March Flying bits

[Angry Turnip]

17th March 1908.....AEA Red Wing is destroyed in a crash in only it`s second flight.

17th March 1935.....Germany makes the colour coding of vital parts obligatory-red for fire circuit breakers,green for temp regulators,yellow for throttles,brown for hydraulic circuits.

17th March 1936.....A passenger caught lighting a cigarette in the toilet on board an Imperial Airways Handley Page HP.42 enroute Paris to London is fined £10.

17th March 1936.....The first flight of the British twin engine medium bomber,the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley.Over 1800 were built.BOAC used some in a civil role.

17th March 1937.....Amelia Earhart flies her Lockheed Electra from Oakland California to Wheeler Field,Hawaii on the first leg of her attempted around the world flight.

17th March 1947.....The "Flying Flapjack" the Vought XF5U,an experimental disc shaped fighter,is cancelled.It was powered by a pair of P+W R2000 Radial engines of 1600hp each.

17th March 1958.....French airline Air Inter commences operations,its first route was Paris to Strasbourg,although full scale operations didn`t start until 1960.

17th March 1961.....The Northrop T-38 Talon enters service with the USAF.It was the worlds first supersonic trainer.Still in service 50 years on with the USAF and NASA and others.

17th March 1966.....The first flight of the Bell X-22,a four tilted ducted fan engined V/STOL Xplane.The programme was scrapped after two prototypes had flown.

17th March 1969.....The first flight of the French utility helicopter,the Aerospatiale SA315B Lama was developed for hot and high operations.It used the Alouette II airframe,and Alouette III engine and                                                 components.

17th March 1976.....A Japan Airlines Boeing B747 makes the first non-stop Tokyo to New York flight in 11.5 hours covering 6,300 miles.

17th March 1992.....The Russian manned spacecraft Soyuz TM-14 launches into orbit.

17th March 1997.....Linda Finch sets out in a restores and specially equipped Lockheed Electra 10E sets out on Amelia Earhart`s route.She is completes the around the world flight in 73 days.

17th March 2013.....Two inmates at a prison in Quebec,Canada escape by climbing a rope lowered from a helicopter,they are recaptured later the same day.

[Angry Turnip]

18th March 1916......German fighter pilot of WWI and WWII Ernst Udet scores his first kill,a French Farman F.40.He scored 62 confirmed kills before committing suicide in Nov 1941.

18th March 1918......Norway`s first is founded,Aktieselskapt Det Norske Luftfartsrederi or DNL,operated Supermarine Channel flying boats when they commenced services in 1920.

18th March 1937......The first human powered aircraft,the Pedaliante makes it`s first flight (approx. 1km) on the outskirts of Milan.

18th March 1945......The Douglas XB2D-1,the prototype of the D-1 Skyraider ground attack aircraft,makes it`s first flight.

18th March 1961......The Soviet long range interceptor,the Tupovlev TU-28/TU128 (Fiddler) makes it`s first flight.They remained in service until 1990.

18th March 1962......The Convair CV-990 airliner enters service with American Airlines.It is still the fastest non supersonic commercial to be have ever been produced.

18th March 1963......The Dassault Balzac experimental VTOL testbed made it`s first transition`s from vertical to horizontal and back again.

18th March 1966......The first flight of the French light aircraft,the Wassmer WA-51 Pacific.

18th March 2002......The HAL Dhruv utility helicopter enters service with the Indian Coast Guard.It is used by the IAF Sarang Helicopter Display Team.

[Angry Turnip]

19th March 1909......Among the exhibits at the International Aero and Motor Boat Exhibition in London is a Wright Flyer for sale at $7000.

19th March 1910......Orville Wright opens the first Wright Flying School in Montgomery Alababma.The site would later become Maxwell Air Force Base.

19th March 1948......BOAC extends it`s Hong Kong service to Japan using Lockheed L-749 Constellations.

