On 14th January 1942 (or 13th January, according to some sources), a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky and designated Vought-Sikorsky VS-316 (aka XR-4, under its USAAF designation) performed its maiden flight, piloted by Les […]
On 7th January 1785, Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries performed the very first successful balloon flight across the English Channel (La Manche), covering the route from Dover Castle to Guînes (Guisines), Pas-de-Calais. Since the childhood, […]
On 24th December 1937, the first prototype of Macchi C.200 Saetta (also known as Macchi-Castoldi M.C.200), successfully performed its maiden flight, flown by chief test pilot Giuseppe Burei. The aircraft was designed by Mario Castoldi, […]
On 10th December 1919, a modified Vickers Vimy heavy bomber with a crew of Keith Macpherson Smith, Ross Macpherson Smith, W.H. Shiers and J.M. Bennet, successfully landed at Darwin, completing the 17,911 kilometres journey from […]
On 3rd December 1945, a Sea Vampire flown by Captain Eric Brown successfully landed onto HMS Ocean. It was the first time ever, when a purely jet-powered aircraft has landed onboard an aircraft carrier. The […]
On 26th November 1943, Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry O’Hare – the US Navy´s first fighter ace – was shot down during a night intercept mission, flying a Grumman F6F Hellcat. His aircraft was never found. […]
On 19th November 1915, Squadron-Commander Richard Bell Davies of No. 3 Squadron RNAS performed a successful rescue operation behind enemy lines, in order to save Flight Sub-Lieutenant Gilbert Formby Smylie. It is widely considered the […]
On 12th November 1906, Alberto Santos-Dumont performed a series of public flights, in one of them covering a distance of 200 metres. That was the very first flight officially observed by the FAI and, in […]
5th November 1917 – French record-breaking aviatrix, Jacqueline Auriol, was born. Jacqueline Marie-Thérèse Suzanne Douet, as was her maiden name, was born on 5th November 1917 in Challans, Vendée in France. She was a daughter […]
On 29th October 1936 (or 28th October, depending on the source), four Tupolev SB-2 bombers raided Tablada airfield near Sevilla, in support of Republican forces. It was the very first time during the Spanish Civil […]
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