1879 – Birth of Eustace Broke Loraine, pioneer British aviator and first Royal Flying Corps officer to be killed in an aircraft crash.
1917 – England-based single-seat scout aircraft operate at night for the 1st time, when three Sopwith Camels of No.44 Squadron fly patrols against Gotha bombers attacking Chatham. Although no interceptions are made, the sorties prove single-seat fighters can operate safely at night.
1953 – First flight of the Pilatus P-3, a Swiss military trainer.
1996 – Americans Ron Bower and John Williams break the round-the-world helicopter record with a Bell 430 helicopter, flying westwards from the UK with a time of 17 days, 6 hours and 14 minutes.
1997 – Death of Shui-Tin “Arthur” Chin (shown), Chinese-American pilot and Second Sino-Japanese War fighter ace; he was America’s first World War II ace.
2010 – UPS Airlines Flight 6, a Boeing 747-400F, crashes near Dubai International Airport , killing two crew members; it is the first fatal accident for the cargo carrier.
