Warbirds Online » Blog Archive » This Week In Military/Aviation History 8-14 March

Well Folks, here we are again a week older and, with luck, a day or so wiser. Boy, this economic situation is wreaking havoc with airshows so far this year. Three in the area where I am have cancelled due to economic reasons. It’s a sad thing to have happen, but what can you do? I guess that it just makes the ones that manage to still happen will be that much nicer to attend. Well, let’s start our weekly trek down History Lane, shall we? Yes, I think we shall.

Tom K.

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8 March 1910
Mademoiselle Elise Deroche, better known under her self awarded title ‘la Baronne de Laroche’, becomes the world’s first qualified female pilot and the 36th French pilot, when she is awarded her brevet.

10 March 1910
Frenchman Emil Aubrun makes the world’s first night flights in a Blériot monoplane at Villalugano in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

William W. Gibson, of British Colombia, finishes work on the engine for the Gibson Twin-plane.

13 March 1910
The first aeroplane flight in Switzerland is made by Captain Engelhardt in a Wright A biplane from an ice covered lake at St Moritz.

12 March 1912
The French Service de l’Aéronautique de la Marine is formed.

14 March 1915
Lincoln Beachey dies when the wings break off his monoplane while he attempts a power dive from 3,000 feet at the Panama-Pacific Exhibition in San Francisco.

8 March 1917
Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the father of the rigid airship, dies of pneumonia aged 78.

12 March 1917
Revolution in Russia.

10 March 1918
The Junkers D1, an all-metal single-seat cantilever monoplane fighter, is flown as a prototype. 41 aircraft are eventually produced.

11 March 1918
The first regular international air mail is organized in Austria by A.R. von Marwil. Mail is carried in a Hansa-Brandenburg CI from Vienna to Lvov (then Lemberg) and Proskurov via Cracow. A branch service is also run from Proskurov to Odessa. The service expands on 11 July 1918 by adding Budapest to its destinations, but later collapses with the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918.

14 March 1918
American aircraft of the 95th (Pursuit) squadron begin patrol flights over the Western Front, defending the River Marne from German reconnaissance aircraft. Observation patrols begin on the 19 March with aircraft of the 94th (Pursuit) squadron.

10 March 1919
The Australian Government announces a prize of £10,000 for the first flight from Great Britain to Australia by Australians, which must be completed within 720 consecutive hours by the end of the year.

Brigadier General William ‘Billy’ Mitchell becomes the United States Director of Military Aeronautics.

13 March 1922
Portuguese pilots Captain Gago Coutinho and Captain Sacadura Cabral set off on a transatlantic flight from Lisbon to Brazil flying a Fairey IIIC. They arrive on 16 June in Fairey IIID ‘Santa Cruz’, their third machine, as earlier two have been wrecked.

12 March 1925
The first Fokker FVIIa makes its maiden flight.

8 March 1926
Dr Robert H. Goddard statically tests one of his first rockets.

14 March 1927
Pan American World Airways (Pan-Am) is formed.

10 March 1934
After nine fatalities the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) internal mail services are stopped.

9 March 1935
It is announced in Germany that the Luftwaffe has been established.

13 March 1937
Italy announces a four-year expansion program for its air force.

14 March 1939
Hitler announces that Czechoslovakia has become a German Protectorate and its occupation begins the following day.

12 March 1940
Finland capitulates to Soviet invaders in the Winter War.

10 March 1943
The 14th United States Army Air Force (USAAF) is activated with Major General Clair Chennault in command.

0 March 1945
German forces, including air units, continue to attack the bridge at Remagen in an effort to eliminate this allied bridgehead over the Rhine.

9-10 March 1945
279 Marianas-based Boeing B-29s begin a new campaign of low-altitude incendiary night attacks against Japanese cities with an attack on Tokyo.

8 March 1946
The Bell Model 47 is granted the first commercial helicopter certificate to be awarded by the United States Civil Aviation Authority.

13 March 1951
Qantas Consolidated Catalina ‘Frigate Bird II’ (VH-ASA) begins a survey flight from Sydney to Chile via Ester Island and makes the airline’s first flight across the South Pacific.

10 March 1953
Two Czechoslovakian Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG15 jets attack two United States Air Force (USAF) Republic F-84 Thunderjets near Bavaria.

13 March 1953
Six Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG15 jet fighters are shot down during air fighting over North Korea.

8 March 1954
The United States and Japan sign a mutual defence agreement.

11 March 1955
Pakistan International Airlines absorbs the fleet and routes of Orient Airways.

8 March 1956
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines orders twelve Lockheed Electras the first European order for American propeller-turbine engine airliners.

14 March 1956
A new version of the Northrop Scorpion twin-jet all weather fighter is in production.

The first successful launch of a Chrysler Redstone, or Jupiter, is made from Cape Canaveral. This tactical bombardment missile is developed by a team headed by Dr Wernher von Braun the designer of Germany’s V2 rocket.

9 March 1966
General de Gaulle, the President of France, announces that France is to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Alliance.

8 March 1967
The West German Air Force announce that all the ejection seats in their Lockheed F-104G Starfighter fleet will be replaced with Martin-Baker GQ7 seats.

8 March 1974
Charles De Gaulle Airport, 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from the center of Paris and Europe’s newest international airport, is officially opened by the French Prime Minister.

9 March 1987
USAir makes public its buy-out of Piedmont Airlines for $1.59 billion.

12 March 1993
General Dynamics’ Military Aircraft Division is acquired by Lockheed in a $1.525 billion deal, which includes the highly successful F-16 fighter.

13 March 1998
Hans von Ohain, who pioneered the design of the jet engine in Germany, dies.

11 March 2001
The Lockheed Martin X-35A Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) completes its flight test schedule, logging 73 flights and 58 hours flying time. The X-35B Short Take-Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the JSF begins testing of its Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capabilities.

15 March 2001
Two hijackers, identifying themselves as Chechen rebels, seize control of a Vnukovo Airlines Tu154 with 162 passengers on board as it departs Istanbul Ataturk airport. The aircraft lands safely at Medina airport in Saudi Arabia, where the hijack is brought to an end by Saudi Special Forces, who storm the airplane, killing one of the hijackers, a passenger and a stewardess.

11March 2005
Jetsgo ceases all operations and declares bankruptcy protection.

China’s first private airline, Okay Airlines has its maiden revenue flight.

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That’s all for this week Folks. See ya in seven.

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