japans Airforce and Navy.
9th April 1942......HMS Hermes,the worlds first ship designed to be an aircraft carrier,is sunk by Japanese aircraft near Batticaloa.She becomes the first carrier to be sunk by aircraft.
9th April 1945......The UK transfers escort carrier HMS Biter to France.It is renamed Dixmude,and is Frances first aircraft carrier since the demilitarization of Bearn in 1942.
9th April 1958......One of the most futuristic looking aircraft,the Handley Page Victor enters RAF service with 10Sqn at RAF Cottesmore.Part of the UK`s V-force,they were retired in 1993.
9th April 1959......NASA names the first seven astronauts for the Mercury space programme.The media name them "The Mercury Seven". Catchy :-)
9th April 1960......The monster Soviet Airliner the Tupovlev Tu-114 sets a new world speed record for prop driven aircraft of 545.07 mph.Despite carrying a payload of 26.5 tonnes.
9th April 1964......The first flight of the de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo.It is a STOL turboprop utility aircraft developed from the piston powered DHC-4 Caribou.
9th April 1964......The RCAF officially retires it`s Avro Lancaster`s at Downsview,Ontario.
9th April 1965......The BAC One-Eleven enters service with BUA (British United Airlines).The 1-11 was originally a Hunting Aircraft,but was developed by BAC.Some were built under license in Romania as the Rombac 1-11.
9th April 1967......The first flight of the Boeing B737.It is the best selling commercial jetliner in history.The number built reached 10,000 on 13th March 2018.
9th April 1969......The UK built Concorde 002 G-BSST makes it`s first flight from Filton to Fairford.It is now preserved at RNAS Yeovilton on belhalf of The Science Museum.
9th April 1976......Air France opens it`s second Concorde route,Paris to Caracas Venezuela via a stop at the Azores.The flight time is 6 hours.
9th April 1983......Space Shuttle Challenger lands safely after it`s first mission STS-6.
9th April 1994......Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-59.This was Endeavour`s sixth mission,it was also the subject of a Discovery Channel Special.
9th April 1994......The first Boeing B777,line number WA001 was rolled out in 15 ceremonies held on the day for over 100,000 guests.The first flight was 12th June 1994.
9th April 1997......The first F-22,an engineering and manufacturing development (EMD aircraft) named Raptor 4001 is unveiled at Marietta,Georgia.It first flew 7th Sept 1997.
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10th April 1923.....Daimler Airways begins the first scheduled service between London and Berlin (via Bremen and Hamburg).They operated one DH-18A and 3 DH-34`s.It became part of Imperial Airways in April 1924.
10th April 1930.....English aviatrix Duchess Mary Russell and CD Barnard make a record breaking flight in her Fokker F.VII G-EBTS from Lympne UK to Cape Town.She died aged 71 in a crash over the North Sea near Great Yarmouth in a DH60 GIII Moth Major G-ACUR,her body was never recovered.
10th April 1933.....The first flight oof the Airspeed AS5 Courier,a six seat single engine light aircraft.It was powered by a Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVC radial of 240hp.
10th April 1945.....The Luftwaffe launches it`s last sortie over the UK,an Arado Ar234 jet powered recon/bomber aircraft,on a recon mission.
10th April 1963.....The first flight of the German built EWR VJ101-the worlds first supersonic V/STOL aircraft. Nope,I had never heard of it either ! Learning Day. :-)
10th April 1967.....Gates Rubber Company aquires a controling interest in Learjet Industries.
10th April 1969.....The first European air force to take delivery of the Lockheed P3-B Orion maritime patrol and ASW aircraft,is The Royal Norwegian Air Force.
10th April 1979.....The first flight of the Westland 30,a medium sized helicopter aimed at the VIP market.Interest was limited and only 41 were completed.
10th April 1981.....The first flight of the SIAI-Marchetti S.211,a turbofan powered jet trainer and light attack aircraft.60 were built,mainly for export.
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10th April 1981.....The first flight of the SIAI-Marchetti S.211,a turbofan powered jet trainer and light attack aircraft.60 were built,mainly for export.
One of those, privately-owned, appears in some scenes of the movie Hot Shots. Subbing for Gnats & Ajeets, it blends in well and you have to keep your eyes sharp:
http://www.impdb.org/index.php?title=File:Hot-Shots_S-211_0h39m50.jpg
By the way the latest Airfix release of the Gnat model has decals for The Navy :)
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11th April 1908.....Leon Delagrange makes a flight of 6 mins 30secs in his Voisin-Delagrange No.2.He was killed on 4th Jan 1910 in a crash when his monoplane collapsed in a turn in windy conditions.
11th April 1911.....The US Army establishes it`s first permanent flight school at Collage Park,Maryland.
11th April 1921.....The first flight of the Short Cromarty,a prototype twin engine biplane flying boat.It was powered by a pair of Rolls Royce Condor IA engines of 650HP each.
