HOME      AVIATION FIRSTS

                  
AVIATION
F I R S T S
   

Aviation firsts, from biplanes to supersonic jets, with accomplishments,  pictures, 
aircraft sounds,  specifications, and a scale radio control airplane guide.
 
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TO FIND A SUBJECT ON THIS PAGE:  Enter "Ctrl F" on your computer.  A box will open on your screen that says "Find."  Type in what you are looking for and it will be highlighted on the page. 
 

AVIATION FIRSTS
 
  
February 9, 1910
 
First mass produced scout aircraft used in World War I by Germany - Taube

 
December 3, 1914 

First aircraft ever to have a machine gun fire through its propeller arc - Morane Saulnier
 

April 1, 1915

First monoplane fighter; first aircraft to have synchronized gun firing through its propeller arc - Fokker Eindecker
 
 
August 2, 1917
 
First aircraft to ever land on a moving ship -  Sopwith Pup
 
  
October 20, 1921 
 
First flight of the first RAF all metal fighter aircraft - Armstrong Whitworth Siskin


November 29, 1929
 
First aircraft to fly over the South Pole:  Ford Trimotor
 
 
March 25, 1931
 
First RAF fighter aircraft to exceed 200 MPH in level flight - Hawker Fury
 

January 10, 1932

First flight of a "modern" United States bomber aircraft - Martin B-10
 

March 20, 1932

First U.S. all metal, low-wing fighter to fly - Boeing P-26


November 20, 1933

First single engine monoplane produced by Focke Wulf after World War 1 - FW-56

 
July 1, 1934

First aircraft ever to fly a total of 635 hours, 34 minutes before landing - Curtiss Robin  
 
 
July 17, 1935

First flight of a mass produced four engine bomber -  Boeing B-17
 

July 4, 1937

First fully controlled helicopter long duration flight - Focke Wulf FW-61
 
 
August 11, 1937
 
First British fighter aircraft with more than four machine guns - Boulton Paul Defiant
 
 
October 11, 1938
 
First British single seat twin engine fighter aircraft - Westland Whirlwind
 
 
August 27, 1939

The first ever experimental jet takes flight - Heinkel He 178


May 29, 1940

First U.S. production aircraft to exceed a speed of 400 MPH in level flight - Chance Vought F-4U Corsair
 
July 28, 1940
 
First ever radar intercept of an enemy aircraft:  Bristol Blenheim
 
 
August 3, 1940

First transport helicopter to fly - FA-223    
 
 
September 22, 1940
 
First jet fighter to fly - He-280


December 7, 1940

First flight of a monoplane RAF dive bomber - Fairey Barracuda
 
 
March 12, 1941
 
First four engine bomber to fly World War II missions against German forces - Halifax
 

December 28, 1941

First ever test flight of a cruise missile - Fieseler Fi 103  V-1


January 14, 1942

First flight of the first helicopter produced in quantity, first USAAC helicopter, and first helicopter to land on a ship at sea - Sikorsky R-4


April 18, 1942

First U.S. aircraft to raid Japan after the start of World War II - North American B-25 


May 21, 1942

First aircraft to be designated from the start as a night fighter takes to the air - Northrop P-61

 
July 18, 1942 
 
First operational jet aircraft to fly - Me-262
 
 
June 15, 1943  
 
First jet bomber to fly - Arado Ar 234 
 
 
June 23, 1943 
 
First operational aircraft with ejection seats - Heinkel He-219
 
 
August 18, 1943   
 
Flight of first dedicated rescue helicopter that would eventually be the first helicopter used in the Antarctic - Sikorsky H-5
 
 
November 2, 1943

First flight of a multi-engine U.S. Navy fighter - Grumman F7F
 
 
May 22, 1944   
 
First Kamikaze attacks launched - Ki-45 
 
 
June 14, 1944

First production rocket propelled fighter plane becomes operational - Me163


September 7, 1944

First flying vehicle to exceed the speed of sound - German V-2 Missile


September 6, 1945 
 
First flight of a helicopter across the English Channel - FA-223
 
 
December 3, 1945
 
First jet aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier - Vampire 
 
 
June 25, 1946

First flying wing bomber to fly - XB-35


February 28, 1946 
 
First post-war U.S. fighter:  F-84 

 
September 2, 1947
 
First British Navy jet to fly:  Sea Hawk


October 14, 1947

First aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound in level flight - Bell X-1
 

November 24, 1947
 
Flight of first Grumman jet fighter - F9F
 
 
December 17, 1947
 
First swept wing bomber to be deployed by the U.S.A.F. - Boeing B-47
 
 
September 29, 1948
 
First U.S. Navy jet to go supersonic - F7U Cutlass.
 

