On This Day in Aviation History

On This Day in Aviation History

1913 – The U.S. Army forms the 1st Aero Squadron under Capt. Charles Chandler at Texas City, Texas, to scout for Mexican incursions along the border.

1932 – Alan Bean, American astronaut and fourth man to walk on the moon (shown above), was born.

1941 – Philippine Airlines, the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name, begins service with a Beechcraft Model 18 with flights from Manila to Baguio.

1957 – A U. S. Navy ZPG-2 nonrigid airship sets a new unrefueled endurance record when it lands, having remained aloft for 264 hours (11 days), 12 min., beating the record set by the Graf Zeppelin in 1929.

1967 – Air Southwest is incorporated by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King. They would go on to grow it into low-cost juggernaut Southwest Airlines.

1996 – The Fokker aircraft manufacturer, founded by Dutch aviation pioneer Anthony Fokker, is declared bankrupt.

Updated: March 15, 2013 — 11:33 AM
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