First Commercial Nonstop Flight

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 […]

New York Municipal Airport Opening

When New York Municipal Airport opened on December 2, 1939, the public was fascinated by the idea of air travel and visited the airport and paid the time fee to watch the landing and take offs of the airliners. The airport was renamed to La Guardia Airport in 1947.

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, […]

  On October 20, 2019, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today announced the Gulfstream G650ER™, Gulfstream G600™, Gulfstream G500™, Gulfstream G550™ and Gulfstream G280™ made the company’s first carbon-neutral flights, traveling from Savannah to the Las Vegas area for the 2019 National Business Aviation Association Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). The five flights were made using a combination […]

Maiden Flight of the Hawker 4000

On August 11, 2001, the first prototype of the Hawker 4000 made its maiden flight. The Hawker 4000, a super-midsize business jet developed by Hawker Beechcraft (formerly Raytheon Aircraft Company), made its public debut in November 2002 at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention, and by 2018, the 2008-2010 Hawker 4000s were priced around […]