1981 – Vietnamese Cosmonaut Bùi Thanh Liêm (June 30, 1949–September 26, 1981), a native of Hanoi, Vietnam, is killed in a training flight in a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 over the Gulf of Tonkin this date.
1977 – Laker Airways inaugurates its no-booking "Skytrain" service between London and New York
1976 – A USAF Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker, 61-0296, c/n 18203, of the 46th Air Refueling Squadron, Strategic Air Command, on a routine tanker training mission en route from K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan, to Offutt AFB, Nebraska (two sources list Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan as its destination), crashes at 0830 hrs. EDT in a densely wooded swampy area near Alpena, Michigan, killing 15 of the 20 on board. Possible cabin pressurization problem may have led to the accident.
1974 – The first CF C-130 H was delivered to the RCAF 435 Squadron.
1973 – The Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time, though the record would go on to be broken a few more times until the aircraft’s retirement in 2003.
1967 – The governments of France, West Germany, and Britain sign a memorandum that calls for the development of the Airbus A300 wide-bodied jet airliner.
1961 – A USAF Boeing RB-47K-BW Stratojet, 53-4279, of the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, loses number six engine during take-off from Forbes AFB, Kansas, crashes, killing all four crew, aircraft commander Lt. Col. James G. Woolbright, copilot 1st Lt. Paul R. Greenwalt, navigator Capt. Bruce Kowol, and crewchief S/Sgt. Myron Curtis. Cause was contaminated water-alcohol in assisted takeoff system.
1947 – General Carl A. Spaatz becomes the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.
1943 – A Vought OS2U Kingfisher from Naval Air Station New York, Floyd Bennett Field, crashes 7 miles S of Little Egg Inlet, near Atlantic City, New Jersey. Two survivors are picked up by Coast Guard 83-foot Patrol Boat WPB-83340.
1939 – Flying a No. 803 Squadron Blackburn Skua from HMS Ark Royal, Lieutenant B. S. McEwen of the Fleet Air Arm’s No. 803 Squadron scores the second British victory over a German aircraft of World War II, shooting down a Dornier Do 18. Skuas were originally credited with the first confirmed kill, but an earlier victory by a Fairey Battle on 20 September 1939 over Aachen, was later confirmed by French sources.
1927 – Schneider Trophy race flown at Venice, Italy. Won by Flight Lt. S. N Webster (UK) in a Supermarine S5 at 453.2 km/h (281.7mph).
1917 – For the second time, French ace René Fonck shoots down six German aircraft in a day.
1916 – Flying ace LeutnantMax Ritter von Mulzer (ten aerial victories credited), the first Bavarian fighter ace, first Bavarian ace recipient of the Pour le Merite, and first Bavarian knighted for his exploits, on this date sideslips Albatros D.I426/16 into a hard bank, loses control, and crashes at Armee Flug Park 6, Valenciennes, with fatal result.
1909 – The brothers Alexander and Anatol Renner fly an airship (which they had designed and built themselves) for the first time, making eight flights over the autumn fair at Graz. They are the first airship flights in Austria-Hungary.
1897 – Arthur Rhys Davids, English pilot, is born (d. 1917). Davids was credited with having brought down Germany’s Werner Voss on 23 September 1917, in one of the most famous dogfights of World War I.
