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Aviation, or air transport, refers to the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. Aircraft includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, parachutes, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as 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. Some of the most significant advancements in aviation technology came with the controlled gliding flying of Otto Lilienthal; then a largest 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 with the introduction of the jet which permitted a major form of transport throughout the world.

Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Understanding the motion of air (often called a flow field) around an object enables the calculation of forces and moments acting on the object. Typical properties calculated for a flow field include velocity, pressure, density and temperature as a function of position and time. By defining a control volume around the flow field, equations for the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy can be defined and used to solve for the properties. The use of aerodynamics through mathematical analysis, empirical approximation and wind tunnel experimentation form the scientific basis for heavier-than-air flight.

External aerodynamics is the study of flow around solid objects of various shapes. Evaluating the lift and drag on an airplane, the shock waves that form in front of the nose of a rocket is an example of external aerodynamics. Internal aerodynamics is the study of flow through passages in solid objects. For instance, internal aerodynamics encompasses the study of the airflow through a jet engine.

The ratio of the problem's characteristic flow speed to the speed of sound comprises a second classification of aerodynamic problems. A problem is called subsonic if all the speeds in the problem are less than the speed of sound, transonic if speeds both below and above the speed of sound are present (normally when the characteristic speed is approximately the speed of sound), supersonic when the characteristic flow speed is greater than the speed of sound, and hypersonic when the flow speed is much greater than the speed of sound. Aerodynamicists disagree over the precise definition of hypersonic flow; minimum Mach numbers for hypersonic flow range from 3 to 12. Most aerodynamicists use numbers between 5 and 8.

File:Giant Plane Comparison.jpg

Credit: Clem Tillier

An overlay diagram showing four of the largest wide-body aircraft ever built, the Hughes H-4 Hercules (the "Spruce Goose", aircraft with the greatest wingspan), the Antonov An-225 Mriya (the largest freight aircraft), the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental (soon to be the largest version of the Jumbojet), and the Airbus A380-800 (the largest passenger aircraft).

Template:/box-header ...that the Vickers machine gun was the standard weapon on all British and French military aircraft after 1916?

...that Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney was only twenty-eight years old when he helped found Pan American World Airways?

... that Soviet test pilot Vladimir Kokkinaki set twenty aviation world records? Template:/box-footer

F-4E from 81st Tactical Fighter Squadron dropping 500 lb (230 kg) Mark 82 bombs

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic fighter-bomber originally developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. Proving highly adaptable, it became a major part of the air wings of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force. It was used extensively by all three of these services during the Vietnam War, serving as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, as well as being important in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles by the close of U.S. involvement in the war.

First entering service in 1960, the Phantom continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force; the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy; and the F/A-18 in the U.S. Marine Corps. It remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. The Phantom was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms in the Iran–Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with seven countries, and in use as an unmanned target in the U.S. Air Force.

Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built. This extensive run makes it the second most-produced Western jet fighter, behind the F-86 Sabre at just under 10,000 examples.

• Span: 38 ft 4.5 in (11.7 m)
• Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.2 m)
• Height: 16 ft 6 in (5.0 m)
• Engines: 2× General Electric J79-GE-17A axial compressor turbojets, 17,845 lbf (79.6 kN) each
• Cruising Speed: 506 kn (585 mph, 940 km/h)
• First Flight: 27 May 1958
• Number built: 5,195

Infrastructure		Transport		US Air Force		Royal Air Force

Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski (Franciszek Gabryszewski) (28 January 1919 - January 31, 2002) was the top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II, a jet fighter ace in Korea, and commanded numerous fighter squadrons, groups, and wings during his Air Force career.

Assigned as a P-40 pilot with the 45th Fighter Squadron of the 15th Fighter Group at Wheeler Field, Hawaii, 2nd Lt. Gabreski witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but did not become airborne in time to engage the attackers.

In March 1943 Gabreski became part of the 56th Fighter Group, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt, and in May was promoted to Major and named commander of the 61st Fighter Squadron, which included six Polish nationals as pilots in 1944. He made his 28th kill on July 5, 1944, passing Eddie Rickenbacker's record from World War I to become America's top ace (although several pilots passed him by the end of the war).

