On This Day in Aviation History

On This Day in Aviation History

1918 – Death of Llewelyn Crichton Davies, Welsh World War I flying ace, from injuries sustained after the crash of his Airco DH.4 three days earlier.

1937 – First flight of the Fokker G.I (replica shown), a Dutch twin-engined fighter comparable in size and role to the German Messerschmitt Bf 110 and the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito.

1950 – A de Havilland DH 106 Comet airliner, piloted by company chief test pilot John Cunningham, flies from England to Rome and back; the jet covering 1,831 miles in just over four hours.

1959 – Birth of Michael John “Bloomer” Bloomfield, American fighter and test pilot, and later, NASA astronaut.

1967 – Air Southwest is incorporated by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King; the Texas-based airline eventually becomes Southwest Airlines.

2006 – The New Kitakyushu Airport, built on an artificial island, opens in Japan.

Updated: March 16, 2015 — 1:03 AM
Air Age Media ©
WordPress Image Lightbox Plugin