On This Day in Aviation History

On This Day in Aviation History

1902 – Birth of Henri Guillaumet, French pioneer aviator.

1919 – Agustin Parla, the first Cuban pilot, performs the first commercial flight to the U.S. with a Curtiss flying boat named “Sunshine.”

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

1940 – First flight of the Chance Vought F4U Corsair (XF4U-1 shown), American carrier fighter.

1947 – United Airlines Flight 521, a Douglas DC-4, fails to get airborne at LaGuardia Airport, rips through an airport fence onto traffic on the Grand Central Parkway, and slams into an embankment, ultimately plunging into a pond and exploding; 42 die.

1972 – Death of Cleo Francis Pineau, American World War I flying ace, motorcycle racer, founder of Williamsport-Lycoming County (Pa.) Airport and businessman.

Updated: May 29, 2014 — 3:56 PM
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