1888 – Birth of Francesco Baracca, Italy’s top fighter ace of World War I; he is credited with 34 aerial victories.
1926 – Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett make the first flight over the North Pole in a Fokker F.VIIa/3m.
1937 – First flight of the Lockheed XC-35 (shown), an American twin-engine airplane;it is a pressurized development of the Lockheed Model 10 Electra.
1941 – Death of Sydney “Timbertoes” Carlin, British World War I flying ace and air gunner during World War II, dying from wounds after an enemy bombing raid at RAF Wittering.
1978 – David Cook makes the first crossing of the English Channel in a powered hang-glider.
2012 – A Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner crashes on Mount Salak on Java during a demonstration flight for airline representatives and journalists, killing all 45 people on board.
