Time-Line

Time-Line
A Chronology of Major Events in Aviation

1783

First hot air balloon
First hydrogen balloon
First manned balloon flight

1852

First successful Airship

1853

First manned glider flight

1903

Wright brothers first flight of powered aircraft

1908

First death due to an aeroplane crash

1909

Louis Blériot crosses English Channel

1910

First flight from deck of ship
First regular passenger air service (Airship)

1911

First bomb dropped from an aeroplane
First airmail (US)

1914

First scheduled airline
Outbreak of WW1

1918

End of WW2

1919

First crossing of the Atlantic by flying boat
First crossing of the Atlantic by airship
Allcock and Brown complete first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic
First flight from England to Australia, taking nearly 28 days to complete

1924

First around the world flight

1926

First flight to the North Pole
First liquid fuelled rocket flight

1927

Charles Lindbergh completes first solo crossing of Atlantic

1929

First demonstration of instrument only (blind) flying
First flight across the South Pole

1930

Airship R-101 crashes with the loss of 46 passengers and crew

1931

First non-stop trans Pacific flight

1932

Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic

1933

First solo around the world flight

1936

First true Helicopter flight

1937

Airship Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed killing 36 people

1939

Outbreak of WW2
First turbojet aeroplane
Development of V2 rockets

1940

The Battle of Britain

1941

Japanese aerial bombardment of the US base at pearl harbour

1945

Atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
WW2 comes to an end

1947

Breaking of the sound barrier

1949

First non-stop around the world flight (mid-air refuelling)

1950

First jet plane crossing of the Atlantic (military)

1952

First jet airline service (De Haviland Comet)
First De Haviland Comet accident, take off accident, Rome, no fatalities

1953

De Haviland Comet crashes on take off, Karachi, India, 11 die
De Haviland Comet suffers collision on ground, Calcutta, India, 43 dead

1954

De Haviland Comet crashes into the sea off Elba, Italy, 35 lose their life
De Haviland Comet breaks up in flight, Naples, Italy, 14 die

1956

TWA Super Constellation and United Airlines DC-7 Collide over the Grand Canyon. 128 perish

1957

First jet round the world flight (B-52)
USSR launch first man-made Earth satellite
USSR become first to launch a living being into space (Laika, a dog)

1958

First regular jet trans Atlantic service (Pan American Airlines)
USA launches its first satellites

1959

USSR successfully launch a space probe that escapes the earths gravitational pull (Luna 1)
USSR crash lands a probe on the moon (Luna 2)

1960

First television equipped satellite (USA)
TWA Constellation and United Airlines DC-8 Collide, New York, 134 perish

1961

Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space (USSR)

1962

First rocket plane to enter outer space (US)
Air France Boeing 707 crashes on take off from Orly airport, 130 lose their lives
Telstar1, first communications satellite launched (USA)

1963

De Haviland Comet crashes into ocean off Indian coast, 63 fail to survive

1964

First woman to fly solo around the world
First multiple manned spacecraft (USSR)
First close-up pictures of the moons surface (USA)

1965

First space walk (USSR)
First rendezvous in space (USA)

1966

First soft landing on the moon (USSR)
Second soft landing on the moon (USA)
Air India Boeing 707 flies into a Mont Blanc, France leaving 117 dead

1967

First soft landing on Venus (USSR)
BOAC Boeing 707 breaks up in flight over Japan, 124 die
First transatlantic helicopter flight (mid-air refuelling)

1968

First manned lunar orbital flight (USA)

1969

First man on the moon (USA)
VIASA DC-9 flies into power lines, Maracaibo, Venezuela, killing 155
Boeing 747 unveiled to the world

1970

De Haviland Comet belonging to Dan Air flies into a mountain, Sierra Montensy, 112 die
Boeing 747 enters commercial service

1971

All Nipon Airways Boeing 727 suffers mid air collision, Morioka, Japan, 163 fail to survive

1972

BEA Trident crashes shortly after take off, Staines, England, Killing all 118 on board

1973

USA launches Skylab

1974

Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashes after losing cargo door, Orly, France, 346 die

1976

First regular supersonic service (Concorde)
First soft landing on Mars (USA)

1977

Two Boeing 747's collide in fog on the runway in Tenerife, the worst air accident in history leaving 583 dead

1979

First pedalled powered aircraft crossing of English Channel (Gossamer Albatross)
DC-10 belonging to American Airlines crashes at Chicago after an engine drops off, 273 fatalities
Air New Zealand DC-10 flies into Mount Erebus in the Antarctica, all 257 on board fail to return

1980

First purely solar powered flight
301 die after a Lockheed Tristar belonging to Saudi Airlines catches fire, Riyadh airport

1981

First solar powered aircraft crossing of English Channel
First test flight of Space Shuttle (USA)

1983

Korean Airlines Boeing 747 shot down by Russian fighter planes, Sakhalin Island, USSR, 269 are killed

1985

Air India Boeing 747 blown up by terrorist bomb over the Irish Sea, 329 killed
Japan Airlines Boeing 747 suffers structural failure, 520 die, the biggest death toll involving a single aircraft
British Airtours Boeing 737 suffers an engine fire on take off at Manchester Airport, 55 people die whilst trying to evacuate the plane

1986

First non-stop non refuel around the world flight (Voyager)
Space station Mir put into orbit (USSR)
Space shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after take off, killing all seven astronauts

1988

Pan Am Boeing 747 blown apart by terrorist device over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270.

1989

British Midland Boeing 737 Crashes onto motorway whilst trying to land at East Midlands Airport, 47 die in the accident

1990

Hubble space telescope launched

1991

Lauda Air Boeing 767 breaks up in flight over Thailand, all 223 passengers and crew perish

1994

China Airlines Airbus A-300 crashes during landing at Nagoya airport Japan, 264 dead

1995

Boeing 757 belonging to American Airlines flies into a mountain in Columbia, killing 160

1996

TWA Boeing 747 Crashes after take off from New York, killing 230
Saudi Boeing 747 Collides with Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin 76, Dadri, India, combined death total, 349

1997

Korean Airlines Boeing 747 crashes on landing at Guam, USA, 227 fatalities
Garuda Airlines Airbus A-300 Crashes on approach to Sumatra, Indonesia, 234 lose life

1998

China Airways Airbus A-300 crashes on landing at Taibei, Taiwan, 204 soles die
Swiss Air MD-11 crashes into the sea near Nova Scotia, Canada, 229 reported missing