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The Aviation Portal

A Boeing 747 in 1978 operated by Pan Am

Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. Aircraft includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as hot air balloons and airships.

Aviation began in the 18th century with the development of the hot air balloon, an apparatus capable of atmospheric displacement through buoyancy. Clément Ader built the "Ader Éole" in France and made an uncontrolled, powered hop in 1890. This is the first powered aircraft, although it did not achieve controlled flight. Some of the most significant advancements in aviation technology came with the controlled gliding flying of Otto Lilienthal in 1896; then a large step in significance came with the construction of the first powered airplane by the Wright brothers in the early 1900s. Since that time, aviation has been technologically revolutionized by the introduction of the jet which permitted a major form of transport throughout the world. (Full article...)

Selected article

Microburst schematic from NASA. Note the downward motion of the air until it hits ground level, then spreads outward in all directions. The wind regime in a microburst is completely opposite to a tornado.
Microburst schematic from NASA. Note the downward motion of the air until it hits ground level, then spreads outward in all directions. The wind regime in a microburst is completely opposite to a tornado.
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Wind shear can be broken down into vertical and horizontal components, with horizontal wind shear seen across weather fronts and near the coast, and vertical shear typically near the surface, though also at higher levels in the atmosphere near upper level jets and frontal zones aloft.

Wind shear itself is a microscale meteorological phenomenon occurring over a very small distance, but it can be associated with mesoscale or synoptic scale weather features such as squall lines and cold fronts. It is commonly observed near microbursts and downbursts caused by thunderstorms, weather fronts, areas of locally higher low level winds referred to as low level jets, near mountains, radiation inversions that occur due to clear skies and calm winds, buildings, wind turbines, and sailboats. Wind shear has a significant effect during take-off and landing of aircraft due to their effects on steering of the aircraft, and was a significant cause of aircraft accidents involving large loss of life within the United States.

Sound movement through the atmosphere is affected by wind shear, which can bend the wave front, causing sounds to be heard where they normally would not, or vice versa. Strong vertical wind shear within the troposphere also inhibits tropical cyclone development, but helps to organize individual thunderstorms into living longer life cycles which can then produce severe weather. The thermal wind concept explains with how differences in wind speed with height are dependent on horizontal temperature differences, and explains the existence of the jet stream. (Full article...)

Selected image

A French Gendarmerie rescue helicopter taking off on the Massif du Sancy mountains, France.

Did you know

...that after the Red Baron, French ace René Fonck had the most confirmed World War I aerial victories? ...that the crash of Crossair Flight LX498 was initially attributed to cell phone use, and led to bans of cell phones in airplanes in several countries? ... that 820 Naval Air Squadron was involved in attacks on the German battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz during the Second World War?

More Did you know facts

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The following are images from various aviation-related articles on Wikipedia.

In the news

Wikinews Aviation portal
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Selected biography

Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong (born August 5, 1930) is a former American astronaut, test pilot, university professor, and United States Naval Aviator. He was the first person to set foot on the Moon. His first spaceflight was aboard Gemini 8 in 1966, for which he was the command pilot. On this mission, he performed the first manned docking of two spacecraft together with pilot David Scott. Armstrong's second and last spaceflight was as mission commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing mission on July 20, 1969. On this mission, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface and spent 2.5 hours exploring while Michael Collins orbited. Armstrong is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Before becoming an astronaut, Armstrong was in the United States Navy and saw action in the Korean War. After the war, he served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) High-Speed Flight Station, now known as the Dryden Flight Research Center, where he flew over 900 flights in a variety of aircraft. As a research pilot, Armstrong served as project pilot on the F-100 Super Sabre A and C aircraft, F-101 Voodoo, and the Lockheed F-104A Starfighter. He also flew the Bell X-1B, Bell X-5, North American X-15, F-105 Thunderchief, F-106 Delta Dart, B-47 Stratojet, KC-135 Stratotanker and Paresev. He graduated from Purdue University.

Selected Aircraft

The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from 5,235 to 9,380 nautical miles (9,695 to 17,372 km) depending on model. Its distinguishing features include the largest diameter turbofan engines of any aircraft, six wheels on each main landing gear, a circular fuselage cross-section, and blade-shaped tail cone. Developed in consultation with eight major airlines, the 777 was designed to replace older wide-body airliners and bridge the capacity difference between the 767 and 747. As Boeing's first fly-by-wire airliner, it has computer mediated controls; it is also the first entirely computer-designed commercial aircraft.