11th April 1934.....Renato Donati sets a new altitude record of 47,352ft in a modified Caproni CA.113.It was powered by a 370hp Piaggio Stella VII C.35 engine.
11th April 1943.....The first flight of the Piasecki PV-2,a technology demonstrator helicopter.It was the second successful helicopter to fly in the USA.
11th April 1952.....The first flight of the tandem rotor Piasecki H-21 Shawnee helicopter.It was known as the "flying banana",it served with US and French military forces.
11th April 1958.....North American Aviation is issued a contract to build two prototypes of the XF-108 Rapier high speed interceptor.One mockup is built before the project is scrapped.
11th April 1970.....Apollo 13 is launched.Lovell,Haise,and Swigert`s mission becomes one of survival,after an explosion destroyed both power and propulsion systems of the Service Module.
11th April 2018.....A IL-76 Transport aircraft crashes shortly after takeoff from Boufarik Airbase,Algeria. Sadly all 257 on board are killed.
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12th April 1911.....Pierre Prier makes the first non-stop flight from London to Paris.
12th April 1918.....During WWI,Capt HW.Woolett of 43 Sqn RAF,scores six kills in two sorties including five Albatros DV`s.
12th April 1935.....The first flight of the Type 142 Bristol Blenheim,a light bomber/fighter of WWII.Originally a civil design,the military version the Type 142M made it`s first flight June 1936.
12th April 1937.....Frank Whittle ground tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft,at the Thomson-Houston factory in Rugby.
12th April 1961.....Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space,in Vostok 1,he orbits the Earth once in 108 mins.
12th April 1966.....The first flight of the prototype Pilatus PC-7,the Swiss built light trainer is still in production with over 600 built in different versions.
12th April 1981.....STS-1,the first launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia,blasts off on a two day mission from Kennedy Space Centre,Crew is John W.Young and Robert L.Crippen.
12th April 1989.....A British Airways Concorde G-BOAF loses a large piece of it`s rudder on a special charter flight between Christchurch and Sydney.
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13th April 1919.....The first flight of the civil version of the Vickers Vimy bomber.The Vimy commercial had a wider fuselage and featured an enclosed cabin for ten passengers.
13th April 1920.....The first flight of the Nieuport London,it was a twin engine triplane bomber,powered by ABC-Dragonfly 9 cylinder,air cooled radial engines of 320hp each.
13th April 1928.....The first nonstop flight across the Atlantic East to West,James Fitzmaurice and crew fly from Baldonnel to Greenly Island Canada,in a Junkers W.33 in 37hrs,as they were blown off course.
13th April 1931.....The first flight of the Boeing YB-9,it was the first all metal monoplane bomber designed for the USAAC.It was a twin engine aircraft,only seven were built.
13th April 1940.....The RAF begin deploying sea mines around the German coastal areas.
13th April 1945.....The last Boeing built B-17 is delivered,12,371 were completed,and as of 2015,ten are still airworthy,although none of them were ever flown in combat.
13th April 1966.....In Seattle,Boeing announces an order worth $525 million from Pan Am for 25 Boeing B747`s. I wonder how many that would buy now? 4 or 5 perhaps???
13th April 1984.....The Space Shuttle`s 11th mission (STS-41C) ends successfully after Challenger`s 5 man crew lands at Edwards Air Force Base.The mission was originally numbered STS-13.
13th April 1990.....The first flight of the Russian Sukhoi Su-34 (Fullback),a two crew,twin engine fighter bomber,strike aircraft.Developed from the SU-27,114 have been built so far.
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14th April 1906......The Wright Brothers send letters to the Ministers of War of Germany,Italy,Russia,and Japan offering to sell them aircraft.
14th April 1929......Ed Link introduced a ground based fighter trainer.During WWII alone over 500,000 pilots received flight training in the Link Trainer.
14th April 1945......An RAF Avro Lancaster bomber on a night raid against Postdam,is the last British bomber to be shot down by a Luftwaffe night fighter in WWII.
14th April 1947......The first flight of the Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak,a turbojet powered research aircraft.The engine was an Allison J35-A-11 of 5,000lbs thrust.
14th April 1949......The first flight of the Helio Courier,a US built high wing,light STOL Utility aircraft.Powered by a 295HP Lycoming GO-480 G1-D6 geared 6 cylinder engine.
14th April 1962......The first flight of the Bristol 188,a British supersonic research aircraft.One of the three built,survives at RAF Cosford Museum,minus it`s engines.
14th April 1981......Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-1) lands safely back at Edwards AFB on runway 23,after it`s first test mission.
14th April 1986......(overnight) Operation El Dorado Canyon.US forces launch airstrikes against Libya and it`s leader Col.Gaddafi.One USAF F-111 Bomber was shot down by a Libyan ZSU-23-4 Mobile AA System.
14th April 1992......Turkish low cost airline Onur Air is established,intially using A320 and MD-80`s.It seems they don`t operate to the UK at present,they were a regular at BFS not so long ago.
