A Pan American World Airways Boeing 377 Stratocruiser completed the first commercial nonstop flight from Tokyo, Japan, to Honolulu, Hawaii on January 3, 1950. The 11 hour and 24 minutes flight covered 3,933 miles without making the customary stop at Midway for refueling.
Reducing the Risk of Midair Collisions
On December 27, 1978, Former United States Secretary of Transportation Brock Adams announced a comprehensive regulatory program to improve aviation safety by reducing the risk of midair collisions in U.S. airspace by 80.00%. The announcement followed a tragic collision over San Diego between a Pacific Southwest Airlines jet and a private aircraft that occurred on […]
Aboard the Rutan Model 76 Voyager, on December 14, 1986, Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager took off from Edwards Air Force Base. On December 23, 1986 at 8:06 AM, after nine days, three minutes and 44 seconds from take-off, they landed in the same airfield, they set a flight endurance reord. The Voyager was […]
New York Municipal Airport Opening
First Chimpanzee to Orbit Earth
Fun Fact Friday: In 1961, the first chimpanzee orbited Earth on NASA’s Mercury-Atlas 5 (MA-5) mission. This needed to be done before an astronaut could be orbited in the Mercury capsule. The chimpanzee performed a series of learned tasks on its journey, which showed that humans would have a limited functional capability in space.
Gulfstream Delivered its 150th Gulfstream G200
On April 26, 2007, Gulfstream Aerospace delivered its 150th Gulfstream G200 business jet. The G200 is one of Gulfstream’s six business jets and the first of the new generation of super mid-size business-jet aircraft to enter service. It offers the longest range, the largest cabin and the best balanced overall performance among its competitors. […]
First ARSR-4 Commissioned by the FAA
On April 12, 1996, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commissioned the nation’s first Air Route Surveillance Radar 4 (ARSR-4) air route surveillance radar. An Air Route Surveillance Radar is a long-range radar system used by the United States Air (USAF) Force and the FAA to control airspace within and around the borders of the United […]
Delivery of the 600th Cessna Citation CJ3
On April 5, 2021, Textron Aviation delivered in North America the 600th Cessna Citation CJ3 aircraft. The CJ3+, an upgraded version of the CJ3, received FAA certification in 2014. It features a Garmin integrated cockpit and cabin Iridium phone; high speed internet capabilities; Garmin G3000 avionics suite , which includes turbulence detecting weather radar, […]
Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) 50th Anniversary
Fifty years ago (March 8, 1974), began service, offering only one runway and one main terminal, which to this day is still Terminal 1. After opening, the airport was renamed to Charles de Gaulle after the former President who died in 1970). In its first year of operation, the airport handled 2.5 million passengers […]
FAA Revised Separation Standard to Protect Small Aircraft
On March 1, FAA implemented a to protect small aircraft from wake turbulence, rotating air currents trailed by large aircraft. The danger from these wake vortices had grown with the introduction of “jumbo” jetliners. The new standard required separation between a “heavy” aircraft (over 300,000 pounds) and an aircraft operating behind it to be five miles, instead […]