The 777 is produced in two fuselage lengths. The original 777-200 model first entered service in 1995, followed by the extended range 777-200ER in 1997; the stretched 777-300, which is 33.3 ft (10.1 m) longer, began service in 1998. The longer-range 777-300ER and 777-200LR variants entered service in 2004 and 2006, respectively, while a freighter version, the 777F, debuted in 2008. Both longer-range versions and the freighter feature General Electric GE90 engines, as well as extended and raked wingtips. Other models are equipped with either the GE90, Pratt & Whitney PW4000, or Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines. The 777-200LR ranks as the world's longest-range airliner and holds the record for longest distance flown by an unrefuelled commercial aircraft, with the demonstrated capability to fly more than halfway around the world.

United Airlines first placed the 777 into commercial airline service in 1995. As of August 2023, 1,716 777s have been delivered. The most common variant used worldwide is the 777-300ER, with 832 aircraft delivered, and Emirates operates the largest 777 fleet, with 134 aircraft (as of May 2019). The airliner has had 8 hull-loss accidents, with 541 fatalities. The most deadly incident was Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, in which a 777-200ER carrying 298 people was shot down by a missile over Ukraine on 17 July 2014.

Through the 21st century, the 777 has emerged as one of its manufacturer's best-selling models. Because of rising fuel costs, airlines have acquired the type as a comparatively fuel-efficient alternative to other wide-body jets and have increasingly used the aircraft on long-haul, transoceanic routes. Direct market competitors include the Airbus A330-300, the A340 and A350 XWB.

  • Span: 212 ft 7 in (64.8 m)
  • Length: 242 ft 4 in (73.9 m)
  • Height: 61 ft 5 in (18.7 m)
  • Engines: 2 X GE 90-115B
  • Cruising speed: 0.84 Mach (555 mph, 892 km/h, 481 kn) at 35,000 ft (11,000 m) cruise altitude
  • First flight: 12 June 1994
  • Number built: 1,716 as of August 2023 (based on deliveries)
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Today in Aviation