14th April 2010......Eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland,created an ash cloud that led to the closure of large areas of European IFR airspace,from 15th to 20th April.
14th April 2018......US,UK and French military launch missile and airstrikes against military targets,involved in Syria`s chemical weapons infrastructure.
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14th April 1929......Ed Link introduced a ground based fighter trainer.During WWII alone over 500,000 pilots received flight training in the Link Trainer.
There's an old Donald Duck cartoon wherein he goes to an amusement arcade and has a go in a Link-type simulator for 5 cents; most of the early sales were for entertainment instead of training!
Link still exist as a division of CAE, the big Canadian simulation company.
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14th April 1929......Ed Link introduced a ground based fighter trainer.During WWII alone over 500,000 pilots received flight training in the Link Trainer.
There's an old Donald Duck cartoon wherein he goes to an amusement arcade and has a go in a Link-type simulator for 5 cents; most of the early sales were for entertainment instead of training!
Link still exist as a division of CAE, the big Canadian simulation company.
I recall one of the UAS members had Link Machine that he was restoring,but I`m not sure if the project ever got finished.
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15th April 1909.....Wilbur Wright makes a 10 min demonstration flight at Centocelle Field,Rome.
15th April 1919.....Collier USS Jupiter,is selected by the US Navy for conversion into it`s first aircraft carrier,(CV-1 AV-3) USS Langley.
15th April 1935.....The Douglas TBD Devastator makes it`s first flight.It was a US Navy torpedo bomber.They entered service in 1937,but quickly became outdated by more modern machines of WWII.
15th April 1936.....The North American BT-9 trainer makes it`s first flight. It was designated NA-19 by the manufacturer it had evolved from the NA-16 which flew a year earlier.
15th April 1941.....Easter Tuesday,200 bombers of the Luftwaffe attacked military and manufacturing targets in Belfast.Over 900 died and 1500 injured in the second German raid on the city.
15th April 1943.....The first production model of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress is rolled out at the Wichita plant.Almost 4000 of these strategic bombers were built in different versions.
15th April 1947.....BOAC launch its first regular service to Canada,it is a weekly flight from London to Montreal using a Lockheed Constellation aircraft.
15th April 1948.....A Pan-Am Lockheed Constellation ( Flt 1-10) crashes on approach to Shannon Airport.Out of the 31 persons on board,sadly only one survives.
15th April 1952.....The first flight of the B-52 Boeing Stratofortress Strategic Bomber.The B-52H`s still in service,are powered by 8 P+W TF-33 P3/103 turbofans,a number of re-engining plans have all been scrubbed.
15th April 1965.....The first flight of the Aerospatiale SA330 Puma,a twin engined medium utility helicopter.They have operated in many roles worldwide with civil and military operators.
15th April 1971.....The AV-8A Harrier entered service with the US Marine Corps,VMA-513.The AV-8A`s and AV-8C` were retired in 1987,but the AV-8B` ares till in service,due to be replaced by the F-35.
15th April 2009.....The Russian ATA cancels the operating license of airline Elbrus-Avia.The airline operated 4 x Yak 42`s and 3 x Yak 40`s,plus some Mil-Mi 2 and Mil-Mi 8 Helicopters.
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16th April 1912.....Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly across the English Channel.She was killed in an accident over Boston Harbour 1st July 1912,she was only 37.
16th April 1913.....The first Schneider Trophy air races are held at Monaco,Maurice Prevost won in a Deperdussin Monoplane,with an avergae speed of the 6.2mile course of a blistering 45.75 mph.
16th April 1923.....Lt McCready and Lt Kelly USAAS flew a modified Fokker F.IV over a closed circuit at Ohio,for a duration record 36hrs,14mins and 8 secs non-stop.
16th April 1929.....The first flight of the Short Gurnard,a single engine,two seat biplane naval fighter.It failed to attract orders,and only two were completed.
16th April 1935.....The first airline flight from the continental US to Hawaii,is made by a Pan-Am Sikorsky S-42 flying boat.
16th April 1937.....The Supermarine Stranraer flying boat entered RAF service.Aircrew named it "The Whistling S**thouse" as the toilet opened directly to the air,and when the seat was lifted airflow caused it to whistle.
16th April 1941.....Igor Sikorsky demonstrates the VS-300 Helicopter by hovering for over an hour over Straford Connecticut,setting a new helicopter record.
16th April 1949.....The first flight of the Lockheed F-94 Starfire,an all weather interceptor.Developed from the T-33,it was the first operational USAF to have an afterburner.
16th April 1956.....The US Navy`s first supersonic fighter,the Douglas F4D Skyray enters service.
16th April 1961.....The first flight of the British light aircraft,the Beagle Airedale,it was a 4 seat high wing monoplane,originally designed as the Auster D8.
