JUL06

1917 - 1st flight of postal delivery in the annals of world history: Mexican Horacio Ruiz flew 57 minutes and 42 seconds to travel to Mexico, according to the Mexican Postal Service, within four hours of landing, cards were distributed to the recipients.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Guillermo_Villasana

1919 - British rigid airship, R-34, lands in Long Island, New York after a flight of 108 hours with virtually no fuel left. It had a 30-man crew and is piloted by Major G.H. Scott. As the landing party had no experience of handling large rigid airships, Major EM Pritchard jumped by parachute and so became the 1st person to reach American soil by air from Europe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R33_class_airship

1920 - In a test of the radio compass as an aid to navigation, an F5L left Hampton Roads and flew directly to Ohio (BB 12), 94 miles at sea in a position unknown to the pilot. Without landing, the plane made the return trip to Hampton Roads, this time navigating by signals from Norfolk.

http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/avchr3.htm

1922 - 1st use of naval aircraft in combat in Latin America: during the first Tenente revolt, two Brazilian Navy aircrafts bomb the rebellious Fort Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenente_revolts#July_1922:_the_first_revolt

1924 - Birth of Major General Robert Michael "Bob" White, US military aircraft test pilot who broke several records with the North American X-15 experimental aircraft.

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

1926 - 1st flight of The Macchi M.39, Italian racing seaplane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_M.39

1931 - 1st flight of the Bodiansky 20, french 4 seat single engine low wing monoplane prototype.

http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=9924

1933 - The USS Macon 1st docked an aircraft, a F9C Sparrowhawk biplane, during trial flights out of Lakehurst, New Jersey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Macon_(ZRS-5)#Construction_and_commissioning

1934 - French Francois and Génin win the Bibesco cup at an average speed of 313.4 km/h with the A.N.F. Les Mureaux 112 GR raid prototype.

http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=9832

1935 - Birth of Muhammad Mahmood Alam , Pakistani indo-Pakistan war Flying ace.

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

1937 - Spanish Civil war : Beginning of The Battle of Brunete. Supported by 300 aircraft, the Republicans use Polikarpov I-15 fighters at night for the 1st time during the battle, opposing night-bombing German Heinkel He 111 bombers. The Nationalists redeploy German aircraft of the Condor Legion from north to central Spain to support Nationalist ground forces around Brunete.

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

1938 - 1st flight of the Caudron 714, French WWII light Fighter.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudron_C.714

1938 - 1st flight of The Loire-Nieuport LN.401, French-built dive bomber aircraft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire-Nieuport_LN.401#Design_and_development

1939 - Olga Klepikowa sets a world record by flying an Antonow RF-7 glider 746 km (466 miles) from Moscow to Otradnoje.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonow_RF-7

1939 - Eastern Airlines inaugurates the 1st scheduled airmail flight by autogiro from Philadelphia's 30th Street Post Office roof to Camden, New Jersey's Central Airport is made by John M. Miller with a Kellett KD-1B.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellett_KD-1

1940 - 1st depth charge used by a Royal Air Force anti-submarine warfare aircraft is the 450 pound MkVII depth charge, which gradually replace the earlier, ineffective anti-submarine bombs used by RAF Coastal Command.

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/history-of-aviation-timeline/interactive-aviation-timeline/british-military-aviation/1940.aspx

1940 - 12 British Fairey Swordfish aircraft from Ark Royal raided Mers-el-Kebir. One torpedo hit the patrol boat Terre-Neuve, which was moored alongside Dunkerque and was carrying a supply of depth charges. Terre-Neuve quickly sank and its charges triggered a large explosion, causing serious damage to Dunkerque.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Dunkerque#Mers-el-K.C3.A9bir - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir#Attack

1945 - Birth of Doru Davidovici, Romanian aviator and writer.

http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doru_Davidovici

1947 - 1st flight of The Dassault MD 315 Flamant, French light twin-engined transport airplane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_MD_315_Flamant - http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=2935

1951 - Aerial refueling is used under combat conditions for the 1st time, with a KB-29 Superfortress refueling four RF-80 Shooting Stars over North Korea

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/history-of-aviation-timeline/interactive-aviation-timeline/world-aviation/1951.aspx

1952 - Death of Maryse Bastié, Born Marie-Louise Bombec, French Aerobatic and raid aviator, Crashing with the 2nd prototype Nord 2501 Noratlas in Lyon-Bron, France.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryse_Basti%C3%A9

1952 - Death of Carl Oskar Ursinus, pioneer of German aviation, remembered mainly for his contributions to sailplane designs and the sport of gliding. He has been nicknamed the Rhönvater ("Rhön father") because he founded Germany’s first gliding club at the Wasserkuppe in the Rhön Mountains. He also pursued experiments in human-powered flight.