January 12

  • 2009 – Alitalia (Linee Aeree Italiane S. p. A) cease operations, bought by the private company Alitalia (Compagnia Aerea Italiana).
  • 2009 – A Sikorsky UH-60L Blackhawk, 91-26321, c/n 70-1617, of the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Texas Army National Guard, crashes on the campus at Texas A&M University just after take-off due to tail rotor failure, killing 2nd Lt. Zachary Cook, 2008 Texas A&M graduate, member of the Texas A&M ROTC, and Aggie Corps of Cadets and injuring four other Army personnel. The helicopter was participating in the Rudder's Rangers Annual Winter Field Training.
  • 2008 – Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash: Occurred when a Macedonian Army Mil Mi-17 helicopter crashes in thick fog southeast of Skopje, killing all 11 military personnel on board.
  • 2005 – The Deep Impact space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral aboard a Delta 2 rocket. Its mission is to collide with and analyze the composition of the comet 9P/Tempel, which it did successfully in June 2005.
  • 1998 – Operation Manu Tama'i, Chilean air Force mounts a training operation sending F-5E Tigers refueled by a Boeing KB 707 to Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
  • 1997 – A non-stop, round-the-world balloon flight by Bertrand Piccard and Vim Verstraeten ends in failure when a fuel leak forces the balloonists to ditch in the Mediterranean shortly after take-off.
  • 1997 – Launch: Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-81 at 09:27:23 UTC. Mission highlights: Shuttle-Mir docking.
  • 1990 – USMC Douglas A-4M Skyhawk, BuNo 158149, c/n 14186, of VMA-131, crashes on approach to NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, after an engine fire, coming down in Upper Moreland Township, impacting in an intersection, debris tearing off roof of an auto-leasing business, destroying four autos, and damaging six houses, but no injuries on the ground. Pilot Capt. Duane Pandorf, 35, parachutes into tree, suffering only minor injuries.
  • 1985 – Death of Karl Deilmann, German WWI flying ace and industrial.
  • 1981 – A United States Marine Corps McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II crashes into the Atlantic Ocean while attempting a landing aboard the USS Forrestal off Jacksonville, Florida, officials at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina said on 15 January. The pilot is listed as lost at sea after an unsuccessful search, but radar intercept officer, Capt. C. F. Toler ejects, is rescued and reported in satisfactory condition aboard the carrier.
  • 1977 – Air Canada suspended all regular flights to Moscow, Prague, and Brussels, and cut the domestic schedule; to offset the 1976 operating losses.
  • 1973 – Death of Francesco Brach Papa, Italian aviation pioneer.
  • 1972 – Braniff Flight 38, a Boeing 727, is hijacked after takeoff from William P. Hobby Airport in Houston; all 94 passengers are allowed to deplane after landing at Dallas Love Field; the crew escapes 6 hours later; the hijacker is arrested with no casualties to the 101 people on board.
  • 1970 – A Pan Am Boeing 747, on a proving flight from New York, is the first wide-bodied airliner to make a landing at Heathrow Airport in London.
  • 1970 – Death of Blanche Stuart Scott, also known as Betty Scott, possibly the first American woman aviator.
  • 1969 – The New York Jets, so named in honor of the airport (LaGuardia) next to their home of Shea Stadium, win Super Bowl III over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts.
  • 1966 – Birth of Sergei Nikolayevich Revin, Russian cosmonaut and pilot.
  • 1961 – Henry Deutschendorf and his crew secured the 2000km closed-circuit record at 1708.8 km/h with a Convair B-58 Hustler.
  • 1961 – Two Convair F-102 Delta Daggers of the 111th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, Texas Air National Guard, Ellington AFB, Texas, are scrambled to intercept an unidentified aircraft approaching the Texas Gulf coast. For unknown reasons, F-102A-55-CO, 56-1015, catches fire and crashes in a rice field near Alvin, Texas, killing the pilot.
  • 1960 – Death of Nevil Shute Norway, popular British novelist and a successful aeronautical engineer.
  • 1953 – The United States Navy (USN) begins operational flight tests from the first angled-deck aircraft carrier, the USS Antietam (CV-36).
  • 1953 – "An Eglin (AFB) North American F-86 Sabre crash landed on Range 51 injuring the pilot." Aircraft was North American F-86F-30-NA, 52-4306, of the 3200th Flight Test Squadron, 3200th Proof Test Group, piloted by Robert G. Loomis; suffered engine failure.
  • 1952 – Prototype RAF Vickers Valiant, WB210, catches fire during in-flight engine relight trials, crew bails out but the co-pilot is killed when his ejection seat strikes tail.
  • 1949 – During the Berlin Airlift, the crash of a Douglas C-54D-5-DC Skymaster, 42-72629, c/n 10734, on approach to Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, kills three crew, 1st Lt. Ralph H. Boyd, 1st Lt. Craig B. Ladd, and T/Sgt. Charles L. Putnam.
  • 1945 – (12-13) Kamikazes resume attacks in Lingayen Gulf, damaging a destroyer escort, a destroyer-transport, an attack transport, and several merchant ships.
  • 1945 – With 850 aircraft aboard its carriers, Task Force 38 strikes targets along a 420-nautical mile (778-km) stretch of the coast of French Indochina, flying 1,465 sorties; sinking 12 tankers, 17 other merchant ships, the disarmed French cruiser La Motte-Picquet, and 15 Japanese naval vessels, including the light cruiser Kashii; and destroying 15 Japanese aircraft in the air, 77 on the ground, and 20 floatplanes on Camranh Bay in exchange for the loss of 23 U. S. aircraft.
