2014 Event The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration removes its ban on air travel to Israel after concluding that Israel will be able to prevent risks to aircraft during the conflict with Hamas 2014 Event Russia supplies Iraq with military aircraft to help the government fight insurgents from the Islamic State of Iraq; the U.S. has readied military assistance, but it has not yet been delivered 2014 Event A U.S. aircraft carrier is being repositioned in the Persian Gulf in the event that President Barack Obama decides to authorize military aid in the current internal Iraqi conflict; the president has stated that he will not send in ground troops 2013 Event The USS Gerald R. Ford is christened by the U.S. Navy; the aircraft carrier cost $15.5 billion and technically the most advanced ship ever built 2012 Event In ceremonies held at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, is officially inactivated after a 51-year U.S. Naval career 2012 Event In crowded Ginowan, Okinawa, tens of thousands of Japanese people protest, demanding closure of the Futenma airbase (MCAS) and halting the deployment of twelve MV-22 Osprey aircraft 2012 Event The U.S. Congress passes legislation to expand the use of drone aircraft in the country 2011 Event Iran refuses to return the RQ-170 Sentinel that Iran captured after it crash landed in the country; Iran reports they are extracting data from the aircraft 2007 Event Boeing launches it's newest aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner 1996 Death John William Fozard, aircraft designer, dies at 68 1994 Event Iran transport aircraft crashes in Azerbaijan, 32 killed 1991 Event Senate votes to allow women to fly combat aircraft 1989 Event Boeing B-22 Osprey VTOL aircraft makes maiden flight 1988 Event A Greek pedals self-powered aircraft, 74 miles 1986 Event U.S. aircraft attacks 5 terrorist locations in Libya 1984 Event Venz commandos terminate hijacking of an aircraft, 2 killed 1984 Event Soviet sub crashes into USS aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk off Japan 1983 Event Official speed record for a piston-driven aircraft, 832 kph, California 1983 Death Stan Rogers, musician, dies in aircraft fire 1981 Event 1st solar-powered aircraft, Solar Challenger, crosses English Channel 1981 Event Aircraft hijacked by 3 Pakistani terrorists 1981 Death Donald W. Douglas, U.S. aircraft pioneer/builder, dies at 88 1979 Event Bryan Allen flew man-powered Gossamer Albatross over English Channel in a human-powered aircraft; flight took 2 hours, 49 minutes 1979 Event Columbia flown on carrier aircraft lands at Kennedy Space Center 1979 Event Columbia flies on Shuttle carrier aircraft to Kennedy Space Center 1978 Death Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft builder, dies at 80 1977 Event Aleksandr Fedotov sets aircraft altitude record of 38.26 km (125,524') 1973 Event Israeli fighters shoot Libyan aircraft down, killing 108 1972 Death Andrej N Tupolev, Russian aircraft builder, dies at 84 1972 Event 46 sailors injured in race riot on aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk 1972 Event Sabena aircraft at Lod International, Tel Aviv, captured by Palestinians 1970 Death Artem Mikoyan, Russian aircraft designer (MIG), dies at 65 1970 Event British aircraft crashes at Barcelona, 112 killed 1969 Event Australian aircraft carrier "Melbourne" slices U.S. destroyer "Frank E. Evans" in half, killing 74 (South Vietnam) 1969 Event 25 members of U.S. aircraft carrier Enterprise die during maneuvers 1968 Event Aircraft carrier Charles Doorman sold to Argentina 1966 Event U.S. aircraft carrier Oriskany catches fire at Gulf on Tonken, 43 die 1964 Event Lockheed SR-71 spy aircraft reaches 3,530 kph (record for a jet) 1964 Event Destroyer Voyager sinks off Australia after colliding with aircraft carrier Melbourne 1960 Event USS Enterprise, 1st nuclear power aircraft carrier, launches 1960 Event Rocket propelled USAAF research aircraft sets record at 2,150 MPH 1960 Event U.S.S.R. shoots down a U.S. aircraft over Barents sea 1960 Event CIA OKs Lockheed to produce a new U-2 aircraft 1958 Event Howard Johnson sets aircraft altitude record in F-104, 27,810 m 1956 Event Bell X-2 sets Unofficial manned aircraft altitude record 126,000'+ 1956 Event British government sends 3 aircraft carriers to Egypt 1956 Event Bell X-2 rocket plane sets world aircraft speed record of 3,050 kph 1956 Event Aircraft carrier "Bennington" burns off RI, killing 103 1955 Event Worlds most powerful aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga launched 1955 Event Aircraft carrier USS Saratoga at Brooklyn launched 1955 Event British aircraft carrier Ark Royal sets sail 1952 Event North American F-86 Sabre sets world aircraft speed record, 1124 KPH 1952 Event 1st aircraft carrier to sail around Cape Horn-Oriskany 1952 Event U.S. minesweeper "Hobson" rams aircraft carrier "Wasp," kills 176 1949 Event Unidentified aircraft bomb Jerusalem 1948 Event F-86 Sabre sets world aircraft speed record of 1080 kph 1947 Event Marion Carl in D-558-I sets world aircraft speed record, 1,047 kph 1947 Event Turner Caldwell in D-558-I sets aircraft speed record, 1131 kph 1947 Event NV United Dutch Fokker's Aircraft established 1945 Event Kamikaze-Zero strikes U.S. aircraft carrier Enterprise 1945 Event U.S. aircraft carrier Franklin heavy