Warbirds Online » Blog Archive » This Week In Military/Aviation History: 26 November

Hello Folks, Yep, it’s been another seven. Thanksgiving, “Black Friday” and Cyber Monday are all behind us. Now it’s time to gear up for the greatest one of all. Ho-Ho-Ho! “Don’t just give a gift, Grant a wish” (Sears), Save Money, Live Better (Wal-Mart), Happy HoliDUH! (Hundai), Happy Honda Days (Honda). My take? BAH Humbug! When my son was small and our famililies was still pretty much intact, it was fun. A nice time of year. Now, the kid is married (no grandchildren) and the families have either passed on or moved on, not so great. Oh well, time does march on. Since I’ve been retired, I don’t even get any “days off” to look forward to anymore and when I take a coffee break it’s on my own time. Of course, I’m not a slave to the clock anymore, but I can’t break the habit of wearing a watch. Oh well. Let’s get down to some serious history, shall we?

30 November 1905
The launch of Zeppelin LZ2 from it’s Lake Constance base resulted in significant damage before it could fly.

30 November 1907
Glenn Curtiss formed the first airplane company in the United States.

December 1910
In India, the British Army was impressed by a demonstration of three biplanes by the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company.

26 November 1911
Charles Weymann piloted the Nieuport monoplane to win the military aviation trials at Reims, France.

27 November 1912
The United States Army Signal Corps received its first flying boat, a Curtiss F two-seat biplane.

28 November 1912
The Italian Flotta Aerea d’Italia (Air Fleet of Italy) was formed as an autonomous aviation service.

1 December 1915
The first United States Navy flying school was established at Pensacola, Florida.

27 November 1916
Zeppelin LZ78 (L34) was shot down off Hartlepool, England.

28 November 1916
Zeppelin LZ61 (L21) was shot down off Lowestoft, England by defending fighter aircraft.

Bombs were dropped near Victoria Station by an LVG CII aircraft, piloted by Deck Offizer R. Brandt.

4 December 1916
The United States National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics recommended that the Post Office establish airmail routes.

27 November 1917
Brigadier General B.D. Foulois succeeded Brigadier General William D. Kenly as Chief of Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force.

3 December 1917
It was announced that from February 1918, the Lafayette Escadrille would become part of the American Expeditionary Force.

1 December 1918
The Central Aero and Hydrodynamics Institute (TsAGI) was established in Moscow. It was the first establishment of its kind in the world, and became the most important aeronautical research center in the Soviet Union.

1 December 1919
Delag’s airship service between Fredrichshafen and Berlin was suspended on the orders of the Allied Control Commission after more than 100 flights, carrying 2,400 passengers.

1 December 1921
The United States Navy dirigible (steerable airship), Goodyear C7 made its first flight.

30 November 1922
The first aircraft carrier to be designed and completed as such made its maiden sea trials. The Imperial Japanese Navy’s HOSHO was laid down in December 1919 and could carry 21 aircraft.

28-29 November 1929
Floyd Bennett, Commander Byrd, Bernt Balchen, Ashley McKinley and Harold June made the first flight over the South Pole, flying a Ford 4-AT Triplane.

1 December 1933
The first daily air service in India was established by Indian National Airways between Calcutta and Dacca.

28-30 November 1938
Flug Captain Henke and Flug Captain Moreau flew Focke Wulf FW 200 D-ACON “Brandenburg” from Berlin to Tokyo. With three refuelling stops the journey was completed in 46 hours 15 minutes.

30 November 1939
The Soviet Union invaded Finland and Soviet planes bombed Helsinki and other Finnish towns.

2 December 1939
General H.H. Arnold, Chief of the USAAC, had his project for a four-engined bomber with a 2,000 mile radius of action approved. This would lead to the production of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

1 December 1941
The United States Civil Air Patrol was established to make use of American civilian pilots and their aircraft for wartime duties.

2-3 December 1943
German aircraft dropped bombs and parachute mines at Bari, Italy. An ammunition ship exploded and seventeen vessels were set on fire or sunk. Nearly 2,000 people were killed. The German’s dropped, for the first time, metallized paper strips to confuse radar stations. Known as “Window” in Bomber Command, it had been first used by the RAF in the 24-25 July raid on Hamburg.

1 December 1950
United States Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) units received unarmed Bell 47 helicopters equipped for carrying casualties.

December 1951
The first space flight by a living creature took place when four monkeys, code-named Albert 1, 2, 3 & 4 were launched 85 miles into the stratosphere from White Sands, New Mexico. The mission was known as Operation Albert and all four monkeys returned safely to earth.

29 November 1953
The Douglas DC-7 entered scheduled airline service with American Airlines.

26 November 1955
It was announced in Moscow that tests of new types of thermonuclear weapons had recently been made.

27 November 1955
A state of emergency was declared in Cyprus.

2 December 1955
Vickers Viscount airliners went into regular service in the Caribbean area with British West Indian Airways.

1 December 1959
A twelve nation treaty established Antarctica as an area in the world only accessible for peaceful purposes.

29 November 1963
President Johnson signed an executive order which renamed Cape Canaveral as Cape Kennedy and its space facilities as the John F. Kennedy Space Center.

26 November 1965
The French used a Diamant launch vehicle to send Asterix 1, a test satellite, into space. France became the first nation after the Americans and Russians to develop and orbit a satellite by their own efforts.

1 December 1969
The United States Federal Air Regulation Pt 36 was issued. It was the first piece of legislation aimed at limiting aircraft noise at airports.

29 November 1973
The 1,000th Boeing 727 rolled off the production line.

29 November 1979
Another McDonnell Douglas DC-10 crash raised doubts about the airliner’s safety. The Air New Zealand DC-10 left Auckland at 0810 hours for a routine sight-seeing flight over the Antarctic. The aircraft crashed into a mountainside, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crewmembers.

1 December 1982
Suburban Airways of Pennsylvania introduced the Shorts 360 into commercial airline service.

December 1985
The Soviet Union launched its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier from Nikolayev South shipyard.

2 December 1986
Lockheed-georgia delivered its 1,800th C-130 transport aircraft.

December 1988
Mikhail Gorbachev announced the reduction of Soviet conventional forces over a 2 year period. The reductions included the removal of 800 combat aircraft from Soviet Europe.

27 November 1996
A hundred BAe Hawks were ordered by the Australian Government as the next Lead-In Fighter Trainer.

26 November 2003
The last “retirement” Concorde flight took place.
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That’s it for this week Folks. See ya in seven.

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