DEC08

1922 - Birth of John B. McKay, WWII pilot, American civilian research/test pilot and aeronautical engineer who made 30 flights in the X-15.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._McKay

1927 - Birth of Vladimir Aleksandrovich Shatalov, Soviet Air force pilot and Cosmonaut.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Shatalov

1931 - Vittorio Suster, flying a Caproni Ca.100 Limousine, wins a race against racing driver Tazio Nuvolari driving an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 at an average speed of 164,237 Km/h on a five lap race of 17 Km.

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vittorio_Suster

1932 - 1st flight of the SPCA 90, French high-wing cantilever 3 engined transport monoplane prototype.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPCA_90 - http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=10165

1933 - Death of Karl Jatho, German Aviation pioneer and inventor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Jatho

1938 - Launch of the German Aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, only aircraft carrier launched by Germany during WWII, thus she was never fully completed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_aircraft_carrier_Graf_Zeppelin

1940 - New York City experiences its 1st blackout and anti-aircraft exercise, around the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Aviation/Historical_anniversaries/December_in_aviation/December_8

1941 - Death of Raven Freiherr von Barnekow, German WWI flying ace who served in WWII.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven_Freiherr_von_Barnekow - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/barnekow.php

1941 - Birth of Randall Harold ('Randy' or 'Duke') Cunningham, only Navy flying ace from the Vietnam War.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Cunningham

1945 - 1st flight of The Bell 47, American two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter, 1st helicopter certified for civilian use.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_47

1956 - Death of James Crawford "Jimmie" Angel, American aviator after whom Angel Falls in Venezuela, the tallest waterfall in the world, is named.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Angel

1962 - 1st flight of the Bell 206 (YOH-4A), American two-bladed, single-engine prototype helicopter which will lead to the Model 206 family.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_206#Development

1963 – Pan Am Flight 214 Boeing 707-121 is struck by positive lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, United States, killing all 81 people on board.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_214

1964 - A United Lines Caravelle makes the 1st landing in the USA completely controlled by computer (automatic touchdown).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Aviation/Historical_anniversaries/December_in_aviation/December_8

1967 - Death of Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. , USAF officer and 1st African-American astronaut, killed in the crash of an F-104 Starfighter at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He was flying backseat on the mission as the instructor pilot for a flight test trainee learning the steep-descent glide technique. The pilot flying made such an approach but flared too late. The airplane struck the ground hard, the main gear failed, and the airplane caught fire. The front seat pilot of the aircraft successfully ejected upon ground impact and survived the accident, but with major injuries. By the time Lawrence ejected, the airplane had rolled onto one side and his ejection seat, with Lawrence still in it, struck the ground, killing him instantly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Henry_Lawrence,_Jr.

1969 - Olympic Airways Flight 954 Douglas DC-6 on approach to Athens in poor weather crashed at 2000 ft into Mt. Parnes near Keratea, Greece, killing all 90

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Airways_Flight_954

1972 - Pakistan International Airlines Flight 631 Fokker F-27 Friendship struck a hill in a rain storm near the town of Maidan, Pakistan, broke up into 3 parts and the wings and engine caught fire killing all 26

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_International_Airlines_Flight_631

1972 – United Airlines Flight 553 Boeing 737-222 crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_553

1974 - Soyuz 13, Soviet manned test flight, is back on earth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_16

1976 - Death of Waldo Dean Waterman, American inventor and aviation pioneer which contributions to aviation were the 1st tailless monoplane (the precursor to the flying wing), the 1st aircraft with modern tricycle landing gear and the 1st successful low cost and simple to fly flying car.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldo_Waterman

1980 - 1st flight of the Robin R-3140E, French economic 4 seat single-engined light tourer aircraft, part of the 3000 family

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_R3000 - http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=1944

1983 - STS-9 mission with space shuttle Columbia is back on earth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-9

1984 - Death of Vladimir Nikolayevich Chelomey (Celomej), Soviet mechanics scientist, rocket engineer who created the 1st Soviet pulsating air jet engine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Chelomey

1987 - Peruvian Navy Fokker F27-400M chartered by Peruvian football club Alianza Lima plunged into the Pacific Ocean six miles short of its destination, off the Ventanilla District of the city of Callao.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_Alianza_Lima_air_disaster

1988 - A USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II in a low-altitude flight exercise crashed into the upper floor of an apartment complex in Remscheid, West Germany killing the pilot and 5 on ground. 50 people on ground were seriously injured.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Remscheid_A-10_crash

1990 - Death of Forrest S. Petersen, US Navy Aviator and test pilot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_S._Petersen

1993 - Death of Ioan Galea, Romanian WWII flying ace

http://cieldegloire.com/012_galea_i.php - http://www.worldwar2.ro/arr/?article=698

2004 - Death of Nicolas Roland Payen, French aircraft manufacturer recognized as the inventor of the 1st delta wing plane that flew and designed the smallest jet delta wing in the world.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Roland_Payen

2006 - 1st flight of The X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW), American prototype based on a McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet to test a technology that integrates wing aerodynamics, controls, and structure to harness and control wing aeroelastic twist at high speeds and dynamic pressures. By using multiple leading and trailing edge controls like "aerodynamic tabs", subtle amounts of aeroelastic twist can be controlled to provide large amounts of wing control power, while minimizing maneuver air loads at high wing strain conditions or aerodynamic drag at low wing strain conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-53_Active_Aeroelastic_Wing

2008 - A USMC F/A-18D Hornet crashed in a residential suburb of San Diego, California, after the pilot ejected, killing 4 on ground. A USMC investigation concluded that poor maintenance caused the engine malfunction. Errors by the pilot and USMC personnel on the ground led to the aircraft crash.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_San_Diego_F/A-18_crash

2010 - Launch of the SpaceX Dragon, 1st privately held company successfully launch, orbit and recover of a spacecraft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Dragon#Development

2010 - IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency experimental spacecraft, 1st spacecraft to successfully demonstrate solar-sail technology in interplanetary space, passed by Venus at about 80,800 km distance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IKAROS

2010 - Death of Walter Haeussermann, German-American aerospace engineer and member of the "von Braun rocket group".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Haeussermann