OCT15

1909 - 1st British aviation meeting begins at Doncaster.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1909_in_aviation#October

1910 - American Walter Wellman attempts to fly across the North Atlantic in his airship 'America'. The flight fails and the crew is rescued at sea.

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

1912 - Death of Henri Cobioni, Swiss aviation pionneer, killed in the crash of his Blériot monoplane during a meeting at La Chaux-de-Fonds.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Cobioni

1912 - Birth of Claude François André Dellys, French aviator, instructor, and test pilot.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Dellys

1913 - Lieutenant Ronin makes the 1st official airmail flight in France from Villacoublay to Pauillac in a Morane-Saulnier.

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/La-Poste-Company-History.html

1914 - Birth of Ezio Viglione Borghese, Spanish war and WWII italian flying ace.

http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_borghese.htm

1915 - The Wright airplane company is bought by Harry Payne Whitney, T. Frank Manville and William B. Thompson, with Orville Wright remaining as consultant.

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

1915 - Birth of Alfredo Balsamo, Italian WWII bomber pilot, Air Sea rescue pilot post war and high ranking officer.

http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/aviators/balsamo.htm

1915 - 1st flight of The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8 , British single-seat WWI pusher biplane fighter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_Factory_F.E.8

1917 - 1st flight of The Alcock Scout (A.1 / Sopwith Mouse), British curious "one-off" experimental fighter biplane built with the forward fuselage and lower wings of a Sopwith Triplane, the upper wings of a Sopwith Pup and the tailplane and elevators of a Sopwith Camel, married to a rear fuselage and vertical tail surface of original design (presumably by John Alcock himself).

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

1919 - Birth of Malcolm David Ross, American atmospheric scientist and balloonist who setted several records for altitude and scientific inquiry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Ross_(balloonist)

1919 - 2 more fatalities are recorded in the transcontinental endurance test when 2nd Lts. French Kirby and Stanley C. Miller die in an emergency landing in their DH-4 near the Wyoming–Utah border when they suffer engine failure near Evanston, Wyoming.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_before_1925#1919

1920 - 1st commercial passenger flight into the Canadian north was made between Winnipeg and The Pas, Manitoba.

http://canadianaviationhistory.pbworks.com/w/page/13801124/On%20this%20day%20in%20Canadian%20Aviation%20History%20October

1921 - Spanish airline Compania Española de Trafico Aereo is established - it will eventually form part of Iberia Airlines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Aviation/Historical_anniversaries/October_in_aviation/October_15

1924 - Zeppelin-Airship "LZ 126" (USS Los Angeles (ZR-3)), under guidance of Hugo Eckener is delivered to the USA after a 81 hours and 2 minutes flight from Friedrichshafen to Lakehurst.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Zeppelins#Zeppelins_constructed_after_World_War_I

1925 - A de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird is successfully launched from the British airship R.33

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Aviation/Historical_anniversaries/October_in_aviation/October_15

1927 - Dieudonne Costes and Joseph le Brix lands their Breguet 19GR 'Nungesser-Coli' in Port Natal in Brazil, coming from Saint-Louis, Senegal, as a part of their round-the-world 57,000 km trip (1st non-stop aerial crossing of the South Atlantic)

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

1928 - Graf Zeppelin LZ-127 airship, as part of DELAG's operations, complete the 1st non-stop transatlantic passenger flights in NAS Lakehurst, New Jersey coming from Friedrichshafen, Germany, a 9,926 km (6,178 mile), 111 hour crossing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_flight#By_zeppelin

1932 – J.R.D. Tata flew a single-engined De Havilland Puss Moth carrying the 1st air mail (postal mail of Imperial Airways) from Karachi's Drigh Road Aerodrome to Bombay's Juhu Airstrip via Ahmedabad.

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

1933 - 1st run of the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin, British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre (1,650 cu in) capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after birds of prey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Merlin

1936 - 1st flight of The Nakajima Ki-27 'Nate', Japanese low-wing monoplane with fixed undercarriage fighter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakajima_Ki-27

1937 - 1st flight of The Boeing XB-15 (Boeing 294), originally designated the XBLR-1 (experimental bomber, long range), American 4 engine monoplane bomber aircraft prototype.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_XB-15

1938 - 1st flight of the SNCAC NC-2233, French high wing 4 tandem engine 5 seat bomber, Reengined version of the NC223, issued from the Farman F220 family.

http://aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=4607

1938 - 1st flight of The Bristol Beaufort, British twin-engined torpedo bomber developped from the Bristol Blenheim.