Col. Gabreski flew combat again during the Korean War, as commander of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, piloting an F-86 Sabre. He was credited with 6.5 MiG-15 kills, making him one of seven U.S. pilots to be aces in more than one war (the others are Col. Harrison Thyng, Col. James P. Hagerstrom, Major William T. Whisner, Col. Vermont Garrison, Major George A. Davis, Jr., and Lt.Col. John F. Bolt, USMC).

He ended his career as a commander of several tactical and air defense wings, his last assignment being commander of the 52d Fighter Wing at Suffolk County Air Force Base in Westhampton Beach, New York.

Wikinews Aviation portal

Template:/box-header January 18

• 2005 – The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, gets unveiled in an elaborate ceremony in France.

• 2005 – A United States Air Force Cessna T-37B, 66-8003, Cider 21, of the 89th Flying Training Squadron, 80th Flying Training Wing collides in midair with a civilian Air Tractor AT-502B, registration number N8526M, during a training flight over an unpopulated area near Hollister, Oklahoma, USA; both aircraft spiral out of control, 2 aircrew in T-37 eject, 1 suffers minor injuries, pilot and sole occupant of N8526M is killed. The crash is attributed to the failure of both pilots to watch for conflicting air traffic during VFR flight, a rare example of a midair collision in daylight VFR conditions during cruise flight in uncongested airspace distant from an airport.

• 1992 – The United States armed forces retire the last F-4 Phantom II from front-line service

• 1991 – Seven Coalition aircraft are lost, all to Iraqi ground fire.

• 1991 – Eastern Air Lines is dissolved after 64 years of operation. Many of its remaining assets are parceled out to American and Continental.

• 1988 – China Southwest Airlines Flight 4146, an Ilyushin Il-18, crashed while on approach to Chongqing Airport in China. All 108 passengers and crew on board were killed.

• 1986 – STS-61-C Space Shuttle Columbia returns on earth, last shuttle mission before the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

• 1986 – Aerovias Guatemala Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III crashed in the jungle 8 km (5 mls) from Flores (Guatemala) after two missed approaches, killing all 87 occupants.

• 1985 – A Chinese Antonov 24 turbo-prop airplane crashed while making an emergency landing in the city of Jinan, located south of its original destination, Beijing. The flight originated in Shanghai and stopped in Nanjing before flying on to Beijing. Thirty-eight people were killed, including 32 mainland Chinese, 3 Hong Kongese, 2 America, and one Briton. One crew member and two passengers survived the crash.

• 1982 – Death of Josef Mai, German WWI fighter ace and WWII instructor.

• 1982 – 1982 Thunderbirds Indian Springs Diamond Crash: The worst accident in U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Demonstration Team history involving show aircraft, when four Northrop T-38A Talons, Numbers 1-4, 68-8156, -8175, -8176 and -8184, crashed during pre-season training on Range 65 at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nevada (now Creech Air Force Base). While practicing the four-plane line abreast loop, the formation impacted the ground at high speed, instantly killing all four pilots: Major Norm Lowry, leader, Captain Willie Mays, Captain Pete Peterson and Captain Mark Melancon. The cause of the crash was officially listed by the USAF as the result of a mechanical problem with the #1 aircraft's control stick actuator. During formation flight, the wing and slot pilots visually cue off the #1 lead aircraft, completely disregarding their positions in relation to the ground. The crash of a team support Fairchild C-123 Provider on 10 October 1958 killed 19.

• 1981 – Bell Helicopter delivers its 25,000th production helicopter.

• 1979 – Death of Giovanni Ballestra, Italian Air Force pilot, not bailing out of his F-104 Starfighter on fire in order to avoid victims in a high denisity population zone.

• 1978 – Eastern Air Lines Flight 274 made a 2 point landing at Miami International Airport (KIMA) when its nose wheel locked in the up position.

• 1977 – Prime Minister of Yugoslavia Džemal Bijedić and six others are killed in the crash of a Learjet 25 near Kreševo, Yugoslavia.

• 1973 – Results of the USAF A-X fly-off announced, with the Fairchild YA-10 selected over the Northrop YA-9.

• 1972 – Ottawa banned the use of aircraft and large ships in the Gulf of St. Lawrence seal hunt.