February 26, 1949

First non-stop flight around the world - B-50


April 16, 1949

First flight of an American production jet aircraft to have an afterburner and the first operational all weather interceptor - F-94

Feb. 23, 1951

First French supersonic, swept wing,  jet fighter to fly:  Dassault Mystere

 

May 25, 1953

First U.S. production aircraft capable of supersonic speeds  in level flight - F-100
 
 
September 18, 1953
 
First Soviet aircraft capable of supersonic speeds in level flight - MiG-19 
 
 
October 3, 1953
 
First US Navy aircraft capable of supersonic speeds in level flight - F4D 
 
 
February 7, 1954

First aircraft to hold simultaneous records for speed, altitude and time to climb - F-104


December 19, 1954

First supersonic all-weather interceptor and first operational delta-wing aircraft - F-102


March 25, 1955

First supersonic carrier-based aircraft - F-8


March 10, 1956

First supersonic training aircraft - T-38


December 30, 1956

First flight of a bomber at supersonic speeds  - Convair B-58


January 18, 1957

First jet plane flight around the world without landing - Boeing B-52


August 31, 1957

First flight of a British delta-wing jet bomber - Avro Vulcan


December 6, 1957

First U.S. built turboprop airliner flies - L188 Electra

 
October 14, 1959
 
First flight of a U.S. Army turboprop powered airplane - OV-1 Mohawk
 
 
December 14, 1959

First aircraft to hold simultaneous records for speed, altitude, and time-to-climb - F-104
 

November 13, 1963
The largest aircraft in history ever to land on and take off from an aircraft carrier - C-130  
 
 
December 21, 1964

The first operational aircraft to employ variable geometry wings takes flight - F-111

 
September 7, 1965
 
First dedicated attack helicopter and first to have tandem crew seating - AH-1
 
 
March 16, 1967
 
First production helicopter to have a rigid rotor system - BO 105
 
 
October 24, 1967

First airborne radar aircraft to direct a successful attack on an enemy plane - EC-121


December 31, 1968

First flight of an airliner capable of speeds over Mach 1 - Tu-144


January 21, 1976

First regularly scheduled supersonic flights commence - Concorde

 
August 13, 1976
 
America's first light twin helicopter takes flight - Bell 222
 
 
April 25, 1978
 
First helicopter outside of the Soviet Union certified for all-weather operations - SA 330

Sept. 30, 1982

First helicopter around the world flight - Bell 206


December 14, 1984

First forward swept wing (FSW) aircraft to exceed the speed of sound is flown - X-29
 

February 22, 1987 
 
First flight of sub sonic airliner to use fly by wire controls - A320
 

October 9, 1988

First aircraft to fly a fully automated flight from takeoff to landing - Condor
 

December 7, 1988

First F-15B development aircraft modified by NASA for flight control research - F-15S/ MTD


March 8, 1989

First supersonic cruise jet fighter - F-16XL


March 19, 1989

First production tilt-rotor aircraft to fly - V-22

 
February 17, 1991
 
First flight of a civil aviation four seat aircraft with a pressurized cabin - Lancair IV-P
 
 
March 26, 1992
 
First flight of a dedicated cargo hauling helicopter - K-Max
 
 
June 14, 1994 

First flight of a jetliner 100% digitally designed using three dimension computer graphics - Boeing 777


April 24, 2001

First drone aircraft to successfully fly across the Pacific - RQ-4.


August 13, 2001

Solar powered aircraft sets new altitude record - NASA Helios


June 21, 2004

First non-government manned aircraft to reach space - Space Ship One


November 10, 2005

World record set for distance traveled non stop by a commercial aircraft - Boeing 777