Civilian

1906 – Robert Albert Charles Esnault-Pelterie makes a towed flight of more than 1,600 feet in a glider he equipped with ailerons. 1925 – Birth of Masajiro “Mike” Kawato, Japanese World War II fighter ace. 1945 – The No. 273 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, equipped with Supermarine Spitfire IXs, is deployed to Tan […]

1886 – Amelie Beese, the first female German aviator and sculptor, is born. 1931 – The U.K. wins the Schneider Trophy when Lt. John Boothman completes the course at Calshot Spit in a Supermarine S.6B at 340.1 mph. 1940 – The Imperial Japanese Navy’s Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter scores its first aerial victories when a […]

1893 – Birth of Claire Lee Chennault (shown), American military aviator, fierce advocate of “pursuit” or fight-interceptor aircraft, and commander of the “Flying Tigers” during World War II. 1910 – Géo Chavez flies reaches an altitude of 8,700 feet over Issy, France, with a Blériot XI monoplane. 1945 – First flight of the Beriev LL-143, […]

1912 – Royal Navy aviator Wilfred Parke becomes the first pilot ever to recover from a spin when he regains control of his Avro Type G biplane 50 feet from the ground at Larkhill, England. 1916 – Birth of Saburo Sakai, Japanese naval aviator and World War II fighter ace. 1919 – The world’s first […]