• 1972 – General Dynamics F-111E-CF, 68-018, c/n A1-127 / E-28,[326][327] tailcode 'JS',[328] out of RAF Upper Heyford, crashes on high ground in Scotland, both crew KWF.

• 1969 – Soyuz 5 reenters earth.

• 1969 – United Airlines Flight 266, a Boeing 727, en route from Los Angeles to Milwaukee loses all electrical power and crashes into Santa Monica Bay; six crew and 32 passengers are killed.

• 1968 – (overnight) – A U. S. Navy UH-2A Seasprite piloted by Lieutenant junior grade Clyde Everett Lassen makes a daring rescue of downed fliers in North Vietnam. For his actions, Lassen will become the only U. S. Navy helicopter pilot to be awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED 19 JUNE 1969.

• 1965 – Death of Charles Marie Joseph Leon Nuville, French WWI fighter ace and WWII officer.

• 1960 – Capital Airlines Flight 20, a Vickers Viscount, flying from Washington National Airport to Norfolk International Airport crashes near Holdcroft, Virginia due to engine failure caused by icy conditions; all 50 on board are killed.

• 1958 – Birth of Jeffrey Nels Williams, USAF test pilot and NASA astronaut.

• 1957 – Three Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses make the world's first round the world, non-stop flight by turbojet-powered aircraft. The flight is completed in 45 hours 19 min, with an average speed of 534 mph (859 km/h)

• 1957 – Three United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers make the world’s first round-the-world, non-stop flight by turbojet-powered aircraft. They complete the flight in 45 hours 19 min, at an average speed of 534 mph (859 km/h).

• 1946 – A Dornier Do 335A-12 Pfeil (Arrow), AM223, ex-DP+UB, a twin piston engined "push-pull" aircraft, out of RAE Farnborough, suffers a rear-engine fire whilst in flight which severs the control runs and crashes into Cove School, Cove, Hampshire, killing 2 people, according to one source, and injuring six persons on the ground, with the pilot, Group Captain A. F. Hards DSO[disambiguation needed], KWF according another

• 1944 – Death of Eugene Jules Emile Camplan, French WWI flying ace.

• 1941 – A large German air raid strikes Malta’s airfields and other facilities.

• 1938 – The RCAF accepted the first of 1,384 Tiger Moth training aircraft.

• 1935 – First flight of the Blohm & Voss Ha 137

• 1930 – Death of Tommaso (Tomaso) Dal Molin, Italian pilot in the crash of his seaplane racer Savoia-Marchetti S.65 on Lake Garda.

• 1920 – Death of Albert René Chabrier, French WWI flying ace.

• 1918 – Birth of Frederick C. Bock, WWII pilot who took part in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945, flying the B-29 bomber 'The Great Artist'.

• 1916 – First flight of the Junkers J 1

• 1916 – Birth of Giorgio Savoja (Savoia), Italian WWII fighter pilot.

• 1913 – Birth of Wing Commander George Cecil Unwin DSO, DFM & Bar, British WWII fighter ace.

• 1911 – Eugene Ely lands on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania anchored in San Francisco Bay, marking the first time an aircraft landed on a ship.

• 1909 – The first book to treat the work and accomplishments of the Wright brothers, Les Premiers Hommes-Oiseaux: Wilbur et Orville Wright, is written by François Peyrey (1873 – 1934) and published in France.

• 1906 – The Zeppelin LZ2 is destroyed in high winds.

• 1905 – The Wright brothers begin discussions with the United States Government about selling it an airplane.

• 1893 – Birth of Douglas Evan Cameron, British WWI flying ace.

• 1893 – Birth of Dr. Wolfgang Benjamin Klemperer, German prominent aviation and aerospace scientist and engineer, who ranks among the pioneers of early aviation.

• 1891 – Birth of Herbert Wilhelm Franz Knappe, German WWI flying ace.

• 1888 – Thomas Sopwith, British aviation pioneer, is born (d. 1989). Sopwith with Fred Sigrist and others set up The Sopwith Aviation Company. The company produced key British World War I aircraft, most famously the Sopwith Camel.

• 1882 – Birth of Gaston Caudron, French aviation pioneer and aircraft designer along with his brother René.

References

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