APRIL18
1877 - Birth of Heinrich Wessels, German WWI flying ace
http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/wessels.php
1893 - Birth of John Edgcumbe Doyle, British WWI flying ace, writer and civilian link trainer instructor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Doyle_(aviator) - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/doyle.php
1894 - Birth of Hans Joachim Rolfes, German WWI fighter ace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Rolfes - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/rolfes.php
1895 - Birth of Spencer Bertram "Nigger" Horn, British WWI flying ace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_B._Horn - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/horn.php
1896 - Birth of James Ira Thomas "Taffy" Jones, Welsh WWI fighter ace, writer, who fought also with the White movement against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War and who also served in WWII.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ira_Thomas_Jones - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/wales/jones5.php
1897 - Birth of Frederic Ives "Fred" Lord, American WWI flying ace who also took part in the Russian Civil War, Mexican Revolution, Spanish Civil War and WWII
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Ives_Lord - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/lord.php
1911 - Captain Joseph Joel Hammond, a New Zealander, flew a Bristol box-kite biplane on a flight that lasted less than 10 minutes. The area was Ascot Racecourse. Today, it forms part of Sydney Airport’s east-west runway. That was the 1st flight on what became today the leading airport with more passengers flying on more airlines to more destinations than any other Australian airport.
http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/sacl/SPContent.aspx?PageID=63&ItemID=249&count=1
1915 – French pilot Roland Garros is shot down and glides to a landing on the German side of the lines during WWI.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Garros_(aviator)
1916 - The Escadrille N.124, 1st called the Escadrille Americaine, then the Escadrille des Volontaires, and finally the Escadrille Lafayette, is formed under the command of Captain Georges Thenault.
http://archive.org/details/EscadrilleN124j00
1917 - William E. Boeing's Pacific Aero Products Company is renamed the "Boeing Airplane Company."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Aviation/Historical_anniversaries/April_in_aviation/April_18
1919 - CMA (Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes) is formed and commences a mail and freight service between Paris and Lille, using ex-military Breguet 14s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compagnie_des_Messageries_A%C3%A9riennes
1920 - Birth of Sadamu Komachi, Japanese WWII fighter ace who participated in the last Japanese combat mission.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadamu_Komachi - http://www.cieldegloire.com/010_komachi_s.php
1924 - Raúl Pateras Pescara de Castelluccio, marquis of Pateras-Pescara, Argentinian lawyer and inventor specializing in seaplanes and helicopters, as well as motors, compressors, and the Pescara free-piston engine, was able to achieve a new world record of flight with 736 meters covered in 4 minutes 11 seconds (approximately 13 km/h) at a height of 1.8 m with one of his true coaxial helicopter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%BAl_Pateras_Pescara
1929 - 1st flight of the Bourgois-Sénemaud AT 40, French 2 seat single engine parasol wing monoplane tourer prototype.
http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=910
1930 - Death of Henry de la Vaulx, French balloonist, author, and cofounder of major French and international aeronautical associations. He died during a demonstration flight between Albany and New York City.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_de_La_Vaulx
1932 - 1st flight of The FMA AeC.2, Argentinian light utility aircraft, also produced as a military trainer and observation aircraft under the designations AeME.1, AeMO.1, AeMOe.1 and AeMOe.2. The design was derived from the AeC.1, but instead of an enclosed cabin, featured two open cockpits in tandem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ae._C.2
1934 - 1st flight of the Latécoère 294, French high wing single engine 3 seat torpedo bomber floatplane prototype, evolution of the 290.
http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=936
1939 - Death of Alfiero Mezzetti and Giuseppe Majone, Spanish war italian flying aces, killed when their Fiat CR-32 collided in mid-air.
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_mezzetti.htm - http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_majone.htm
1941 - 1st flight of the Me-262, Schwalbe ("Swallow"), world's 1st operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Since its intended BMW 003 turbojets were not ready for fitting, a conventional Junkers Jumo 210 engine was mounted in the V1 prototype's nose, driving a propeller, to test the Me 262 V1 airframe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_262
1942 – Doolittle Raid on Japan. Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagoya are bombed. Col James Doolittle leads the 1st US attack on the Japanese mainland, leading a force of 16 B-25 Mitchells flying from the USS Hornet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doolittle_Raid
1943 – Operation Vengeance, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is killed when his Mitsubishi G4M is shot down by USAAF P-38 Lightnings over Bougainville Island.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Vengeance
1944 - 1st flight of the Ilyushin Il-10, Soviet single engine ground attack aircraft.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-10
1945 - 969 aircraft (617 Avro Lancasters, 332 Handley Page Halifaxes, 20 de Havilland Mosquitoes) bombed the Heligoland Naval base, airfield, & town into crater-pitted moonscapes. 3 Halifaxes were lost. The islands were evacuated the following day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heligoland#World_War_II
1945 - At the request of the United States, Spain prohibits the landing of all German aircraft on Spanish territory.
