APRIL28

1893 - Birth of Harold Leslie Edwards, Canadian WWI flying ace gunner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Leslie_Edwards - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/canada/edwards2.php

1894 - Birth of Henry John "Hank" Burden, Canadian WWI fighter ace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_John_Burden - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/canada/burden.php

1895 - Birth of William Tinsley, British WWI flying ace

http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/tinsley.php

1899 - Birth of Richard Frank Hill, British WWI flying ace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hill_(aviator) - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/hill2.php

1908 - Birth of Eberhard Friedrich Michael Rees, German-American (by becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States) rocketry pioneer and the second Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eberhard_Rees

1909 - Inaugural meeting of The Aerial League of Australia in Sydney.

http://www.raes.org.au/assets/Uploads/Centenary-of-Flt-in-Aus.pdf

1910 - French Louis Paulhan lands his Farman III, Winning the London to Manchester air race, marking the 1st long-distance aeroplane race in England, the 1st take-off of a heavier-than-air machine at night, and the 1st powered flight into Manchester from outside the city.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1910_London_to_Manchester_air_race

1910 - Death of Edward Porter Alexander, engineer, officer in the U.S. Army, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, and later a railroad executive, planter, and author, also noted for his early use of signal and observation balloon intelligence in combat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Porter_Alexander

1911 - Hugh A. Robinson, an American, came to Canada to perform during the Edmonton Horse Show. He arrived along with his mechanic and his Curtiss biplane

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3289/is_1_59/ai_n57137313/

1919 - Death of Edwin Tufnell Hayne, South african WWI fighter ace, killed in the crash of his Bristol F.2 Fighter after an engine failure on take off.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Hayne - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/safrica/hayne.php

1919 - Leslie Leroy Irving made the 1st US free-fall parachute jump at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio from an Air Service DH-9. The parachute was designed by James Floyd Smith (the pilot).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Floyd_Smith#Patent - http://www.earlyaviators.com/esmithfl.htm - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Irvin_(parachutist)

1926 - 5 Fokker F.llls were sold to the Swiss Balair company and made a formation delivery flight to Basle.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/holland/fokker_f-3.php

1927 - 1st flight of the Ryan NYP 'Spirit of St Louis'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_of_St._Louis

1927 - João Ribeiro de Barros, 1st aviator of the three Americas to make an air crossing from Europe to America with the hydroplane Savoia-Marchetti S.55

'Jahú', from Genoa, in Italy, to Santo Amaro (São Paulo), making stops in Spain, Gibraltar, Cabo Verde and Fernando de Noronha, in the Brazilian territory.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo%C3%A3o_Ribeiro_de_Barros - http://www.aviastar.org/air/italy/savoia_s-55.php

1928 - 1st flight of the Bristol Bullpup, (Developed from Bristol Bulldog as an interceptor), British Biplane fighter prototype.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Bullpup

1932 - Charles Scott sets a new solo speed record between the UK and Australia in a de Havilland DH60M Moth from Lympne and Darwin in 8 days 20 hours 47 minutes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._W._A._Scott

1932 - Louis T. Reichers flew from Montreal Quebec to Havana Cuba; 1,786 miles in 9 hrs in Lockheed Altain "Golden Eagle".

http://canadianaviationhistory.pbworks.com/w/page/13801114/On-this-day-in-Canadian-Aviation-History-April

1933 - 1st flight of the Fiat CR.32, Italian biplane fighter used in the Spanish Civil War and WWII, which gained a reputation as one of the outstanding fighter biplanes of all time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_CR.32

1934 - French aviatrix Maryse Hilsz lands back her Breguet 27 S (a Bre 330 N°2 modified) christened 'Joe III' in Paris,completing her Asian tour Paris-Tokyo-Paris (30 000 km), and setting a new Distance / Speed record.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryse_Hilsz#Liste_non_exhaustive_de_records - http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=9720

1937 - G-AEGR, a Miles Hawk Major M2H crashed at Midgham, Berks, killing young author and critic Peter Burra .

http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/miles_m-2.php

1938 - 1st flight of the SNCAC NC-2230, French four engined tandem configuration high wing postal transport aircraft prototype.

http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=6615

1939 - 1st aircraft to officially be designated as AT-6 arrived on the scene.

http://www.clevelandwing.org/aircraft-snj4specs.shtml

1939 - 2nd prototype TSKB-30 (Ilyushin DB-3, long-range bomber ,twin-engined metal low-wing monoplane) 'Moskwa' takes off from Moscow, flown by Vladimir Konstantinovich Kokkinaki and Mikhail Gordienko in an attempt to reach New-york using the great circle route.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Kokkinaki#Records

1942 - Lancasters and Halifaxes returns from a Raid over the Tirpitz.

http://www.archieraf.co.uk/archie/27_28april1942.html

1943 - Birth of John Oliver Creighton, US navy test pilot and NASA Astronaut.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Oliver_Creighton

1943 - Death of Robert Olds, American military pilot, general officer in the USAAF, theorist of strategic air power, and proponent of an independent USAF.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Olds

1944 - 1st recorded loss of a Folland 43/37 when the 8th aircraft crashed on take-off from Heston during Bristol Centaurus IV tests.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/folland_43-37.php

1947 - Trans-Canada Air Lines Lockheed 18-08A Lodestar crashed on a wooded slope west of Mount Elsay while on approach to Vancouver, killing all 15

http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19470428-0

1948 - Start of the flight of Leonardo Bonzi and Maner Lualdi to set a light plane distance record of 4,170 km (2,591 miles) flying from Campoformido (Italy) to Massawa (Eritrea )in an Ambrosini S.1001

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosini_S.1001

1949 - Birth of Jerome III "Jay" Apt, Ph.D., American astronaut.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Apt