  • 1944 – Lance C. Wade, American pilot, dies (b. 1916). Wing Commander Lance Cleo “Wildcat” Wade, was an American pilot who joined the British Royal Air Force during the Second World War and became a flying ace. He was described in “Fighter Aces of the USA” by Toliver and Constable, as a “distinguished American fighter ace who epitomized perhaps more than any other American airman the wartime accords between Britain and the United States”. Since he never transferred to the USAAF, or any other American Air service, W/Cmdr. Wade never got the publicity that other American Aces received and thus is more obscure than his peers.
  • 1944 – U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat, BuNo 66237, c/n A-1257, 'Z 11', suffers engine failure on functional check flight out of NAS San Diego, North Island, California, pilot Ens. Robert F. Thomas ditches in the Pacific Ocean ~12 miles (19 km) from the base, gets clear of sinking airframe and survives to become an ace in the Pacific theatre. Hellcat is discovered in 3,400 feet (1,000 m) of water by Lockheed research submarine RV Deep Quest on 17 March 1970. Recovered by USN on 9 October 1970. An M-2 .50 calibre machine gun from the wing is taken to the Naval Weapons Laboratory at Dahlgren, Virginia, for test firing. Showing little signs of deterioration after the long immersion, the weapon, after cleaning and lubrication, fires without a stoppage or mechanical failure. Airframe was displayed as of 1974 at Pima County Air Museum, Tucson, Arizona, now at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, NAS Pensacola, Florida.
  • 1942 – Death of Owen Morgan Baldwin, British WWI fighter ace.
  • 1942 – Death of Erbo Graf von Kageneck, German fighter pilot and WWII flying ace.
  • 1942 – Death of Vladimir Mikhailovich Petlyakov, Soviet aircraft designer, killed in an air crash near Arzamas while flying e Pe-2 to Moscow.
  • 1939 – The RAF Auxiliary Air Force Reserve is formed.
  • 1936 – In the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, aircraft of the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) begin the Battle of Genale Doria by dropping two tons (1,814 kg) of mustard gas on Ethiopian positions.
  • 1935 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman pilot to fly solo between Hawaii and the USA. She took off from Wheeler Field, Oahu, Honolulu, to fly her Lockheed Vega across the eastern Pacific to Oakland, California. Earhart lands after 18 hours 15 min.
  • 1933 – Jean Mermoz takes off His Couzinet 70 'Arc en Ciel' from Paris-Le Bourget to Buenos Aires for a south-Atlantic crossing.
  • 1929 – First U. S. air mail stamped envelopes are available for sale.
  • 1926 – First flight of the Polikarpov DI-1 (also known as 2I-N1), prototype Soviet two-seat fighter.
  • 1918 – A decree issued by the Council of Peoples’ Commissars of the Republic puts all Russian aircraft manufacturing companies under state control.
  • 1917 – Death of Thomas Mottershead VC, DCM, British WWI pilot, from injuries after a dogfight with two Albatros D.III 5 days before, managing to take his burning FE-2d back to the Allied lines and made a successful forced landing saving his observer's life.
  • 1907 – Birth of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, lead Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer in the Space Race between the USA and the Soviet Union during the 1950s and 1960s. He is considered by many as the father of practical astronautics
  • 1904 – Birth of Richard Llewellyn Roger Atcherley KBE, CB, AFC & Bar, British racing pilot, senior commander in the RAF who also served as chief of Air Staff for the Royal Pakistan Air Force.
  • 1899 – Birth of Clennell Haggerston "Punch" Dickins OC, OBE, DFC, pioneering Canadian aviator and bush pilot
  • 1894 – Birth of Hiram Franklin Davison, Canadian WWI flying ace.
  • 1893 – Birth of Mikhail Iosifovich Gurevich, Soviet aircraft designer, partner (with Artem Mikoyan) of the famous MiG military aviation bureau.
  • 1893 – Birth of Hermann Wilhelm Göring, German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. WWI fighter ace, He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe until the end of WWII.
  • 1892 – Mikhail Gurevich, Russian aircraft designer, is born (d. 1976). Gurevich was a Soviet aircraft designer, a partner (with Artem Mikoyan) of the famous MiG military aviation bureau.
  • 1891 – Birth of Leo C. Young, American radio engineer who had many accomplishments during a long career at the U. S. Naval Research Laboratory. Although self-educated, he was a member of a small, creative team that is generally credited with developing the world's first true radar system.
  • 1891 – Birth of Jean Georges Bouyer, French WWI flying ace.
  • 1883 – Birth of Gustav Otto, German aircraft and aircraft-engine designer and manufacturer, inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine.
  • 1879 – Birth of Calbraith Perry Rodgers, pioneer American aviator who made the first transcontinental airplane flight across the U. S.
  • 1866 – The Aeronautical Society of Great Britain is founded in London (later to become the Royal Aeronautical Society) and is still in existence today.

References

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