Connecting Skies • Bridging Continents
The US Department of Transportation has extended its enforcement pause on four provisions of the 2024 Wheelchair Rule from December 2026 to April 2027, and
EirTrade Aviation Maintenance has secured authorisations from the Bailiwick of Guernsey 2-REG, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands and the Bermuda Civil Aviation
Northrop Grumman and Boeing have demonstrated enhanced interoperability between the uncrewed MQ-4C Triton and the crewed P-8A Poseidon in a jointly funded technology demonstration, with
Boeing is donating $250,000 from the Boeing Charitable Trust to the Innovia Foundation to support wildfire relief in Eastern Washington, directing the funding to a
Bombardier’s fourth annual Flight Attendant Safety Summit was held in Montreal on 5 and 6 August, expanded to two days for 2026 and open free
Netherlands-based trading and leasing specialist APOC Aviation has appointed Darren Naughton as Vice President Engines, with a global remit covering leasing, exchange, teardowns and component
The FAA’s proposed rule would insert a new 14 CFR 400.3 disapplying specified provisions of 13 federal laws — including NEPA in full and Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act — from launch site, reentry site, experimental permit and
IATA’s June air cargo data shows African carriers with the fastest year-to-date demand growth of any world region at 11.1%, more than double the global average of 4.9%. Over the same period African capacity contracted by 0.7%, and in June
ICAO’s 2025 Safety Report documents commercial aviation’s safest year by accident rate on record, with fatal accidents falling 60% year-on-year to just four — but total fatalities rose from 296 to 387, with a single accident accounting for 260 deaths,
2020 – Air India Express Flight 1344 was a Boeing 737-800 that overran the runway at Kozhikode International Airport, India, from a flight from Dubai International Airport, UAE. The flight crew aborted two landing attempts because of heavy rain and tailwind. On the third landing attempt, the aircraft touched down on runway 10, but skidded off the end of the tabletop runway and slid down a 9–10.5 m (30–35 ft) slope and broke apart into two sections.
2009 – Canadian airline Island Express Air commences operations.
1997 – Launch: Space Shuttle Discovery STS-85 at 10:41 am EDT. Mission highlights: CRISTA-SPAS.
1980 – Janice Brown pilots the MacCready Gossamer Penguin on its first solar-powered flight.
1980 – Aerolineas Argentinas and Iberia jointly inaugurate the world’s longest non-stop air route, between Buenos Aires and Madrid
1976 – The Viking 2 probe enters a Martian orbit after an 11-month trip from Earth.
1971 – The Apollo 15 spacecraft splashes down in the Pacific, 330 miles north of Hawaii, having been the fourth manned moon mission.
1963 – First flight of the Lockheed YF-12
1959 – The first-ever television images of Earth from space are transmitted from the Explorer 6 satellite.
1951 – William Bridgeman sets a new airspeed record in the Douglas Skyrocket of Mach 1.88 (1,245 mph, 1,992 km/h).
1951 – First flight of the McDonnell F3H Demon
1949 – Using the probe-and-drogue aerial refueling system, a Royal Air Force Gloster Meteor Mk 3 remains aloft continuously for 12 hours and 3 min, with pilot comfort appearing to be the only factor limiting the ability to stay aloft even longer.
1945 – First flight of the Nakajima Kikka
1943 – First flight of the Ilyushin Il-6
1941 – Bruno Mussolini, the son of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and commander of the 274a Squadriglia (274th Squadron), was piloting one of the prototypes of the “secret” Piaggio P.108B bomber near the San Giusto Airport in Pisa. He flew too low and crashed into a house. The cockpit section was separated from the rest of the aircraft, and although the aircraft did not catch fire, it was nevertheless totally destroyed in the impact. Mussolini died of his injuries.
1928 – One of the most successful designs of the day, the first Curtiss Model 50 Robin, takes to the air. A typical Robin has a wingspan of 41 ft and a length of 25 ft 8 in with a 185-hp engine.
1919 – Capt. Ernest C. Hoy becomes the first pilot to fly over the Canadian Rockies when he carries mail from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Calgary, Alberta, in a Curtiss JN-4 biplane. Unable to climb above 7,000 feet, he has to fly between mountain peaks, with vicious updrafts and downdrafts pulling at his plane, with only 150 feet between him and the craggy peaks of Crawford Pass. On his return flight, he cartwheels shortly after takeoff and, badly shaken, never flies again.
1918 – First flight of the SPAD S.XX
1917 – The Morane-Saulnier A.I. Parasol fighter airplane makes its first flight in France.
1913 – Aviation pioneer Samuel Cody is killed in a crash.