19th March 1964......Geraldine Mock sets out on a solo around the world flight in a Cessna 180 Skywagon N1538C.Starting and finishing in Columbus Ohio in 29 days.

19th March 1984......The first flight of the IAI Astra SPX business jet,now known as the Gulfstream G100.The Astra was developed from the IAI Westwind.

19th March 1989......The first flight of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey V/STOL tilt-rotor military transport.

19th March 2007......The Airbus A380 makes it`s first flights to the USA,one goes to New York JFK and another to LAX.

19th March 2008......FlyDubai is founded with operations commencing 1st June 2009.Its first sircraft is a Boeing B737-800 A6-FDA.

[Angry Turnip]

20th March 1922.....The US Navy commissions it`s first aircraft carrier,the USS Langley was a converted collier.It was scuttled in Feb 1942.

20th March 1932.....Luftschiffbau Zeppelin begins trans-atlantic services between Germany and Brazil,using the Graf Zeppelin.

20th March 1932.....First flight of the Boeing P-26 Peashooter,it was the first American all metal production fighter.The Guatemalan Airforce used theirs until 1956/57.

20th March 1935.....The first flight of the rather ugly (IMHO),Grumman F3F Biplane fighter.Primary operators were the US Navy,and US Marine Corps.Most were retired by Nov 1943.

20th March 1937.....Amelia Earhart has to call a temporary halt to her around the world solo flight attempt,after a tyre bursts taking off in Honolulu.

20th March 1940.....The first flight of the Armstrong Whitworth AW-41 Albemarle,originally designed as a medium bomber,it was used as a transport and glider tug during WWII.

20th March 1940.....Boeing begins delivery to Pan American Airways of the Model 307 Stratoliner.It was the first commercial transport to have a pressurized cabin.

20th March 1942.....The first flight of the Japanese fighter,the Misubishi J2M Raiden.It`s Allied codename was "Jack".It packed a heavy punch with four 20mm cannons.

20th March 1955.....RAF Avro Lincoln bombers are sent to Singapore to be used against the communist guerillas in the Malayan Emergency.

20th March 1979.....NASA Space Shuttle Columbia arrives at Kennedy Space Centre on a modified Boeing B747 Shuttle Carrier.

20th March 1999.....Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard complete a non stop,around the world balloon flight in Breitling Orbiter 3.The 46,759 mile trip takes just under 20 days.

20th March 2011.....The first flight of the Boeing B747-800 Intercontinental passenger variant.Lufthansa was the launch customer.

[Angry Turnip]

21st March 1918......The first flight of the Curtis HA / Dunkirk Fighter,a biplane originally designed as a floatplane,three land based versions were also built.

21st March 1928......Charles Lindbergh is presented the Medal Of Honour by President Coolidge for his first transatlantic solo flight in "The Spirit Of St.Louis" Ryan Monoplane N-X-211.

21st March 1933......The first flight of the British built Fairey TSR.1 Torpedo/Recon Biplane.

21st March 1946......In a revamp of the USAAF units,Strategic Air Command,Air Defense Command,and Tactical Air Command are formed.

21st March 1965......NASA US Ranger 9 Lunar impactor probe is launched to photograph the moon-high quality television images from the probe were broadcast live across the USA.

21st March 1968......The first Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird operational mission over North Vietnam.Pilot is Jerry O`Malley,RSO is Ed Payne.

21st March 1971......The first flight of the multi-role military helicopter,the Westland Lynx.The Royal Navy retired theirs in 2017,and the Army retired them in 2018.

21st March 1996......Tupolev and NASA begin joint research into civil supersonic transports using a refurbished Tupovlev TU-144,known as the TU-144LL.

[Angry Turnip]

22nd March 1919......The first regular international commercial route opens between Paris and Brussels by Farman Airlines operating  a F.60 Goliath.

22nd March 1948......The first flight of the TF-80C,which would become the Lockheed T-33 jet trainer.Over 6500 were built in many different versions.

