On This Day in Aviation History

On This Day in Aviation History

1905 – Birth of Martin Schempp, German glider pilot and founder of Schempp-Hirth, a major manufacturer of gliders.

1914 – The Royal Siamese Flying Corps, which later becomes the Royal Thai Air Force, is formed.

1936 – Imperial Airways begins scheduled flights between Hong Kong and Malaysia.

1948 – First flight of the Douglas F3D Skyknight, (shown), a U.S. twin-engined jet fighter, designed as a carrier-based all-weather aircraft.

1959 – Death of Ernest James Salter, Canadian World War I flying ace who served as bombing instructor in World War II.

2009 – FedEx Flight 80, McDonnell Douglas MD-11F, crashes on landing at Tokyo Narita Airport. After landing in heavy winds, the cargo jet bounces and goes into a left roll, ends up on its back and catches fire; the crew perishes.

Updated: March 23, 2015 — 12:49 AM
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