Aviation History Facts: April

April 1

  • In 1904… Using a glider imperfectly modeled by Ernest Archdeacon
    on an outdated Wright design, artillery captain Ferdinand Ferber
    launched himself into a short hop from a massive dune in Berc-Sur-Mer,
    Normandy, France. (AYY)
  • In 1918… The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force is born. It is
    formed out the army’s Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air
    Service. (AYY)
  • In 1921… French pilot Adrienne Bollard takes off from Mendoza,
    Argentina in a Cauldron biplane to become the first woman to fly over
    the Andes. She completes the historic Andean crossing to the Chilean
    capital, Santiago in 10 hours. (AYY)
  • In 1953… BEA (British European Airways) and Air France introduce tourist-class fares on their European routes. (AYY)
  • In 1976… Lufthansa’s first two Airbus A300Bs enter service. They
    will fly between Frankfurt and Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart and
    London. (AYY)

April 2

  • In 1794… The world’s first air force, the Aerostatic Corps of the
    Artillery Service is formed in France following a demonstration ascent
    from the gardens of the Chalais-Meudon on the outskirts of Paris in the
    hydrogen balloon L’Entreprenant, the first used for military tests.
    (F&F)
  • In 1937… Swedish airplane manufacturer Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (SAAB) is established in Trollh