on this day Archives - Page 2 of 2

On this Day, 15 February 1946—First flight of Douglas XC-112A

In 1944, the U.S. Army Air Corps had requested a faster, higher-flying variant of the Douglas C-54E Skymaster, with a pressurized cabin. Douglas Aircraft Company developed the XC-112A in response. It was completed 11 February 1946 and made its first flight 4 days later. With the end of World War II, military requirements were scaled […]

January 26 — On this Day in Aviation History

Here are some more interesting archive listings from the aviation historical calendar. 1990 – The first Boeing 747 (military designation: VC-25) to be used as Air Force One is delivered to the United States Air Force. 1988 – French Defense Ministry approves full-scale development of the Dassault Rafale. 1962 – NASA launches the […]

January 9. On this Day in Aviation History

Today in 1969: NASA announced the astronauts selected for the first lunar landing: (left to right below) Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin Jr., Neil A. Armstrong, and Michael Collins. This photo of the crew was taken the following day. Michael Collins piloted the command module Columbia alone in lunar orbit while they were on the Moon’s […]

December 27, On this Day in Aviation History

1992 – U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons shoot down an Iraqi Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 over the country’s southern no-fly zone. 1968 – Apollo 8, the first manned spacecraft to enter the Moon’s orbit, splashes down into the Pacific carrying its crew of three: Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Lunar […]