16th April 1969.....The first flight of the Czech short range transport,the Let L-410 Turbolet.Designed as a replacement for the Antonov An-2,over 1200 have been produced.
16th April 1972.....Apollo 16 is launched,crewed by Young,Duke,and Mattingly.They land on the lunar surface 21st April 1972 at the Descartes Crater.
16th April 1973.....The Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante entered service.It is a 15-21 pax turboprop light transport for military or civil operators.501 were produced in several versions.
16th April 1988.....The first flight of the McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk jet trainer.It is a carrier capable version of the BAe Hawk,all have been upgraded to the glass cockpit T-45C spec.
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17th April 1913.....Gustav Hamel lands after a nonstop flight of 4 hrs 18mins from Dover to Cologne in a Bleriot XI aircraft.
17th April 1934.....The first flight of the "Stringbag",The Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber.The Swordfish was also produced by Blackburn (1699) and Fairey built (692).
17th April 1934.....The first flight of the de Havilland Dragon Rapide,a short haul biplane airliner,that saw use with civil and military operators where it was known as the Dominie.
17th April 1944.....Howard Hughes and TWA`s Jack Frye fly a Lockheed Constellation from Burbank to Washington DC in a record time of 6hrs,57mins.
17th April 1957.....The first flight of the French built Nord 3202,a military two-seat trainer.Power came from a Potez 4D 32,4cylinder air cooled engine of 240hp.
17th April 1963.....Joseph A.Walker flies the North American Bell X-15A to a height of 271,000ft.He died in 1966 in a collision with the NA XB-70 Valkyrie whilst flying an F-104 Starfighter.
17th April 1970.....The crew of Apollo 13 return to Earth safely,after suffering an explosion on board their craft enroute to the moon.
17th April 1973.....Federal Express delivers it`s first parcel.( well actually they left it with a neighbour,as the driver couldn`t be arsed walking up the lane) :-)
17th April 1973.....The first flight of the Polish built PZL-106 Kruk,an agricultural aircraft for crop dusting work.
17th April 2012.....The Shuttle Carrier B747 carries the retired Space Shuttle Discovery from Florida to Washington DC to be put on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
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18th April 1916......Nieuport Sqn No.124 unofficially known as the American Sqn,is made up of volunteers under the command of French Capt Georges Thenault.
18th April 1942......The General Electric 1-A is the first working jet engine built in the US.It was a basically a copy of Frank Whittle`s company Power Jets W.2B engine.
18th April 1942......Col.James Doolittle leads a force of 16 B-25 Mitchells flying from USS Hornet on a raid over Tokyo,in what becomes known as the Doolittle Raid.
18th April 1950......The first flight of the Convair XP-5Y-1,it was the worlds first turboprop flying boat to fly.The design was developed into the R3Y Tradewind for the USN.
18th April 1952......The first flight of the Convair YB-60 prototype strategic bomber.It was powered by 8 P+W J57 P3 Turbojets,just like the aircraft it lost out to,the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.
18th April 1967......Aeroflot and Japan Air Lines jointly launch a Moscow to Tokyo service.
18th April 1973......The results of the USAF A-X fly off are announced with the winner being the Farichild YA-10 over the Northrop YA-9.Production of the A-10 ended in 1984 with 716 built.
18th April 1978......The Vickers Viscount becomes the first turboprop airliner to see 25 years in service.First flight was 16th July 1948,entered service 18th April 1953 with BEA.
18th April 1981......Bell Helicopters delivers it`s 25,000th helicopter,a Bell 222 for Omniflight Helicopters.
18th April 1986......STS-61C Space Shuttle Columbia returns to earth.The next Space Shuttle mission is the Challenger Disaster.
18th April 2006......The first flight of the Diamond D-Jet,a composite five seat single engine very light jet.Built by Austrian Diamond Aircraft Industries.Development was suspended in 2013.
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18th April 1950......The first flight of the Convair XP-5Y-1,it was the worlds first turboprop flying boat to fly.The design was developed into the R3Y Tradewind for the USN.
How odd, I watched a restored film about the Tradewind yesterday!
Amazing machine, I particularly like how it can refuel four Cougars at once:
Convair R3Y Tradewind Flying Boat: "A Report on the Tradewind" ~ 1956 Convair Div., General Dynamics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elz8UQ-qkDI
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19th April 1907.....Louis Bleriot flew his Bleriot V briefly before his aircraft stalled,and hit the ground somersaulting,Bleriot was very lucky not to injured or killed.His aircraft was destroyed.
19th April 1916.....A German Navy Zeppelin bombs Great Yarmouth and King`s Lynn,it is the first major aerial bombardment of a civilian target,at least 20 are killed.
19th April 1924.....Raul Pateras-Pescara`s helicopter manages a flight of 4mins,11 secs at a height of 6ft covering 2500ft.His machine incorporates auto-rotation incase power is lost.
19th April 1937.....Howard Hughes sets a new US transcontinental record in a modified H-1 Racer.His time is 7hrs 28 mins LA to NYC,beating his own previous record by 2 hrs.
