- At 1035 hrs at Kill Devil Hills in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville
Wright pilots the Wright Flyer on a 36.5-meter (120-foot) flight lasting 12
seconds.
17 December 1917
- German Navy Oberleutnant Christiansen, flying a Brandenburg W12 seaplane,
shoots down the British non-rigid airship C27.
17 December 1918
- The Aero Club of America lifts its ban on flying over cities, allowing
pilots certified as "expert" aviators to overfly populated areas. Post
Office pilots had been permitted to do this since August.
17 December 1935
- Douglas choose this famous date, the anniversary of powered flight, to
make the first flight of their new Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST). Better
known as the DC-3, Dakota, or C-47, this aircraft arguably becomes the most
famous transport aircraft in history.
17 December 1943
- Orville Wright, on the 40th Anniversary of making his first flight,
presents the Collier Trophy for outstanding achievement in aviation to his
former pupil, General H.H. "Hap" Arnold.
17 December 1944
- The 509th Composite Group of the United States Army Air Force is formed in
Utah, to carry out United States atom bomb operations.
- Major Richard Ira Bong, the United States Army Air Force's most successful
fighter pilot of the Second World War, scores his 40th and final victory.
17 December 1948
- The 45th Anniversary of the first powered flight by the Wright brothers is
celebrated by the return to the Smithsonian Institution of the original
Wright Flyer, which had been on display in the London Science Museum for
many years.
17 December 1950
- A National Emergency is declared in the United States, with plans to speed
up production of military equipment.
17 December 1951
- The United States Air Force claims that its 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing
in Korea has destroyed 130 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s over the last 12 months,
with the loss of only fourteen F-86 Sabres.
17 December 1969
- The first Lockheed C-5A Galaxy is handed over to the United States Air
Force at Marietta in Georgia.
17 December 1971
- A cease-fire in the Indian-Pakistan war is called and accepted by both
sides.
17 December 1981
- A Hughes OH-6A helicopter, using controllable pressurized air release
instead of a tail rotor, makes a successful first flight.
17 December 1985
- The 50th anniversary of the Douglas DC-3: it is estimated that on this
date around 350 are still in commercial service.
17 December 1993
- The first B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is delivered to the United States Air
Force.
17 December 2003
- On the 100th anniversary of the Wright Flyer's achievement, SpaceShipOne
is the first privately-built, manned aircraft to fly faster than the speed
of sound.
Och dessutom har Stig namnsdag!