22nd March 1979......The first flight of the Lockheed CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft.Based on the P-3 Orion airframe,but fitted with the electronics suite from the Lockheed S-3 Viking.

22nd March 1982......The first flight of the Finnish built Valmet PIK-23 Towmaster,a primary trainer and glider tug,onlt two were built.

22nd March 1982......The 3rd flight of the Space Shuttle STS-3 Columbia.It was the only mission to land at White Sands,New Mexico due to flooding at it`s planned landing site of Edwards AFB.

22nd March 1989......The Antonov-AN225 sets a total of 106 world,and class records during a 3.5 hour mission,carrying a Buran Orbiter.Total takeoff weight was 508,200KG.

22nd March 1996......Space Shuttle STS-76 Atlantis is launched,the mission is to dock with the Mir space station.

[Angry Turnip]

Another week gone,here is todays Aviation bits.

23rd March 1903.....The Wright brothers apply for a patent for a "Flying Machine",based on their successful 1902 glider with three axis flight controls.

23rd March 1908.....Lazare Weiller signs a contract with the Wright brothers to establish a Wright airplane company in France,on condition they make a number of demo flights.

23rd March 1921.....US Army Lt.Arthur Hamilton sets a new world record,when he jumps with a parachute from a reasonably good aircraft at 24,400ft.

23rd March 1948.....The first flight of the Douglas F3D Skynight,a naval twinjet engined fighter.It served in the Korean war and Vietnam,it was especially useful in the night fighter role.

23rd March 1948.....Grp Cpt John Cunningham sets a new world altitude record in a Ghost powered DH Vampire of 59,446ft.

23rd March 1964.....RAF Armstrong Whitworth Argosy C.1 XP413 ditches in Aden harbour,it is on it`s undercarriage in 5ft of water.It is shipped back to the UK and refurbished before returning to service.

23rd March 1965.....NASA launches Gemini 3,the first US 2 man space flight,crewed by Virgil Grissom and John Young.

23rd March 1998.....The first flight of the Chinese built Chengdu J-10,a multi-role combat aircraft which looks wise has elements of F-16,IAI-Lavi,and Eurofighter Typhoon.

23rd March 2001.....The Russian Space Station Mir burns up in a controlled re-entry over the Pacific Ocean.

23rd March 2005.....Baku Cargo Terminal opened for business.The apron is 1,750,000 sq ft.The terminal is 130,000 sq ft.Silk Way Airlines are based there.

23rd March 2010.....Two RAF Hawks of the RAF Red Arrows team collide on a training mission in Crete.One pilot (Flt Lt Mike Ling) ejected,and the other aircraft landed safely.

[Angry Turnip]

24th March 1904......The Wright Brothers apply for a German patent of their aircraft.

24th March 1918......Capt John Lightfoot Trollope of RFC 43Sqn shoots down seven German aircraft in one day.He lost his left arm later in the war,but survived.he died in 1958.

24th March 1919......Igor Sikorsky flees his homeland Russia under threat of death from the new government,he first settled in France before immigrating to the USA.

24th March 1935......The first flight of the British Avro 652A Anson,a twin engine multirole aircraft.Over 11,000 were built and used by various military and civil operators.

24th March 1939......Jacqueline Cochran,an American aviator,achieves a woman`s altitude record world record of 30,052ft over Palm Springs in a Beechcraft Model 17.

24th March 1944......RAF Tailgunner F/S N.Alkemade falls 18,000ft without a parachute,when his Lancaster is shot down.He survives,branches and a deep snowdrift brake his fall.He becomes a POW in Stalag Luft III.

24th March 1971......Boeing cancels it`s Supersonic Transport (SST),the full size mockup is sold an ends up in a Florida amusement park.

24th March 1999......Kiwi International Air Lines folds after only 6years operation.They operated Boeing B727-200`s.

