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October 20

2012 – The Syrian Expatriates Organization claims that a combination of Syrian government airstrikes and a military blockade over the previous 130 days have destroyed 75 percent of the city of Deir ez-zor, Syria, killing over 3,000 people and causing 380,000 to flee the city.[1]

1995 – Launch: Space Shuttle Columbia STS-73 at 9:53:00 am EDT. Mission highlights: Spacelab mission.

1988 – Sheila Scott, English aviatrix died (b. 1922). Scott broke over 100 aviation records through her long distance flight endeavours, which included a 34,000 mile (54,400 km) “world and a half” flight 1971 on which she became the first person to fly over the North Pole in a small aircraft.

1982 – A Swiss Air Force Hawker Hunter is shot down by another Hunter during an exercise at Cherroux near Payne, Switzerland.

1980 – First dog fights of the Iran-Iraq War]. An Iraqi Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is shot down by Iranian F-4 Phantoms

1969 – Finnair introduces an inertial navigation system on its aircraft, becoming the first airline to dispense with the need for a navigator aboard.

1956 – First flight of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois

1953 – A TWA Lockheed Constellation makes the first non-stop, scheduled passenger flight across the United States

1948 – First flight of the McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo

 

1934 – MacRobertson Air Race flown from England to Melbourne, Australia to celebrate the centenary of the state of Victoria.The £75,000 prize money is won by C. W. A. Scott and Tom Black flying de Havilland DH.88 Comet Grosvenor House.

1934 – (October 20-November 3) Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first eastward crossing of the Pacific Ocean, from Brisbane, Australia to San Francisco, California, in the Lady Southern Cross. The Hawaii-to-San Francisco leg of his crossing on November 3 is the first eastward flight from Hawaii to North America.

1929 – The airfield at Naval Air Station Glenview, located in Glenview, Illinois, is dedicated, and its hangar deemed the largest in the world.

1929 – First flight of the Tupolev ANT-7, a Soviet reconnaissance aircraft, escort fighter and fighter-bomber.

1924 – First recorded RCAF mercy flight took place from Vancouver BC to Norway House, Manitoba.

1923 – 1923 – First flight of the Boeing NB

1922 – Lt Harold Harris makes the first parachute escape from a stricken aircraft, bailing out of a Loening PW-2 over Dayton, Ohio.

1920 – Flying his Nieuport Delage, Sadi Lecointe set a world speed record when he flew 187.99 mph.

1919 – The French pilot Bernard de Romanet, flying a Nieuport-Delage 29v, sets a new world speed record of 268.79 km/hr (166.92 mph).

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