1949 – The aircraft carrier USS United States (CVA-58) is laid down at Newport News Drydock and Shipbuilding. However, the United States is canceled five days later, resulting in the Revolt of the Admirals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_of_the_Admirals
1950 - 1st flight of The Convair XP5Y-1 (Model 117) , American high-wing turboprop-powered with contra-rotating propellers patrol flying boat prototype, Later developped into the R3Y Tradewind.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_R3Y_Tradewind
1951 - 1st flight of the SNCASO SO-1120 'Ariel' III, French two-seat light helicopter prototype, 3rd and last version built. It used jet efflux from the turbine to provide directional control, a directional vane linked to the rudder directed the efflux. Not put into production but the knowledge gained was used in the development of the Sud-Ouest Djinn
http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=5428 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sud-Ouest_Ariel
1951 - An Aerobee research rocket carrying a monkey, named Albert V, in a special capsule for a space biology experiment, is launched from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeys_in_space#United_States
1952 - 1st Flight of the Convair YB-60, American experimental bomber prototype for the USAF
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_YB-60
1956 - Death of James Floyd Smith, Early american aviator, aircraft designer and pioneer of parachutism.
http://www.earlyaviators.com/esmithfl.htm
1958 - US Navy Lieutenant-Commander George Watkins flies from Edwards Air Base in California to a world record absolute altitude within the atmosphere of 76,932 feet in a Grumman F11F-1 Tiger
http://www.aviastar.org/air/usa/grumman_tiger.php
1958 - The Avro CF-105 Arrow prototype exceeded M 1.5 at 50,000 ft during a test flight at Malton, Ontario, piloted by J. Zurakowski.
1963 - 1st flight of The Northrop X-21A, American experimental aircraft designed to test wings with laminar flow control.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_X-21
1970 - Death of Richard Llewellyn Roger Atcherley, British racing pilot, senior commander in the RAF who also served as chief of Air Staff for the Royal Pakistan Air Force.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Atcherley
1974 - Court Line Flight 95 BAC One-Eleven 518 'Halcyon Night' collided on take off with a Piper PA-23 Aztec which entered the active runway without permission at London Luton Airport, killing the pilot of the Aztec; there are no casualties on board the One-Eleven.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_Line_Flight_95
1976 - Death of Irving Banfield Corey, Canadian WWI flying ace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Corey - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/canada/corey.php
1982 - Death of Harold James Brow, early US navy pilot, air racer and record setter.
http://www.dmairfield.org/people/brow_hj/index.html
1988 – The United States launches Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval forces in the largest naval battle since WWII.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Praying_Mantis
1996 - Air Jamaica Express begins operations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Jamaica_Express
2001 - 1st development flight of GSLV Mk.I, Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle to deploy GSAT-1, Indian experimental communications satellite.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSAT-1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSLV
2002 - A Rockwell Commander 112, an airplane with a single engine registered in Switzerland, hit the Pirelli building in Milano. The aircraft was apparently scheduled to fly from Locarno to Milan. The plane was low on fuel and Linate Airport was preparing an emergency landing prior to the crash, but the pilot suddenly wandered off and flew right into the building. The pilot and two people inside the tower were killed in the accident.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirelli_Tower
2006 - 1st flight of the Diamond’s D-JET S/N 001, The D-JET is a 5 place luxury personal jet, powered by the FADEC controlled Williams FJ33 turbine and equipped with Garmin all glass flight deck and autopilot.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_D-Jet - http://www.avweb.com/news/newacft/192045-1.html
2008 - Launch of Vinasat-1, 1st Vietnamese satellite to be placed in orbit to bring independence in satellite communications for Vietnam, Launched along Star One C2, Brazilian communications satellite, by an Ariane 5ECA carrier rocket.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinasat-1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_One_C2