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 […]
Project Star Gazer’s Balloon Reached an Altitude of 82,000 feet (25 kilometers)
On December 13, 1962, Navy astronomer William White and Air Force Captain Joseph Kittinger stepped into a small steel capsule attached to a nearly 300-foot-tall mylar balloon. Over the course of the next 18.5 hours, the balloon climbed to a staggering 82,000 feet (25 kilometers) in altitude and drifted above the desert. Project Stargazer was […]
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, […]
Delivery of the First New Embraer Phenom 300E
On March 29, 2018, Embraer delivered the first new Phenom 300E business jet, having received its type certificate in the first quarter from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC – Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil). The new aircraft, designated “E” for “Enhanced,” […]
Maiden Flight of the Legacy 500
On March 22, 2013, Embraer announced that the third prototype of Embraer’s midsize Legacy 500 business jet had made its maiden flight. At the time Embraer said that the Legacy 500 was the first midsize jet with a six-foot, stand-up cabin; the only midsize jet with a wet galley; and the jet that offered the best […]
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 […]
