Aviation and space timeline
The milestones of aerospace history, from the pioneers to today.
- July 25, 1909
Blériot crosses the English Channel
Record — On 25 July 1909 Louis Blériot flew the first Blériot XI across the English Channel, the first such crossing by a heavier-than-air aircraft. The feat made him a world figure overnight and secured the future of his aircraft manufacturing business. Its impact was captured by the British press headline declaring that Britain was no longer an island: the aeroplane had just erased a natural frontier.
- May 20, 1927
Lindbergh's solo Atlantic crossing (Spirit of St. Louis)
Record — Between 20 and 21 May 1927 Charles Lindbergh flew the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat Spirit of St. Louis from Long Island, New York, to Paris in the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight. The high-wing monoplane, purpose-built for the attempt, won him the $25,000 Orteig Prize. The crossing transformed how the public saw long-distance aviation.
- November 11, 1937
World speed record of the Bf 109 V13
Record — On 11 November 1937, the Bf 109 V13 (D-IPKY), flown by Messerschmitt's chief test pilot Dr. Hermann Wurster and powered by a 1,230 kW (1,672 PS) DB 601R racing engine, set a new world air speed record for landplanes with piston engines of 610.95 km/h — the first time Germany had set this record. Converted from a Bf 109D, the aircraft was registered by the FAI and contemporary publications as a Messerschmitt Bf 113 (or Bf 113R).
- January 16, 1957
Operation Power Flite: first non-stop round-the-world flight by jet aircraft
Record — Three B-52Bs of the 93rd Bombardment Wing took off from March Air Force Base, California, on 16 January 1957 and returned to the same base on 18 January after covering 39,147 km (24,325 miles) in 45 hours 19 minutes, with several in-flight refuelings by KC-97s. It was the first non-stop round-the-world flight by a jet aircraft, and the 93rd Bomb Wing received the Mackay Trophy for the feat.
- December 23, 1986
Rutan Voyager's nonstop round-the-world flight
Record — The Rutan Model 76 Voyager, designed by Burt Rutan and flown by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, took off from the 15,000-foot runway at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert on 14 December 1986. It landed on 23 December after 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds aloft, completing the first flight around the world without stopping or refuelling. The aircraft covered 26,366 statute miles westbound at an average altitude of 11,000 feet.
- July 20, 2001
"Mission X": short take-off, supersonic dash and vertical landing in a single X-35B sortie
Record — Marine Corps Major Art Tomassetti performed an automatic short take-off at 80 knots, converted the propulsion system to conventional mode in flight, climbed to 25,000 feet and accelerated to Mach 1.05 before returning for a vertical landing. It was the first time a single aircraft had strung together a short take-off, a supersonic dash and a vertical landing in one mission. The demonstration, dubbed "Mission X", settled the underlying doubt about the feasibility of a supersonic STOVL fighter and weighed on the competition verdict three months later.