January 20

What happened on January 20 in aviation and space history.

• January 20, 1959

  First flight of the Vickers Vanguard

  First flight — The Vickers Vanguard flew for the first time on 1959-01-20.

• January 20, 1974

  Accidental liftoff of the YF-16 during a high-speed taxi test

  First flight — During a high-speed taxi test at Edwards AFB, a roll-control oscillation caused the YF-16 to become airborne unintentionally; the pilot completed a six-minute flight and landed without further incident.