On 27th January 1939, prototype of twin piston-engine fighter aircraft XP-38 performed its maiden flight, by test pilot Benjamin S. Kelsey. The P-38 fighter was created in response to the United States Army Air Corps […]
On 20th January 1974, during a high-speed taxi test with prototype of YF-16 fighter aircraft, its test pilot Phil Oestricher was forced to take-off to avoid a potential crash. The first, although unofficial, flight of […]
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) […]
On 23rd December 1974, prototype of Rockwell B-1 Lancer supersonic strategic bomber performed its maiden flight. For the first time, the idea of a large, supersonic strategic bomber emerged in the middle of 1950s and […]
On 9th December 1988, a light multirole fighter JAS 39, developed by the Swedish aerospace company Saab AB, performed its approximately fifty minutes long maiden flight. The aeroplane was flown by Stig Holmström, company test […]
On 2nd December 1948, Beechcraft T-34 Mentor military training aircraft performed its first flight, flown by company test pilot, Vern Carstens. In 1947, Beech Aircraft Corporation based in Wichita, Kansas, brought to market its new […]
On 18th November 1930, Boeing XP-9 monoplane fighter aircraft, performed its maiden flight. The XP-9 (also known as Model 96, by its company designation), was the very first monoplane fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by […]
On 11th November 1956, prototype of Convair B-58 Hustler, supersonic strategic bomber, performed its first flight. In February of 1949, less than two years since breaking the sound barrier by Bell X-1 experimental rocket aircraft, […]
On 4th November 1909, John Moore-Brabazon made a flight with a pig placed in a wastepaper basket attached to his aeroplane, to prove that ´pigs can fly´. ´When pigs fly´ is a common phrase in […]
On 21st October 1961, prototype of Bréguet 1150 Atlantic, long-range maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), performed its maiden flight. In the late 1950s NATO faced a new threat – an excessive number of modern and efficient […]
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