19th April 1944.....The first flight of the de Havilland DH103 Hornet,a long range land and naval fighter.Slightly smaller than it`s Mosquito,it was powered by RR Merlin 130/131 engines of 2070hp each.
19th April 1945.....The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is formed to fix rates and ensure coopertion on flight safety.It succeeds the previous 1919 IATA.
19th April 1951.....The first flight of the de Havilland Sea Venom,a carrier capable fighter bomber.Power came from a Rolls Royce Ghost 103 to 105 turbojet engine.
19th April 1960.....The first flight of the Grumman A-6 Intruder,a twinjet,midwing all weather attack aircraft.An electronic warfare version was known as the EA-6 Prowler.
19th April 1979.....The first flight of the Learjet 55 business jet.It was planned to have 3 "50" series Learjets,but only the 55 went into production.Build total 147.
19th April 1985.....STS-51D,Space Shuttle Discovery landed KSC,runway 33.First spaceflight of a sitting politician by US Senetor Jack Garn.
19th April 2006.....Jet Airways purchase Air Sahara,creating the largest domestic airline in India.
19th April 2009.....Russian regional airline Arkaim is established.It is based at Ufa Bashkortostan.
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20th April 1914.....British pilot Howard Pixton wins the Schneider Trophy in a Sopwith Schneider,his average speed over the course was 86.78mph.
20th April 1918.....Capt Manfred von Richthofen shoots down his 79th and 80th victim of WW1.
20th April 1938.....Air Commodore Arthur Harris visits the US,to purchase aircraft to expand the RAF.The North American Harvard and Lockheed Hudson are selected.
20th April 1938.....The first flight of the Japanese built Tachikawa KI-36,a two seat low wing monoplane that was mainly used as a light fighter/bomber and trainer.
20th April 1959.....Aeroflot puts the Illushin Il-18 into commercial service-it is Aerflot`s first turboprop aircraft.
20th April 1964.....The first flight of the Lockheed L-100 Hercules,it is the civilian version of the venerable military C-130 Hercules.
20th April 1978.....Korean Airlines Flt 902 (A Boeing B707) is fired on by Soviet SU-15`s and forced to land on a frozen lake,after it had strayed wildly into Soviet airspace over the Arctic Circle. Two passengers are killed when an air to air missle hit the aircraft,and caused a decompression.
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21st April 1914.....Cameraman BC.Hucks takes the first news movie shot from the air,filming the Royal Yacht with King George aboard crossing the English Channel to Calais.
21st April 1918.....Capt Manfred von Richthofen is shot down and killed.The legendary "Red Baron" kill is credited to Cpt Roy Brown,but recent investigations show he was shot from the ground by Australian troops.
21st April 1928.....US pilot Carl Elison and explorer Hubert Wilkins arrive in Spitzbergen,Norway in a Lockheed Vega,after making the first air crossing of the Arctic circle.
21st April 1933.....The first flight of the USS Macon (ZRS-5) rigid airship operated by the US Navy.In Feb 1935 it was damaged in a storm and sank off Monterey Bay.
21st April 1956.....The first flight of the Douglas F5D Skylancer,a fighter developed from the F4D Skyray.Four were built,two were operated by NASA,one of which was flown by Neil Armstrong for the X-20 Dyna-soar programme.
21st April 1964.....The first flight of the Hamburger Flugzeugbau HFB 320 Hansa Jet,a twin engine,ten seater,business jet.Forty Seven aircraft were built.
21st April 1972.....Apollo 16 lands on the Moon,it laned in the lunar highlands,the idea being to retrive older lunar samples.Crew is Young,Duke,and Mattingly.
21st April 1975.....The first flight of the Dominion Skytrader,a STOL Utility aircraft.Only one was built as it failed to find a market.Seemed to resemble an BN Islander.
21st April 1990.....Aeritalia (Italian aerospace company) becomes one of the Airbus Consortium.
21st April 2002.....The first flight of the Russian 3 seater Irkut A-002 Autogyro.To date only five have been built.
21st April 2011.....The Sukhoi Superjet 100 enters service with Armenia`s flag carrier,Armavia.The SSJ100 is a twin engine fly-by wire regional jet.To date 156 have been completed.
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22nd April 1912.....Dennis Corbett Wilson makes the first aeroplane crossing from Britain to Ireland.He used a Bleriot XI,he was killed in action in France 10th May 1915.
22nd April 1939.....The first flight of the Lockheed Vega Starliner.It had a unusual powerplant,two engines side by side which could be used together,or separately to drive the single prop.
22nd April 1939.....The first flight of the Italian prototype fighter,the Aeronautica Umbra Trojani AUT.18.The sole example built was given the serial MM363.
22nd April 1958.....The first flight of the Vertol V-107 prototype tandem rotor helicopter.It was further developed by Boeing Vertol into the CH-46 Seaknight,and the CH-47 Chinook.
