1942: Dubbed "Flying Flapjack," the most radical conventionally-engined aircraft ever built makes its 1st flight when Chance Vought test pilot, Boone T. Guyton, takes the V-173 into the air.

1946: An Avro Lancastrian powered with Rolls-Royce Nene turbojets is credited with the first international passenger jet flight from London to Paris. The flight time was just 41 minutes.

1947: The Convair XC-99 (serial no. 43-52436) makes its first flight, piloted by Russell R. Rogers.

1959: First flight of the Boeing 720.

1985: EgyptAir Flight 648 is hijacked after take-off from Athens, and commandeered to Cairo. The next day, Egyptian forces storm the plane that was hijacked, starting a gun battle with the hijackers. Sixty people die in the cross-fire.

1989: An Airbus A310-300 opens Air France's new direct Lyon/New York service.

1992: Aerorepublica is founded.

1996: Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 crashes in Comoros after it got hijacked on air, killing 125 people.