MAY29

1875 - Birth of Jorge "George" Newbery, born Jorge Alejandro Newbery, Argentinian pilot of North American descent.

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

1887 - Birth of August Häfeli, Swiss aero engineer and aircraft designer.

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_H%C3%A4feli

1888 - Birth of Giorgio Michetti, Italian WWI flying ace.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Michetti - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/italy/michetti.php

1889 - Birth of Jean Seraphin Benjamin Emmanuel Bozon-Verduraz, French WWI flying ace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Bozon-Verduraz - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/bozon-verduraz.php

1890 - Birth of Gustave Naudin, French WWI flying ace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Naudin - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/naudin.php

1891 - Birth of Konstantin Konstantinovich Artseulov, Russian test-pilot, WWI pilot and glider designer, one of the founders of the soviet gliderism.

http://ww1talk.co.uk/showthread.php?405-Konstantin-Konstantinovich-Artseulov-1891-1980

1892 - Birth of Alexander Renner, Austrian aviation pionneer and WWI pilot.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renner-Buben

1892 - Birth of Moritz-Waldemar Bretschneider-Bodemer, German WWI flying ace

http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/bretschneider-bodemer.php

1892 - Birth of Frederick Charles Wilton, British WWI flying ace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Wilton - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/wilton.php

1893 - Birth of Henri Joseph Marie Hay de Slade, French WWI fighter ace who served in WWII.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Hay_de_Slade - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/hay.php

1896 - Birth of Norman Miers MacGregor, British WWI flying ace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_MacGregor - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/macgregor2.php

1896 - Birth of Murray Kenneth Guthrie, American WWI flying ace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Guthrie - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/guthrie.php

1897 - Birth of Johannes Winkler, German rocket pioneer who founded the 1st German rocket society and launched the 1st successful liquid-fuelled rocket in Europe

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

1901 - Birth of Ionel Fernic, Romanian composer, aviator (civil pilot), writer and one of the 1st Romanian parachutists

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

1902 - Birth of Henri Guillaumet, French pioneer aviator.

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

1908 - Ferdinand Marie Léon Delagrange sets a record flight on a distance of 12750 m (8 mi) in 15 min 35 sec in Italy

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_Delagrange

1908 - 1st passenger flight in Europe occurs as Henri Farman takes up Ernest Archdeacon for a brief flight at Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.

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

1910 - Glenn Curtiss flies the 'Hudson Flyer' from Albany to New York City . It was not a hydroplane, although provisions were made to provide floatation in case Curtiss was forced to descend to the Hudson River, 1st long-distance flight between two major cities in the U.S. For this 137-mile (220 km) flight, he won a $10,000 prize offered by publisher Joseph Pulitzer and was awarded permanent possession of the Scientific American trophy.

http://www.glenncurtiss.com/hudson_flyer.htm - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Curtiss#Aviation_pioneer

1915 - Birth of Italo Gherardini, Italian WWII Bomber pilot.

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

1917 - Birth of Alfredo "Fred" John Ascani, American Major General and test pilot of the USAF. He was one of the "Men of Mach 1" and was considered father of Systems Engineering at Wright Field

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

1918 - German WWI fighter ace Friedrich "Fritz" Ritter von Röth, downed 5 Observation balloons on a single mission.

http://theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/roth.php - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Ritter_von_R%C3%B6th#Command

1919 - 1st flight of the Sopwith Gnu,  British touring biplane, one of the 1st cabin aircraft designed for civil use. Equal-span biplane, it had an open cockpit for a pilot with seating for two passengers under a hinged and glazed roof.

http://flyingmachines.ru/Site2/Crafts/Craft30101.htm - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_Gnu

1919 - Agustin Parla, 1st Cuban pilot, performs the 1st commercial flight to the United States with a Curtiss flying boat "Sunshine", 1st avion property of the Cuban State.

http://earlyaviators.com/eparla.htm - http://hispanicpilots.net/website/txt/birds/parla.pdf - http://www.urrib2000.narod.ru/Perso2-e.html#parla

1923 - Death of Albert Louis Deullin, French WWI fighter ace, test pilot, killed while testing a new de Marcay prototype aircraft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Deullin - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/france/deullin.php

1923 - Reuben Hollis Fleet forms Consolidated Aircraft.

http://www.consolidatedaircraft.org/history.htm

1925 - Alan Cobham lands the prototype de Havilland D.H.60 Moth after flying 1,000 miles to Zurich, Switzerland and back to Croydon, England in a single day.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/havilland_moth.php

1926 - Birth of Louis Wellington 'Lou' Schalk, Jr, American aviator, USAF test pilot and chief test pilot for the Lockheed Corporation's Skunk Works.

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

1929 - Boeing Aircraft of Canada was incorporated by William Edward Boeing of Seattle, Henry Stonestreet Hoffar and Charles George Beeching of Vancouver, to design and build aircraft and to take over, as a going concern, the Hoffar-Beeching Shipyards at Vancouver.

http://canadianaviationhistory.pbworks.com/w/page/13801122/On-this-day-in-Canadian-Aviation-History-May

1933 - Georges Detré wins the Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe, flying a Potez 53, covering the 2,000 km (1,200 mi) closed-circuit course with an average speed of 323 km/h (201 mph)

http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=923 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potez_53

1934 - The Collier trophy for the year's outstanding aviation achievement is awarded in Washington, D.C. to Hamilton Standard Propeller Company for the development of the controllable-pitch propeller.

http://www.notplanejane.com/hamiltonstd_info.htm

1934 - Highland Airways commences the 1st regular airmail service within the UK, between Inverness and Kirkwall with a de Havilland DH84 Dragon.