22nd April 1965.....The first flight of the weird looking agricultural aircraft,the Transavia PL-12 Airtruk.It was designed and built in Australia,and 118 were completed.
22nd April 1971.....Another first flight,the Argentine built Aero Boero AB-210,it was a civil utility aircraft with a fuel injected engine.It failed to go into production.
22nd April 1971.....The British and French governments give the go-ahead to build four more Concordes,bringing the total to 10 at that time.
22nd April 1985.....Pan-Am sells it`s Pacific division to Untied Airlines,the deal includes all B747SP`s,half of it`s Tri-stars and one DC-10.
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23rd April 1918......Lt.Paul Baer downs his fifth enemy aircraft,becoming the first ace of the American Expeditionary Force.He is killed in an aircraft crash in Shanghai in 1930
23rd April 1939......The age at which a pilot license can be obtained,is raised from 16 to 18 in the USA.
23rd April 1945......USAAF Boeing B-17G 43-38856 crashed into North Barrule on the IOM killing 31 on board.It was on a ferry flight to Nutts Corner carrying personnel on leave.
23rd April 1956......The first flight of the Douglas C-133 Cargomaster,a large turboprop cargo aircraft.It was operated by the USAF and NASA,with 50 examples built.
23rd April 1965......The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter (63-8088),a military strategic airlifter enters USAF service with 44 Air Transport Squadron,1501 ATW at Travis AFB.
23rd April 1988......The US bans smoking on all flights of a duration of less than two hours.In fact 80% of domestic flights keep their no smoking signs for the duration.
23rd April 1994......Airbus delivers the first of 25 Airbus A300-600F dedicated freighters to Fed-Ex.
23rd April 1996......The first flight of the Extra EA-400,a six seat single engined monoplane.Expensive to build,to buy and operate,only 27 were completed.
23rd April 2005......The first flight of the VLJ class businees jet,the Cessna Citation Mustang.Production ended in 2017 with 470 completed.It is powered by 2 × P+W Canada PW615F turbofans.
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24th April 1909.....Wilbur Wright makes a number of flights at Centocelle,Rome.During one a Universal News cameraman goes with him and takes the first movie film from an aircraft in flight.
24th April 1911.....Lt`s M.Longmure and C.R Samson become the first Royal Navy officers to qualify as pilots,after only two months training.
24th April 1924.....In an attempt to fly around the world,French Captain Georges Pelletier d’Oisy and Adjutant Lucien Besin depart Paris in a Breguet 19.A2.They get as far as Shanghai before giving up.
24th April 1933.....The first flight of the Grumman JF Duck,a single-engine amphibious biplane built for the US Navy.48 examples were built including 8 for Argentina.
24th April 1942.....The first flight of the Miles M.25 Martinet,it was the first aircraft specifically designed to tow targets.Over 1700 were built,all at Woodley in Berkshire.
24th April 1944.....As part of the USAAF build up of the 20th Airforce,Boeing B-29 Superfortresse`s start to arrive in China,to begin a bombing offensive against Japan.
24th April 1946.....The first flight of the Yakovlev Yak-15,a Soviet turbojet fighter,using a reverse-engineered German Junkers Jumo 004 engine.It was based on the piston engine Yak-3.
24th April 1946.....The first flight of the Mig-9,another turbojet using German reverse-engineering,this time the BMW 003.Flameouts were common when firing the guns at altitude.
24th April 1957.....Columbia Helicopters in Oregon is founded.The largest heavylift helicopter company in the world.They operate Boeing Vertol 107-II and Boeing 234 Chinook tandem rotor helicopters.
24th April 1967.....Cosmonaut Col.Vladimir Komarov suffers history’s first in-flight spaceflight fatality,as the parachutes on the Soyuz 1 spacecraft fail during its return to earth.
24th April 1990.....Launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-31-This mission deployed the Hubble Space Telescope.
24th April 2001.....The longest point-to-point flight ever undertaken by an unmanned aircraft,and the first pilotless aircraft to cross the Pacific Ocean,UAV RQ-4 Global Hawk makes a non-stop flight from California to Australia.
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25th April 1922.....The first flight of the Stout ST,a twin-engine torpedo bomber built for the US Navy.Its primary feature was its corrugated metal construction, a new technique for the time.
25th April 1939.....The first flight of the French Arsenal VG-33,a light fighter aircraft under development at the start of World War II,but it never took part in combat.
25th April 1955.....The first flight of the FFA P-16,a Swiss prototype ground attack jet fighter.The project was cancelled in favour of the British Hawker Hunter,with only 5 machines built.
25th April 1968.....Apollo 6's SIV-B staqe re-enters the Earth's atmosphere and the Apollo 6 command module is recovered.Apollo 6 was an unmanned test of the Saturn V launch vehicle.
