On This Day in Aviation History

On This Day in Aviation History

1917 – German World War I fighter ace Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen scored four victories on that single day with his Albatros D.III.

1917 – Birth of Eric James Brindley Nicolson (shown above), British World War II fighter pilot. He is the only Battle of Britain pilot and the only pilot of RAF Fighter Command to be awarded the Victoria Cross during WWII.

1953 – Death of Walter Richard Brookins, the first pilot trained by the Wright brothers for their exhibition team and Wrights’ first pilot instructor.

1965 – A YCH-54A (Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe) sets a world record by carrying a pod with 90 passengers.

1968 – United Air Lines becomes the first carrier to put the Boeing 737-200, a larger capacity version of the standard 737, into service.

2010 – A stripped-down Eurocopter AS350 B3 succeeded in rescuing three alpinists, one at a time, from Annapurna in Nepal at an altitude of more than 23,000 feet; it is the highest such rescue ever.

Updated: April 29, 2013 — 11:16 AM

2 Comments

  1. I enjoy perusing “On this Day in Aviation History”. I especially focus on World Wars One and Two events like the Red Baron entry for example. I wish there were a column or department specifically dedicated to World War One Aviation History.

    1. Peter Anthony:

      Thanks for the kind words; I certainly enjoy putting OTDIAH, as I clumsily call it, together every day for our readers. As for granting your wish, it’d be a little overwhelming to fulfill since I’m just one person, but rest assured World War I aviation will remain a high priority for all of us here at Flight Journal.

      Regards,
      Mike Harbour

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