damaged in Japanese air raid 1945 Event U.S. aircraft carriers attack Tokyo 1945 Event U.S. aircraft carriers attack Okinawa 1944 Event U.S. aircraft carrier Princeton sinks at Philippines 1944 Event Japanese aircraft carrier Hijo sinks by U.S. air attack 1944 Event Japanese aircraft carriers Taiho/Shokaku sinks in Marianas 1944 Event Battle of Philippines Sea, 300 Japanese aircraft shot down 1944 Event 15 U.S. aircraft carriers attack Japanese bases on Marianas 1943 Event U.S. aircraft carrier Hornet launched 1943 Event Erich Hartmann shoots 7 Russian aircraft at Kursk 1942 Event U.S. aircraft carrier Enterprise reaches Noumea 1942 Event U.S. aircraft carrier Hornet sinks off Santa Cruz 1942 Event U.S. aircraft carrier Wasp torpedoed at Guadalcanal 1942 Event British aircraft carrier Eagle torpedoed and sinks 1942 Event U.S. aircraft carrier Yorktown leaves Pearl Harbor 1942 Event Aircraft carrier Lexington sunk by Japanese air attack at Coral Sea 1941 Event Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi/Kagu back in Kure, Japan 1941 Event U-81 torpedoes British aircraft carrier Ark Royal 1941 Event U.S. aircraft carrier Lexington and 5 heavy cruisers leave Pearl Harbor 1941 Event British aircraft carrier "Ark Royal" sank in Mediterranean 1940 Event 12 German aircraft shot down above England 1940 Event 55 German aircraft shot down above England 1940 Event 28 German aircraft shot down above England 1940 Event 31 German aircraft shot down over England 1940 Event Lord Beaverbrook appointed British minister of aircraft production 1940 Event Germany battle cruisers sink British aircraft carrier Glorious 1939 Event German U-29 sinks British aircraft carrier Courageous, 519 die 1938 Event 1st aircraft owned by Forest Service in service (Oakland) 1937 Event Japanese aircraft shell and sink U.S. gunboat Panay on Yangtze River in China. (Japan apologized and eventually paid U.S. $2.2M in reparations) 1935 Event 1st test flight of British Hurricane aircraft 1934 Event Black-McKeller Bill passes causes Bill Boeing empire to break up into Boeing United Aircraft [Technologies] and United Air Lines 1934 Birthday Donald Spiers, controller, Aircraft MoD 1933 Event 1st genuine aircraft carrier christened, USS Ranger 1932 Birthday Adrian Swire, British aircraft magnate, Cathay Pacific 1931 Event 1st rocket-powered aircraft design patented, Robert Goddard 1929 Event Cruiser Act: OKs construction of 19 new cruisers and an aircraft carrier 1928 Birthday John William Fozard, aircraft designer 1927 Birthday John Swire, British aircraft magnate, Cathay Pacific 1925 Birthday Paul MacCready, engineer/inventor, 1st man-powered aircraft 1924 Event Croydon Airport: 1st British mig aircraft Imperial established 1922 Event 1st speed test of 1st genuine Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho 1922 Event USS Langley is commissioned, Navy's 1st aircraft Carrier 1920 Event Radio compass used for 1st time for aircraft navigation 1919 Event 1st wedding held in an aircraft (over Houston, Texas) 1919 Event NC-4 aircraft commanded by AC Read completes 1st crossing of Atlantic 1917 Event French pilot Georges Guynemer shoots down 54th German aircraft 1917 Birthday Googie Withers, born in Karachi, India, actress, 1 of Our Aircraft is Missing 1917 Birthday Frederick Page, CEO, British Aerospace Aircraft Group 1916 Event Boeing aircraft flies for 1st time 1916 Event U.S. pilot Kiffin Rockwell shoots down German aircraft 1915 Event 1st all-metal aircraft (Junkers J-1) test flown at Dessau Germany 1913 Event 1st aircraft to loop the loop (Adolphe Pegoud-France) 1913 Event 1st pilot to parachute from an aircraft (Adolphe Pegoud-France) 1913 Event 1st 4 engine aircraft built and flown (Igor Sikorsky-Russia) 1912 Event 1st time an aircraft recovers from a spin 1911 Event M Fourny sets world aircraft distance record of 720 km 1911 Event Anthony Fokker's demonstrates aircraft "Snip" 1911 Event Nieuport sets an aircraft speed record of 83 mph, 133 kph 1910 Event 1st 2 aircraft collision (Milan Italy) 1910 Event England's 1st aircraft flight 1910 Death Clement of Maasdijk, 1st Dutch aircraft death 1910 Event 1st aircraft air display held (Hendon, England) 1909 Death Eugene Lefebvre, dies test piloting a Wright A aircraft 1907 Event Signal Corps of U.S. Army starts aircraft division 1906 Birthday Eric Mensforth, president, Westland Aircraft 1906 Event Vuia I aircraft built by Romanian Traja Vuia tested in France 1905 Birthday Howard Hughes, reclusive billionaire, Hughes Aircraft, inventor 1903 Event At 10:35 AM, 1st sustained motorized aircraft flight (Orville Wright) 1903 Birthday Olive Ann Beech, aircraft industry executive 1898 Birthday Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft designer 1898 Birthday Kurt Tank, German WW II aircraft designer 1896 Death Otto Lilienthal, German aircraft pioneer, dies 1896 Death Otto Lilenthal, aircraft pioneer, killed during a glider test at 48 1895 Birthday John Knudsen Northrop, aircraft designer, Northrop Air 1892 Birthday Donald Wills Douglas, U.S., aircraft pioneer, McConnell Douglas 1890 Birthday Anthony Herman Gerard Fokker, born in Holland, aircraft pioneer, Spider 1888 Birthday Andrej N Tupolev, Russian aircraft builder 1888 Birthday Ernst Heinrich Heinkel, German inventor, 1st rocket-powered aircraft 1881 Birthday William Edward Boeing, founded aircraft co, Boeing