25th April 1986.....The first flight of the US built,Air Tractor AT-501.It`s an agricultural aircraft,monoplane taildragger with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-45R turboprop of 1100 HP.
25th April 1996.....The first flight of the Yakovlev Yak-130,a two seat advanced trainer.It has also been marketed as a potential light attack aircraft.In 1993 Yakovlev entered an agreement with the Italian company Aermacchi,to work together on the aircraft,but in 2000,differences in priorities between the two firms,meant they developed the aircraft seperately.The Italian version is called the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master.
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25th April 1955.....The first flight of the FFA P-16,a Swiss prototype ground attack jet fighter.The project was cancelled in favour of the British Hawker Hunter,with only 5 machines built.
The P-16 had a Lear-Siegler flight-control system and Bill Lear Jr did some test-flying in it after two Swiss test-pilots had crashed their aircraft ( I think he might have been trying to prove a point! ).
He seems to have liked it since the wing planform was used as the basis of the Learjet, which was designed by the redundant FFA team to his requirements.
(http://d2rormqr1qwzpz.cloudfront.net/photos/2015/01/08/55-72338-p-16_lear-1420736499.jpg)
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26th April 1915.....2nd Lt William Rhodes-Moorhouse is the first airman to receive the Victoria Cross (posthumous).He is badly wounded and his aircraft shot up after a bombing raid.He gets his aircraft back to base,making his report before seeking any medical help.He died of his injuries the next day.
26th April 1924.....Imperial Airways makes its first scheduled flight, from Croydon Aerodrome to Paris, using a de Havilland DH.34.
26th April 1937..... Luftwaffe bombers of Legion Condor attack Guernica,killing over 1000 civilians in a raid lasting over three hours.
26th April 1942.....The first flight of the North American XB-28 Dragon,a prototype high altitude medium bomber.It proved to be an excellent desgin but it didn`t go into production.
26th April 1943.....The British deploy "Ground Grocer", the first device capable of jamming the airborne Lichtenstein radar employed by German night fighters.
26th April 1962.....The first flight of the Lockheed A-12,a high speed,high altitude reconnaissance aircraft built for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
26th April 1963.....The first flight of the FMA IA 50 Guaraní II,an Argentine twin turboprop utility aircraft.
26th April 1972.....The Lockheed L-1011 Tristar enters service with Eastern Airlines.It was a medium to long range widebody jet aairliner.Production ended in 1984 with 250 aircraft.
26th April 1987.....The first full-scale prototype of Saab’s hi-tech JAS 39 Gripen is unveiled in Sweden.It is a light single engine multi-role fly-by-wire fighter.
26th April 1995.....A Mikoyan MiG-29 sets a new FAI class C-1 h world altitude record of 90,092 ft.Over 1600 of these popular aircraft have been built and are in service worldwide.
26th April 2002.....The first flight of the Extra EA-500,a development of the EA-400 6 seat utility aircraft,but with a turboprop engine,instead of the EA-400`s piston powerplant.
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Due to illness,no bits of info for April 27th today,I will do a double episode for 27th/28th April tomorrow.
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27th April 1929....SQNL .A.G.Jones-Williams and Fl Lt N. H. Jenkins complete the first nonstop flight from England to India; they fly the 4,130 miles in 50 hours, 37 min in a Fairey LongRange Monoplane.
27th April 1932....Imperial Airways commences a regular passenger service to Cape Town.The journey took around 10 tens to complete.
27th April 1941....HMS Argus flies off 23 RAF Hawker Hurricanes to the besieged island of Malta,which had endured attacks by the Italian Air Force and the Luftwaffe.
27th April 1945....The first flight of the Swiss Pilatus PC-2 military trainer.It saw service with the Swiss AirForce from 1946 to 1981.It was powered by an Argus 465HP Air cooled engine.
27th April 1952....The first flight of the Tupolev Tu-16 "Badger",A Soviet built twin jet engine strategic bomber.Over 1500 were built,some Chinese built Xian H-6`s are still in service.
27th April 1991....The first flight of the Eurocopter Tiger,a twin engine attack helicopter.The Tiger has the distinction of being the first all-composite helicopter developed in Europe.
27th April 2002....Final successful telemetry is received from the Pioneer 10 space probe, floating nearly 7.5 billion miles from earth,it was launched in 1972.
27th April 2005....F-WWOW the first registered Airbus A380 makes it`s first flight.It is equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines.
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2853/12405489465_d7aeb8ff36.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/jUenPp)Airbus A380 F-WWOW (https://flic.kr/p/jUenPp) by Paul McAllister / AT Images (https://www.flickr.com/photos/97499763@N06/), on Flickr
27th April 2008....Eos Airlines ceases operations.Eos was an American all business class airline that operated from JFK to London Stansted using Boeing B757-200 aircraft.
27th April 2011....The first flight of the Boeing Phantom Ray,the autonomous UCAV is a flying wing,around the size of a conventional jet fighter.