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

1939 - New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia dedicates an airport in Flushing bearing his name. La Guardia airport is the costliest to build at the time, $45 million.

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

1940 - Death of Italo Gherardini, Italian WWII bomber pilot, killed in his Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79 while attacking a convoy near Aden.

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italo_Gherardini

1940 - 1st flight of the Fiat G.12, Italian all-metal low-wing cantilever personnel 3 engine transport aircraft .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_G.12

1943 - 1st flight of The Sikorsky R-6 (Hoverfly II), American-built light two-seat helicopter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_R-6

1943 - American Airlines Flight 63 Douglas DC-3-178 crashed near Centerville, Tennessee after ice formed on its wings and propeller, Killingh all 11.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_63_(Flagship_Missouri)

1944 - Death of Hiroshi Gomi, Japanese WWII flying ace, missing in action.

http://www.cieldegloire.com/010_gomi_h.php

1946 - Death of of Hermann Wilhelm Göring, German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. WWI fighter ace, He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe until the end of WWII

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_G%C3%B6ring - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/goring.php

1947 - Death of Westland's assistant test pilot Sqn. Ldr. Peter Garner, Killed in the crash of the Westland Wyvern prototype, British single-seat carrier-based multi-role strike aircraft, while attempting to make an emergency landing after the propeller bearings failed in flight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_(1945%E2%80%9349)#1947

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westland_Wyvern#Design_and_development

1951 - 1st flight of the SNCASO SO-6026 'Espadon', French single seat mixed power jet fighter prototype, evolution of the SO-6020.

http://aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=9937

1952 - 1st Flight of The Douglas X-3 Stiletto (a short hop), American experimental jet aircraft with a slender fuselage and a long tapered nose, to investigate the design features of an aircraft suitable for sustained supersonic speeds, which included the 1st use of titanium in major airframe components

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_X-3_Stiletto

1955 - Lieutenant Gordon Gray of United States Navy (USN) flies a Douglas A4D Skyhawk, setting a new world record of 695mph over a 500 kilometre course.

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/history-of-aviation-timeline/interactive-aviation-timeline/world-aviation/1955.aspx

1959 - 1st flight of the SFERMA Nord 1110 (Nord Astazou), TurboProp Conversion prototype of the Nord 1100 Noralpha, French built Messerschmitt Me 208.

http://aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=10058

1959 - Death of Elliott White Springs, American businessman and WWI flying ace.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_White_Springs - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/springs.php

1964 - Birth of Roberto Vittori, Italian air force officer and an ESA astronaut.

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

1964 - 1st rotorcraft in history to exceed 200 knots (230 mph, 370 km/h), reaching 205 knots (236 mph, 380 km/h), is the Bell 533.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_533#Independent_testing

1967 - Death of Phillip von Doepp, German Engineer and aircraft designer, specialized in inverted wings, expert in guided missile aero design during WWII.

http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_von_Doepp - http://www.astronautix.com/astros/vondoepp.htm

1968 - 1st flight of the CEA DR-380 'Prince', French 4 seat low wing monoplane tourer.

http://aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=1644

1970 – Domestic Aeroflot Flight 244 An-24 is hijacked and diverted to Turkey, 1st successful aircraft hijacking in the Soviet Union.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_244

1974 - 1st flight of The Shin Meiwa US-1A , Japanese large STOL amphibian designed for air-sea rescue (SAR), evolution of the Shin Meiwa PS-1.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_Meiwa_US-1A

1981 - 1st flight of the Hillman 360, three-seat light helicopter.

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

1985 - 1st flight of The Fairchild T-46 "Eaglet", American light jet trainer aircraft prototype.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_T-46

1988 - 1st flight of the Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm Bo-108, german twin-engine civil helicopter prototype, later developped into the Eurocopter EC135.

http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/mbb-108.php

1997 - Launch of Cassini–Huygens, joint NASA/ESA/ASI spacecraft mission studying the planet Saturn and its many natural satellites.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassini-Huygens_Mission

2001 - NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter's moons Europa and Io.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_spacecraft#Mission_overview

2002 - 1st flight of The Eurocopter EC155 HTT, Technology demonstrator all-weather version of the French long-range medium-lift passenger transport helicopter

http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/eurocopter_ec-155.php

2003 - Launch of Shenzhou 5, 1st human spaceflight mission of the People's Republic of China, Returning on earth that same day after a 21 hours, 22 minutes, 45 seconds flight. Yang Liwei becoming the 1st Chinese in space.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhou_5 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Liwei