SHORT AVIATION STORIES
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
On 4th March 1954, “Tony” LeVier, official test pilot of the Lockheed company, took-off for the first time in a prototype of a new fighter – XF-104, later developed into a well-known F-104 Starfighter. The […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Charles Edward Kingsford Smith – the Australian aviation pioneer
Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith was born on 9th February 1897 in Brisbane, Australia. During the Great War, he enlisted the Australian Army where he became a motorcycle dispatch rider and participated in the Gallipoli […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Dupuy de Lôme dirigible balloon
On 2nd February 1872, Henri Dupuy de Lôme presented to public his muscle-powered dirigible balloon, able to achieve flight speed of up to 11 kph. On 29th October 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, the French […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Umberto Nobile – Italian aviation pioneer and explorer of the Arctic areas
On 21st January 1885, Umberto Nobile, the Italian aviation pioneer and designer, as well as famous explorer of the Arctic areas, was born in Lauro, Italy. Nobile became famous thanks to his technical skills and […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Skymaster disappearance
On 26th January 1950, a Douglas C-54D Skymaster of the United States Air Force took-off from Anchorage, Alaska and headed Great Falls in Montana. After approximately two hours of flight, contact with the aeroplane was […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Sikorsky R-4 – the first serial manufactured helicopter in the USA
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 Morris, […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
First balloon crossing of the English Channel
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. (full story here) […]