OCT29

1918 - Death of Karl John Schoen, American WWI flying ace, killed in action in his SPAD XIII just after scoring his last 2 victories.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Schoen - http://theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/schoen.php

1921 - 1st flight of the Wibault 2, French Single engine twin seat night heavy bomber biplane prototype.

http://aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=9386

1923 - Birth of Lev Kirilovich Shchukin, Soviet WWII instructor and Korean War fighter ace.

http://www.cieldegloire.com/015_shchukin_l_k.php

1925 - The Royal Observer Corps (ROC), civil defence organisation, is formed

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

1936 - 1st bombing mission of russians SB-2 during the spanish civil war is made by 4 SB-2 (ANT-40) against Tablada airfield, Seville.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_SB#Spanish_Civil_War

1936 - Jim A. Mollison takes off from Harbour Grace in Newfoundland to Croydon england for a west to east North Atlantic crossing record in a Bellanca 28-90 Flash (evolution of the 28-70).

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/history-of-aviation-timeline/interactive-aviation-timeline/british-civil-aviation/1936.aspx

1944 - Death of Tadashi Shono, Japanese WWII fighter ace, killed in action.

http://www.acesofww2.com/japan/

1944 - Death of Yuichi Ema, Japanese WWII flying ace, killed in action.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_aces_from_Japan#E

1944 - Death of Masoa Miyamaru, Japanese WWII instructor and flying ace, killed in action.

http://www.cieldegloire.fr/010_miyamaru_m.php

1947 - 1st flight of the Piper PA-15 Vagabond, American two seat, high wing, conventional gear light aircraft.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/usa/piper_pa-17.php

1947 - Birth of Jeffrey Ethell, American aviation author and pilot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Ethell - http://jeffreyethell.com/homepage.htm

1949 - 1st flight of the Piasecki PV-17 / HRP-2, United States tandem-rotor transport or rescue helicopter, all-metal stressed-skin construction evolution of the HRP-1

http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/piasecki_pv-17.php

1952 - Birth of Valeri Ivanovich Tokarev, Russian air force pilot and Cosmonaut.

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

1953 - British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (BCPA) Flight 304/44 Douglas DC-6 'Resolution' crashed because of a radio navigational error during its initial approach towards San Francisco International Airport, killing all 19 people on board, including the American pianist William Kapell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BCPA_Flight_304

1953 - A world record of 754mph over a 15 kilometre course is set by Lieutenant Colonel F.K. Everest flying the 1st North American YF-100A Super Sabre fighter prototype.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Kendall_Everest,_Jr. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_F-100_Super_Sabre#Notable_achievements

1956 - Operation Kadesh: an Israeli operation to occupy the Sinai Peninsula, begins with strikes by Israeli Air Force F-51 Mustangs against Egyptian forces and facilities throughout the Sinai and the parachute drop by Douglas DC-3s of an 400-man Israeli battalion near the Sinai’s Mitla Pass, where French aircraft drop supplies to them by parachute. Four Israeli Mustangs severely disrupt Egyptian command and control in the Sinai by cutting all overhead telephone lines there with their wings and propellers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Kadesh#Operation_Kadesh:_The_Israeli_operation_in_the_Sinai_Peninsula

1956 - 1st flight of The Omega BS-12, Canadian utility helicopter with ground clearance designed to carry loads behind the cabin at the center of gravity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sznycer_Omega_BS-12

1959 - 1st flight of The Antonov An-24 'Coke', soviet 44-seat twin turboprop transport aircraft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-24

1960 - Arctic Pacific Curtiss C-46F-1-CU Commando crashed on takeoff in bad weather at the Toledo Express Airport in Toledo, Ohio, killing 22 over 48, including 16 players of the California Polytechnic State University football team.

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

1964 - Death of Benno Fiala von Fernbrugg, Austro-Hungarian WWI fighter ace.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benno_Fiala_Ritter_von_Fernbrugg - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/austrhun/fiala.php

1970 - 1st flight of the Aérospatiale 'Caravelle' 12, French medium twin engine jetliner, evolution of the Sud Aviation 'Caravelle' 10B, last version of the serie.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sud-Aviation_SE_210_Caravelle#Caract.C3.A9ristiques - http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=1997

1972 - A Lufthansa Boeing 727, flying from Beirut to Ankara is hijacked by a terrorist, demanding the release of three Palestinians held for murdering Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lufthansa#Hijackings

1975 - Death of Reuben Hollis Fleet, American aviation pioneer, industrialist and army officer, founder of Consolidated Aircraft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_H._Fleet

1980 – Demonstration flight of a secretly modified YMC-130H Hercules for an Iran hostage crisis rescue attempt ends in crash landing at Eglin Air Force Base's Duke Field, Florida leading to cancellation of Operation Credible Sport.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Credible_Sport#Testing

1980 - 1st flight of a company-financed General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon (F16/79) multirole jet fighter aircraft , powered by a lower-cost 8165kg thrust General Electric J79-GE-119 afterburning turbojet engine

http://www.aviastar.org/air/usa/general_f-16.php

1986 - Death of Maurice Leblanc-Smith, British WWI flying ace

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Leblanc-Smith - http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/leblanc-smith.php

1991 – A Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 707-368C, crashes into the Pacific Ocean 43 km (27 mi) south of RAAF Base East Sale, Victoria, Australia, while conducting an asymmetric flight demonstration, killing all 5.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_the_Boeing_707#1990s

1991 – The American Galileo spacecraft makes its closest approach to 951 Gaspra, becoming the first probe to visit an asteroid.

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

1994 - Aeronika Antonov AN-12A crashes on approach in poor weather to Ust-Ilimsk Kaluga in central Russia, killing all 23

http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19941029-0&lang=en

1998 – Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on STS-95 with 77-year old John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-95

2003 - Death of Harold E. "Tommy" Thompson, American helicopter aviation pioneer, record setter, test pilot for Sykorski, 1st man to intentionally loop a helicopter and 1st man to land a helicopter in the courtyard of The Pentagon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_E._Thompson

2005 - Ghana International Airlines is launched with inaugural flight from Accra to London.

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

2006 - Aviation Development Company Airlines (ADC) Flight 53 Boeing 737-2B7 crashed shortly after take-off from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Nigeria, killing 97 over 110.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADC_Airlines_Flight_53

2008 - Launch of venesat-1, also known as Simón Bolívar, 1st Venezuelan satellite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venesat-1

2008 – Delta Air Lines merges with Northwest Airlines, creating the world's largest airline and reducing the number of US legacy carriers to 5.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Airlines#Merger_with_Delta_Air_Lines

2009 - Death of Anna Alexandrovna Timofeyeva-Yegorova, Soviet WWII female pilot

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

2009 - United States Coast Guard Lockheed HC-130H-7 hercules collided with a USMC Bell AH-1W SuperCobra 15 miles (24 km) E of San Clemente Island, killing all 9 on both aircrafts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_C-130_Hercules_crashes#2000s