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

1954 - 1st hover flight of the Transcendental Model 1-G, American single-seater convertible helicopter prototype with two contra-rotating rotors located at the end of its wings (Tilt rotor).

http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/trans_1-g.php

1960 - 1st flight of the Fournier RF-1, French single-seat light aircraft/powered sailplane with modified Volkswagen engine.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fournier_RF-1 - http://aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=9533

1960 - Last U.S. Navy lighter-than-air loss : A Goodyear ZPG-3W lost hull pressure and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off of New Jersey, Killing 18 over 21.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-class_blimp

1965 - 1st flight of the Croses EC-6 'Criquet', French 2-seat side by side homebuilt aircraft with a tailwheel landing gear, and tandem wing configuration similar to the Mignet Pou-du-Ciel family.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croses_Criquet - http://aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=9483

1965 - No. 36 Squadron Royal Air Force Handley Page Hastings C1A transport aircraft crashed into a field in Little Baldon, near Chiselhampton, Oxfordshire, shortly after taking off from RAF Abingdon, killing all 41.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_Little_Baldon_Hastings_accident

1967 - 1st flight of the Aérospatiale SA 321ja Super Frelon, Utility and public transport version of the three-engined heavy transport helicopter, intended to fulfil the main roles of personnel and cargo transport.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9rospatiale_Super_Frelon

1971 - Death of Frank Gerald Craven "Weary" Weare, British WWI fighter ace who also served in WWII.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Weare - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/weare.php

1972 - 1st flight of the SAAB MFI 17 Supporter, Military version of the SAAB-MFI-15, two/three-seat trainer.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/sweden/saab_safari.php

1972 - 1st flight of the Aerospatiale (Westland) SA 341C Gazelle HT.2, Fleet Air Arm training versions fitted with an Astazou IIIN engine, stability-augmentation system and a hoist incorporated.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9rospatiale_Gazelle#Variants - http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/gazelle.php

1976 - Launch of Soyuz 21, Soviet manned mission to the Salyut 5 space station.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_21

1980 - 1st flight of the Délémontez-Cauchy DC-1, french twin seat light sports aircraft, issued from the Jodel D-9.

http://aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=7198

1982 - Aeroflot Flight 411 Ilyushin Il-62 crashed and was destroyed by fire shortly after take-off at Sheremetyevo Airport, Moscow While trying to return to the airport on two engines over 4, Jilling all 90.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_411

1993 - Death of Olive Ann Beech (Born Mellor), U.S. aviation pioneer and businesswoman, who founded the Beech Aircraft Company with her husband Walter Herschel Beech.

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

1996 - Delta Air Lines Flight 1288 McDonnell-Douglas MD-88 experienced an uncontained, catastrophic turbine engine failure that caused debris from the front compressor hub of the number one left engine to penetrate the left aft fuselage. The impact left two passengers dead and two severely injured. The pilot aborted takeoff and the airplane stopped on the runway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines_Flight_1288

1998 – Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport is closed and the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok becomes operational.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Tak_Airport#Closure_and_Legacy_of_Kai_Tak_Airport - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_International_Airport#History

2007 - 1st flight of The Epic Victory, American single engine very light jet 4/5 seats.

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

2008 - Death of Joseph Otis Fletcher, American Air Force pilot and polar researcher, 1st pilot to land at the North pole along with William Pershing Benedict with a C-47.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_O._Fletcher

2009 - Death of Marius Eriksen, Norwegian skier, WWII fighter ace, model and actor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marius_Eriksen,_Jr. - http://cieldegloire.fr/002n_eriksen_m.php

2009 - Death of William Henry Rankin, USMC WWII and Korean war fighter pilot, only known person to survive a fall from the top of a cumulonimbus thunderstorm cloud.

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

2011 - Silk Way Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 cargo aircraft crashed into a mountain at a height of approximately 3,800 meters (12,467 feet) some 25 kilometers (16 mi) away from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, killing all nine people on board.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Silk_Way_Airlines_Ilyushin_Il-76_crash

2013 - Solar Impulse, Swiss long-range solar powered aircraft, landed at JFK international, having completed his (approx 100 Hrs) flight across America from San Francisco to New York .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Impulse - http://www.solarimpulse.com/