Historic flights, aircraft milestones, aviation pioneers, and aviation disasters.
The German-built Zeppelin ZR-3 prepared for a historic transatlantic flight to America in October 1924. Thirty-two passengers, including four Americans, were set to make the pioneering journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
Lieutenant Thomas Wood, 27, died when his mail-laden attack plane crashed in a blinding rainstorm near DeWitt, Iowa. He became the twelfth army pilot to perish since the military took over airmail delivery, intensifying calls to return the service to private operators.
Captain H.J. Wilson shattered aviation barriers by achieving 606 mph in a British Gloster Meteor jet. The record, officially verified through four separate runs, surpassed Eric Greenwood’s 603 mph mark set the same day.
Captain Ross Smith completed the first successful flight from England to Australia on December 10, 1919, winning the Australian government’s £10,000 prize. The historic 11,000-mile journey took 30 days and beat French competitor Winne Poulet.
