Flight

June 22, 1946

In a demonstration of the capabilities of jet aircraft, Army Air Corps pilots Kenneth Chilstrom and Robert Baird transport mail in a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, thus making the first delivery of mail by jet aircraft.

May 20, 1932

Five years to the day after Charles Lindbergh took off on his historic first solo flight across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland. While her original destination was France, weather and mechanical problems force her to land in Ireland nearly 15 hours after she took off. She become the first woman and second person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

May 20, 1927

Aboard the “Spirit of St. Louis” monoplane, Charles Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field in New York on his historic first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He will arrive in France 33.5 hours later.

April 11, 1957

The Ryan X-13 Vertijet makes its first vertical take off and landing, marking the first time a jet-powered aircraft successfully completed a VTOL flight. Militaries around the world at the time were experimenting with the concept of VTOL as a way of having aircraft that could take off and land from areas with no runway. While the X-13 was tested successfully, the program was cancelled after only two years. The X-13 concept proved unfeasible for the United States military due to a variety of issues, including payload and range capabilities.

March 2, 1969

The Concorde supersonic transport (SST) jet makes its maiden flight. The Concode is only the second supersonic passenger airliner to have been commercially operated. The Concorde fleet flew until November 26, 2003.

February 18, 1911

Frenchman Henri Pequet makes the first official air mail delivery in Allahabad, British India, moving 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away. Ooh-la-la!

February 9, 1969

This date was the first test flight of the Boeing 747. Interesting that they chose the same date 6 years after the first test flight of the Boeing 727. I can’t find if this was purposeful or a coincidence? Does anybody that works at Boeing have any info on this?

February 9, 1963

The first flight of the Boeing 727 occurred on this date. For over a decade, it was the most produced commercial jet aircraft in the world.

January 21, 1976

Commercial service of the Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes. The only commercial supersonic jet, the Concorde could travel between New York and London in about 3.5 hours. The Concorde flew commercially for 27 years until being retired on November 26, 2003.

January 18, 2005

The Airbus A380, the world’s largest commercial jet and nicknamed the “Superjumbo”, is unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse, France.