24th March 2015......One of the most chilling aircraft disasters,when German Wings flight 9525 is intentionly crashed by the first officer,after locking the captain out of the cockpit.

[Angry Turnip]

25th March 1917.....Canadian Lt Col William Avery Bishop scores his first victory,an Albatross fighter whilst flying a Nieuport.By the end of WWI he had 72 victories.

25th March 1926.....Willie Messerschmitt,the German aircraft engineer forms Messerschmitt Flugzeugbau G.M.B.H.

25th March 1931.....The first flight of the British biplane fighter,the Hawker Fury.It was the RAF`s first interceptor capable of 200mph,it was closely related to the Hawker Hart light bomber.

25th March 1932.....Dobrolyot,an early Soviet air transport group is expanded,and merged into Aeroflot.

25th March 1944.....Eric Brown makes the first prototype Sea Mosquito (a modified FB.VI)landing on HMS Indefatigable.The carrier borne version was known as Sea Mosquito TR MK33.

25th March 1955.....The first flight of the Vought F-8 Crusader,a supersonic carrier based fighter.It was the last US fighter with guns as the primary weapon.

25th March 1958.....The Canadian delta winged interceptor,the Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow made it`s first flight.It was cancelled 20th Feb 1959 under controversial circumstances.

25th March 1971.....The first flight of the Soviet Ilyushin IL-76 strategic airflifter.Still in production and in service with military and civil operators.

25th March 1977.....The first flight of the Lockheed YC-141B,a stretched version of the C-141 Starlifter transport.

25th March 1979.....Qantas retires it`s last Boeing B707,then becomes the worlds first with a fleet of just Boeing B747`s.

25th March 1993.....The first female Concorde pilot,Barbara Harmer makes her first flight as 1st officer on the London-New York route with British Airways.

25th March 2004.....Air Holland ceases operations.It was founded in 1984,and operated a mix of Boeing aircraft,B727,B737,B757 and B767`s.

25th March 2010.....Scottish airline Highland Airways (formally Air Alba) ceases operations.

25th March 2018.....A Qantas Boeing B787 Dreamliner completes the first non-stop passenger flight from Perth Australia to London LHR in 17hrs 20mins.No thank you!

[Angry Turnip]

26th March 1922......The first flight of the de Havilland DH.34 (G-EBBQ),a single engine biplane,10 seater airliner.It was powered by a Napier Lion engine.12 were built.

26th March 1927......The first flight of the Handley Page Hinaidi,a twin engine biplane heavy bomber.Production ended with 36 aircraft completed.

26th March 1934......The first landplane derivative of the Short Kent flying boat takes to the air for the first time.It is named the Short L.17 Scylla,it is powered by 4 Bristol Jupiter engines.

26th March 1940......The US built military transport,the Curtiss C-46 Commando makes it`s first flight.3,181 were built with some still in service eg Buffalo Airways of Canada.

26th March 1950......The first flight of the Douglas A2D Skyshark,a turboprop powered,attack aircraft for the US Navy.Only 12 were built,four of which never flew.

26th March 1956......The first flight of the rather dinky looking Temco TT Pinto,a light primary jet trainer for the US Navy.It was powered by a Continental J69-T9 jet engine.

26th March 1958......The USA launches it`s third satellite Explorer III,it was launched from a Juno I,4-stage booster rocket.

26th March 1959......The French built Breguet Alize ASW aircraft begins to enter service with the French Navy.

26th March 1963......The Hunting H.126,a jet flap research aircraft makes its first flight.Only one is built,power is from a Bristol Siddeley Orpheus turbojet.

26th March 1971......First flight of the CASA C-212 Aviocar,a Spanish turboprop powered STOL Medium cargo aircraft,aimed at both the military and civil market.

26th March 1989......Austrian Airlines resumes transatlantic flights for the first time in 2 decades,with a flight from Vienna to New York,using an Airbus A310 (OE-LAA).