27th April 2013....The Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes its first passenger-carrying flight since the worldwide grounding of Dreamliners in January 2013.
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28th April 1927.....The first airmail service north of the Arctic Circle begins between Fairbanks and Wiseman, Alaska.
28th April 1948.....The first non-stop Paris/New York flight is made by an Air France sleeper Constellation; the journey from Orly airport, near Paris, takes 16 hours, 1 min.
28th April 1967.....After sounding each other out for a few years,Douglas Aircraft Company and McDonnell Aircraft Corporation are officially merged to form McDonnell Douglas.
28th April 1979.....Air Berlin USA commenced revenue services on 28 April 1979 with a flight from Berlin-Tegel to Palma de Mallorca.Their first aircraft were two ex-TWA Boeing B707`s.
28th April 1991.....Launch: Space Shuttle Discovery STS-39 at 11:33:14 UTC. Mission highlights: First unclassified DoD mission; military science experiments.
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29th April 1918.....Top-scoring American ace of World War I-Eddie Rickenbacker,flying a Nieuport 28 fighter scores his first victory,downing a German Pfalz D.III. fighter.
29th April 1930.....The first flight of the Soviet fighter,the Polikarpov I-5 was a single-seat biplane.It was powered by a 480HP Shvetsov M-22 9-cylinder, single-row radial engine.
29th April 1954.....Convair becomes a division of General Dynamics.In 1994,General Dynamics Corporation split then sold the original Convair Division,along with other General Dynamics aerospace units.
29th April 1959.....The first flight of the Dornier Do28 A/B Variant.it is a STOL Utility aircraft with two 180 hp (130 kW) Lycoming O-360-A1A engines and fixed pitch two-blade propellers.
29th April 1961.....The first flight of the Potez 840,was a 1960s French four-engined 18-passenger executive monoplane,the last aircraft to use the Potez name.
29th April 1961.....The supercarrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) is commissioned.It`s the second naval ship named after Kitty Hawk,North Carolina,site of the Wright brothers' first powered airplane flight.
29th April 1964.....(BOAC) introduces the VC10 jet airliner into regular passenger service, on its route to Lagos, Nigeria.
29th April 1966.....The first flight of the Neiva N621 Universal,a Brazilian piston engined basic trainer and ground attack aircraft manufactured by Indústria Aeronáutica Neiva.
29th April 1968.....United Air Lines becomes the first carrier to put the Boeing 737-200, a larger capacity version of the standard 737, into service.
29th April 1971.....First flight of the Piper-PA-Enforcer,the ultimate development of the P-51 Mustang,it was a turboprop-powered light close air support aircraft.
29th April 1981.....The first flight of the Myasishchev VM-T Atlant,it was modified to carry rocket boosters and the Soviet space shuttles of the Buran program.It is also known as the 3M-T.
29th April 1985.....Launch: Space Shuttle Challenger STS-51-B at 16:38:00 UTC.Spacelab mission.The shuttle landed successfully on May 6, 1985, after a week-long mission.
29th April 1988.....The first flight of the Boeing B747-400,the 747-400 features numerous technological and structural changes,the most obvious are 6-foot winglets and wing tip extensions.
29th April 1991.....The first flight of the Cessna Citation 525 business jet.Variants are marketed under the CJ, CJ1, CJ1+, M2, CJ2, CJ2+, CJ3, CJ3+, CJ4 and CJ4+ names.
29th April 2013.....Virgin Galactic's commercial spacecraft SpaceShipTwo makes its first powered flight.It is released by it`s jet-powered mothership,White Knight Two over the Mojave Desert.
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30th April 1917.....The Pacific Aero Products Company changes its name to Boeing Airplane Company, with William E. Boeing as its president.
30th April 1919.....The first flight of the Avro Baby,a British single-seat light sporting biplane,it was designed by Roy Chadwick.Bert Hinkler used G-EACQ for several long distance flights.
30th April 1932.....An international code of air traffic communication is formally established.The new code is based on a series of three-letter code starting with the letter “Q”.
30th April 1933.....Midland and Scottish Air Ferries Ltd begin the first internal air service in Scotland, Renfrew – Campbeltown.
30th April 1950.....The first flight of the Sud-Est Grognard,an odd looking French single-seat, low-level ground-attack aircraft,powered by a Rolls Royce Nene 101 Turbojet.
30th April 1958.....The first flight of the Blackburn Buccaneer,a British carrier-borne attack aircraft,when the RN retired them in 1978,the RAF took on 60 of the aircraft.
30th April 1969.....The first female airline pilot in western Europe, Turi Widerose of Norway,makes her first scheduled flight as a first officer for Scandinavian Airlines
30th April 1982.....The United Kingdom declares an air blockade of the Falkland Islands,which were captured by Argentine troops.
30th April 1985.....The first flight of the British Aerospace Harrier II,derived from the AV-8B Harrier II.Initial deliveries of the Harrier II were designated in service as Harrier GR5.