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/history-of-aviation-timeline/interactive-aviation-timeline/british-civil-aviation/1934.aspx

1935 - 1st flight of The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, German WWII fighter aircraft, one of the 1st true modern fighters of the era, including such features as an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, a retractable landing gear, and was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109

1937 - German battleship 'Deutschland' is bombed by Spanish Republican Tupolev SB (ANT-40) (mistaking it for the Nationalist cruiser Canarias) near Ivaza in the Balearic Islands

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_SB#Spanish_Civil_War

1937 - 1st flight of The Grumman G-21 Goose, American amphibious aircraft designed as an eight-seat "commuter" plane for businessmen in the Long Island area, Grumman’s 1st monoplane to fly, its 1st twin-engined aircraft, and its 1st aircraft to enter commercial airline service.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_G-21_Goose

1940 - 1st flight of The Chance Vought F4U Corsair, American carrier-capable fighter aircraft .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F4U_Corsair

1941 - General Henry H. Arnold established the Air Corps Ferrying Command to deliver lend-lease aircraft overseas from the USA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transport_Command#Air_Corps_Ferrying_Command

1942 - 1st Flight of the CAC Boomerang, 1st fighter combat aircraft designed and built in Australia.

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

1944 - Death of Friedrich-Karl "Tutti" Müller, German WWII fighter ace killed in his Bf 109 G-6 when it stalled on landing approach at low altitude.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich-Karl_%22Tutti%22_M%C3%BCller - http://www.luftwaffe.cz/mullerfk.html

1944 - Only US Navy carrier lost in the Atlantic: Aircraft carrier USS Block Island is torpedoed and sunk near the Azores by U-549 which is also sunk by a counter-attack with depth charges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Block_Island_(CVE-21)#Sinking - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-549#2nd_patrol_and_loss

1945 - Gnome et Rhône, major French aircraft engine manufacturer is natiolalized and becomes the Société Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation (SNECMA).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnome_et_Rh%C3%B4ne - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNECMA

1945 – 1st combat mission of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator heavy bomber.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-32_Dominator

1947 - United Airlines Flight 521 Douglas DC-4 'Mainliner Lake Tahoe' failed to get airborne, overran the end of the runway at LaGuardia Airport, ripped through an airport fence onto traffic on the Grand Central Parkway, and slammed into an embankment, ultimately plunging into a pond and exploding, Killing 42 over 48.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_521

1951 - Capt. Charles Blair lands in his F-51 piston-engined Mustang after making the 1st solo flight across the North Pole in a single-engined aircraft, from Bardufoss, Norway to Fairbanks, Alaska, covering 3,375 miles in 10 hours, 29 minutes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_F._Blair,_Jr.

1952 - Aerial refueling is used on a combat mission for the 1st time, with 12 F-84 Thunderjets of the 159th Fighter Bomber Squadron being refueled by a KB-29 Superfortress on their way to Sariwon

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

1953 - 1st flight of the 1st Australian-built English Electric Canberra, jet-powered light bomber,

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

1953 - 1st of two 40 passenger de Havilland Comets arrived in Ottawa. With the arrival of this Aircraft, the RCAF became the 1st air force in the world to operate jet transports and the 1st operator to make scheduled trans-Atlantic crossings.

http://canadianaviationhistory.pbworks.com/w/page/13801122/On%20this%20day%20in%20Canadian%20Aviation%20History%20May

1954 - 1st flight for the 1st production Dassault MD-454 Mystère IV A, French fighter-bomber aircraft, 1st transonic aircraft to enter service in French Air Force

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Myst%C3%A8re_IV

1970 - 1st flight of the Dassault MILAN, french supersonic fighter aircraft, fully equipped prototype rebuilt from a Mirage IIIR, including a laser designator and rangefinder in the nose

http://www.aviastar.org/gallery/mirage.html - http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Mirage_III#Le_Milan

1970 - 1st flight of the Robin DR-300/108, French 4 seat low wing cabin monoplane.

http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=5705

1972 - Death of Cleo Francis Pineau, American WWI flying ace, motorcycle racer, founder of Williamsport-Lycoming County Airport and businessman.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleo_Pineau - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/pineau.php

1974 - Launch of Luna 22, Soviet unmanned space mission to study the Moon's magnetic field, surface gamma ray emissions and composition of lunar surface rocks, and the gravitational field, as well as micrometeorites and cosmic rays.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_22

1981 - Last flight of the Bell Model 68 X-14, jet-powered VTOL prototype aircraft, victim of a hard landing accident which occurred following loss of roll control while making a ramp hover.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/usa/bell_x-14.php

1986 - The 5th FAI World Rally Flying Championship begins in Castellón de la Plana in Spain with 57 crews from 18 countries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_FAI_World_Rally_Flying_Championship

1989 - 2nd and last Grumman X-29, American experimental jet fighter aircraft to test a forward-swept wing, canard control surfaces, and other novel aircraft technologies, makes its maiden flight

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_X-29

1996 - STS-77 Space shuttle ENdeavour is back on earth

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-77

1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-96) completes the 1st docking with the ISS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-96

2000 - STS-101, Space Shuttle mission Atlantis to the International Space Station (ISS), is back on earth

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-101

2002 - 1st flight of The Aceair AERIKS 200, Swiss sports plane of highly unusual design being marketed in kitplane form, 2 seat tandem highly-streamlined, bullet-shaped fuselage, with a T-tail and large ventral fin, pusher propeller, and canard configuration.

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

2003 - 1st flight of The Van's Aircraft RV-10, American four-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt airplane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van's_Aircraft_RV-10

2004 - 1st flight of The NAL Saras (Sanskrit: Crane), 1st Indian multi-purpose civilian jet aircraft in the Light Transport Aircraft category designed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL).

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

2012 - Launch of Yaogan 15, Chinese reconnaissance satellite.

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