26th March 1989......Binter Canarias begins commercial operations.Current hubs are Gran Canaria Airport,La Palma Airport,and Tenerife North Airport.

26th March 1992......The first flight of the Saab 2000,a twin engine,high speed turboprop.It is designed to carry 50-58 passengers and cruise at 400mph.

[Angry Turnip]

27th March 1907.....Romanian Trajan Vuia begins tests of his aircraft in Paris,he manages a short (33ft) flight.

27th March 1936.....The first flight of the Dutch built Fokker D.XXI,a fighter that served mainly with the RNLAF,the Finnish Air Force,it was the last fighter built by Fokker.

27th March 1945.....The last V2 missile to hit England came down in Kent.

27th March 1946.....The USA and France sign an agreement that will allow Air France to fly to Boston,New York,Washington DC and Chicago.

27th March 1968.....The first man in space,Yuri Gagarin and instructor Vladimir Seryogin are killed when their Mig-15UTI crashes on a routine training flight.

27th March 1975.....The first flight of the de Havilland Canada Dash 7,a four engine turboprop powered,STOL regional airliner.It was used by civil and military operators.

27th March 1977.....The Tenerife Airport Disaster-the worlds worst aviation disaster that claimed 583 lives,when two Boeing B747`s collided at Los Rodeos Airport.

27th March 1994.....The Eurofighter,a twin engine advanced multirole fighter makes it`s first flight.It is a joint venture between Alenia Aeronautica,BAE Systems and EADS.

27th March 2004.....NASA`s X-43 pilotless hypersonic research aircraft,breaks the world speed record for an atmospheric engine,reaching 4,800 mph or MACH 7.

27th March 2007.....The last Airbus A300 leaves the assembly line.The popular wide body jet is still in service with several air freight operators.561 were built.

[Angry Turnip]

28th March 1908.....Frenchman Leon Delagrange makes the first passenger flight,when he takes fellow aviator Henry Farman aboard his Voisin 1907 biplane.

28th March 1910.....The first powered seaplane in the world,Herni Fabres Hydroavion,makes it`s first flight at La Meade Harbour,Martigues France.His max height was 7ft.

28th March 1920.....Croydon Aerodrome replaces Hounslow Heath,as London`s Airport.

28th March 1931.....The first flight of the Japanese recon aircraft,the Mitsubishi 2MR8.It was a high wing monoplane used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force.

28th March 1931.....Boeing Air Transport,National Air transport,Varney Airlines,and Pacific Air Transport combine to form United Airlines.

28th March 1947.....In a joint ceremony,the first two DC-6 Airliners are delivered to American Airlines and United Airlines.

28th March 1948.....USAF Boeing B-29 Superfortresses take part in tests to evaluate the viability of air to air refueling.

28th March 1957.....The first flight of the Canadair CP-107 Argus,a maritime patrol aircraft derived from the Bristol Britannia.It was powered by Wright R-3350 radial engines.

28th March 1961.....Air Afrique is founded.It was a Pan African airline that was owned by many west African countries for most of it`s history.It folded in Jan 2002.

28th March 1980.....The first flight of the twin engined regional airliner,the BAe Jetstream.Production ended in 1993 with 386 aircraft produced,with many still in use.

28th March 1980.....The 1,000th Learjet is delivered.Part of the Bombardier Aerospace group,the Learjet family of biz jets passed the 3,000th mark in June 2017.

28th March 1981.....Air France retires the Sud Aviation Caravalle from service with a special flight from Amsterdam to Paris.282 aircraft were built.

28th March 2010.....Air One splits from Alitalia to operate as a low cost airline on it`s own.Based at Fiumicino and several hubs,it failed in October 2014.

[Angry Turnip]

29th March 1936......The first flight of the US built Vought V-141 fighter.It was rejected by the USAAC and the single prototype was sold to Japan in 1937,again it was rejected.

