You are at netAirspace : On This Day : May 18

<
>
On This Day: May 18

Aviation events for May 18

1907: Wilbur Wright sails for Europe to discuss the sale of his Flyer III in London, Paris, Moscow and Berlin.
 
1910: International talks open in Paris to draw up a legal basis for flight between countries.
 
1949: The city’s first heliport, built on Pier 41 by the Hudson River, opens in New York City.
 
1951: First flight of the Vickers Valiant.
 
1953: American Jacqueline Cochran becomes the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound while flying a Canadian-built North American F-86 Sabre. On the same day, she sets the world speed record for women at 652 mph (1,049 km/h).
 
1966: The first round-the-world solo flight by a woman is made by British pilot Sheila Scott. She flies 29,000 miles (46,670 km) in stages in her Piper Commanche 'Myth Too'.
 
1967: NASA announces crew members for the Apollo 7 space mission (first manned Apollo flight): Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Donn F. Eisele, and R. Walter Cunningham.
 
1969: Apollo 10, USA Lunar Manned Orbiter, (May 18-26, 1969) launched. Crew: Thomas Stafford, Eugene A. Cernan, John W. Young. Manned lunar fly-around and Earth return. Stafford and Cernan tested the Lunar Module, separating it from the Command and Service Module and descended to within 50,000 feet of the lunar surface. The astronauts acquired a large number of excellent 70-mm photographs.
 
1970: National Airlines ends a 108-day strike by offering ground crews a 33% pay increase.
 
1979: First flight of the Piper PA-42 Cheyenne.
 
1982: American Airlines' 1 millionth passenger is flown.
 
1983: American Airlines carries its 500 millionth passenger.
 
2006: The world's biggest passenger jet, the Airbus A380, lands at Heathrow Airport for the first time, making its UK debut.
 
2015: First flight of the Gulfstream G500. Read more...
 
 
 

Explore by day

Jump to
 
 

Explore by year

Jump to year
 
 

LEFT

RIGHT
CONTENT