1952 - Pan American World Airways Flight 202 Boeing 377 Stratocruiser 10-26 'Clipper Good Hope' crashed in the Amazon Basin approximately 220 nautical miles (410 km) southwest of Carolina, Brazil, probably after Engine N° 2 engines separated in flight after a propeller blade failure. All 50 on board were killed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_202

1955 - 1st flight of production version of the Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer (twin-engined light general-purpose aircraft suitable for civil and military use.)

http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/scottish_twinpioneer.php

1956 - Birth of Colonel Paul Scott "Paco" Lockhart, American astronaut and a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Lockhart

1956 - Birth of Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Hugh Moran, commonly known as Sir Chris Moran, fast jet pilot and later a senior commander in the Royal Air Force.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Moran

1957 - Birth of Léopold Eyharts, Brigadier General in the French Air Force and an ESA astronaut.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9opold_Eyharts

1957 – Death of Oskar-Heinz (Heinrich) "Pritzl" Bär , German Luftwaffe flying ace who served throughout WWII in Europe. He flew over a thousand combat missions, and fought in all major German theatres of the war, including the Western, Eastern and Mediterranean fronts. On 18 occasions he survived being shot down, and he was credited with 220 aerial victories, around 16 of which were in a Me 262 jet fighter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_B%C3%A4r - http://cieldegloire.com/001_bar_h.php

1958 - 1st flight of the Mikoyan-Gurevich I-75, Soviet experimental swept-wing interceptor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_I-75

1958 - Beginning of Operation Hardtack I, American nuclear test over Enewetak Atoll: 'Yucca' 1.7 kilotons blasted from a high-altitude balloon test at 86,000 feet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hardtack_I

1959 - The Brantly B-2B, Two-seat helicopter receives his FAA certification.

http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/brantly_b-2.php

1960 - Death of Heini Dittmar, German glider pilot, aircraft designer and test pilot. He became the 1st human to fly faster than 1000 km/h with the Me-163 A V4 KE+SW

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heini_Dittmar

1961 - The Soviet Union regains the world altitude record when Colonel Georgi Mossolov, flying a Mikoyan Ye-66A (rocket-powered variant of the MiG-21 fighter), reaches 34,714 metres (118,898 feet).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-21_variants

1964 - An all-weather variant of the Aerospatiale SA.316/319 "Alouette III" makes its initial flight.

http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/snias_alu3.php

1966 - The prototype Burns BA-42 flew for the 1st time.(seat business aircraft powered by two Continental flat-six engines)

http://www.aviastar.org/manufacturers/0445.html

1967 - Douglas Aircraft Company merged with the McDonnell Company.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas

1968 - Death of Charles Walter Odell, British WWI flying ace

http://theaerodrome.com/aces/england/odell.php - http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/44592/pages/5889

1970 - A 'Gazelle' SA 341 equipped to British Army requirements and assembled in France as the prototype Gazelle AH.1, makes its 1st flight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9rospatiale_Gazelle

1971 - F28 - 2000 (prototype of Fokker - 28 with extended fuselage) makes its 1st flight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_F28_Fellowship

1975 - 1st flight of the production version of the VFW-Fokker 614.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/inter/vfw-614.php

1977 - An Aviateca Convair 240 crashes near Guatemala City, Guatemala, after number one engine suffered a failure due to oil exhaustion. The crew was unable to feather the propeller and was forced to attempt an emergency landing in rough terrain, killing all 28 people on board.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_Aviateca_Convair_240_crash

1980 - Death of Thomas Greenhow Williams "Tex" Settle, US navy Balloonist and dirigible pilot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_G._W._Settle

1981 - 1st F-16's air-to-air combat success was achieved by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) over the Bekaa Valley, shooting down two Syrian Mi-8 Hip helicopters. .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16_Fighting_Falcon#Israel

1983 - Death of Ronald Cory Berlyn, British WWI flying ace

http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/berlyn.php

1986 – The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise becomes the 1st nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal, navigating from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea to relieve the USS Coral Sea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(CVN-65)

1988 - Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (AQ 243, AAH 243) was a scheduled Aloha Airlines flight between Hilo and Honolulu in Hawaii. The Boeing 737-200 serving the flight suffered extensive damage after an explosive decompression in flight, but was able to land safely at Kahului Airport on Maui.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Airlines_Flight_243

1991 - Launch of STS-39, Spce shuttle Discovery mission to conduct a variety of payload experiments for the Department of Defense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-39

1998 - An Ariane 44P launch Nilesat 101, Egyptian geosynchronous communications satellite, and BSAT-1b, Japanese Broadcasting System satellite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nilesat_101 - http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSAT-1b

1999 - Launch of ABRIXAS (Broadband Imaging X-ray All-Sky Survey), German X-ray telescope

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Broadband_Imaging_X-ray_All-sky_Survey

2001 - Launch of Soyuz TM-32, manned Russian spacecraft. with Dennis Anthony Tito, Italian American engineer and multimillionaire, most widely known as the 1st space tourist to fund his own trip into space

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_TM-32. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Tito

2001 - The NASA X-43A hypersonic research vehicle and its Pegasus booster rocket, mounted beneath the wing of their B-52 mothership, had a successful 1st captive-carry flight

http://www.archive.org/details/NIX-EC01-0126-10

2003 - The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), orbiting ultraviolet space telescope is launched.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GALEX

2006 - Launch of CloudSat, NASA Earth observation satellite, on a Delta II rocket. It uses radar to measure the altitude and properties of clouds, adding to information on the relationship between clouds and climate in order to help resolve questions about global warming.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CloudSat

2010 - 1st flight of the Antonov An-158, Russian regional twin jet aircraft, stretched version of the AN-148.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-158#Variants