29th March 1942.....Production of the Spitfire reached an all time peak of 134 aircraft completed in one day.HMS Eagle delivers 7 badly needed Spitfires to Malta.

29th March 1960.....The first flight of the Soviet Tupolev TU-124,a 56 short range jet airliner.It was used by both civil and military operators.164 were built in total.

29th March 1981.....BA operates it`s last VC-10 flight.14 of the 15 aircraft are purchased by the RAF,with one going to Duxford for preservation.The RAF retired them in Sept 2013.

29th March 1991.....The first flight of the Ilyushin-Il-114,a twin engine turboprop airliner.It is powered by 2 Klimov TV7-117S engines of 2466hp each.

29th March 1996.....The first flight of the Lockheed Martin RQ-3 Dark Star,a high altitude endurance UAV.It was fully autonomous,but with human override.

29th March 2001.....The first flight of the STOVL version of the Boeing X-32 JSF concept,it lost to the Lockheed Martin X-35.

29th March 2003.....The first flight of the Ullmann 2000 Panther,a 4 seat high wing monoplane designed to be built in kit form.Powered by a 300hp Continental IO-550 L engine.

29th March 2006.....The MOD retires the Sea Harrier from service premeturely due to defense budget cuts,801 NAS are the last operator.The F-35II was due in 2012 and the unit price has since doubled.

[Angry Turnip]

30th March 1928......Italian Major Mario de Bernardi sets a new airspeed record,and the first over 300mph,in a modified Macchi M52 Bis seaplane.He reaches a speed of 318.64 Mph.

30th March 1928......German Samuel Schwartz asks German Airline Deutsche Luft Hansa (DLH) for rent for the airspace above his house.

30th March 1929......Imperial Airways begins the first scheduled air service between England and Karachi.The journey took average of 7 days and involved at least one train journey.

30th March 1939......Hans Dieterie sets a new airspeed record in a Heinkel He 100 fighter of 464 Mph.It didn`t enter production,it is thought the Luftwaffe wanted to concentrate on the Me Bf-109.

30th March 1961......NASA civilian test pilot takes the X-15 to 169,600 ft or 51,690 mtrs.

30th March 2006......Marcos Pontes becomes the first Brazilian astronaunt in space.He goes to the ISS onboard Soyuz TMA-8.He returned to Earth 8th April 2006.

[Angry Turnip]

Last one for March....

31st March 1903.....Richard Pearse from New Zealand is reputed to have made powered flight in a heavier than air machine that crashed in a hedge.
                              The flight was not well documented at the time,but if true,he would have beaten the Wright brothers by nine months.

31st March 1939.....The first flight of the Miles Master,a two seat monoplane advanced trainer.3250 were built,power came from a Bristol Mercury XX 9cylinder 870hp engine.

31st March 1956.....The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior enters US Navy service.Designed as a strategic bomber,it was later modified as for a variety of roles including ECM and as a tanker.

31st March 1959.....BOAC commences it`s westward around the world scheduled service.London,New York,San Francisco,Honolulu,Tokyo,then back to London.

31st March 1974.....BOAC ceases operations when it merges with British European Airways to form British Airways.

31st March 1990.....The first flight of the Robinson R-44 light utility helicopter.It can carry 3 pax plus the pilot,it has been the best selling GA helicopter every year since 1999.

31st March 2002.....Swiss International Airlines begins operations taking over from bankrupt Swissair.

31st March 2008.....Aloha Airlines ceases flight operations.

31st March 2017.....The first flight of the Airbus A319 NEO,CFM or EW engines are available.

31st March 2017.....The first flight of the Boeing B787-10 Dreamliner,the test flight lasted 4hrs 48 mins.The -10 is a stretched B787 with similar capacity to rival types.

31st March 2017.....The first flight of the Antonov AN-132,a improved version of the Antonov An-32 twin engine turboprop.It is a joint venture between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia.