1852: French engineer, Henri Giffard, flies the 1st powered, manned airship. Powered by a steam engine and propeller, the airship flies at about 5-mph and covers 17 miles from Paris to Trappes, France. The craft marks the beginning of the practical airship.
1929: Aviation pioneer Jimmy Doolittle completes the first flight to take off, fly and land using only instruments.
1946: Cathay Pacific is founded.
1949: First flight of the North American XT-28A Trojan.
1956: The second incarnation of the Luftwaffe is founded in Germany.
1956: The Tupolev Tu-104 enters service with Aeroflot.
2001: 13 days after 9/11, US Airways decided to terminate all flights from MetroJet.