First Flights Today in Aviation History
Today in Aviation History:
January 14 was a popular day for “first flights”. Five are listed here:
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee – 1960 (American four seat sporting/training monoplane)
- Convair F2Y Sea Dart – 1953
- SIPA S.200 Minijet – 1952 (French 2 seat light sporting jet aircraft)
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 – 1950
- De Havilland Express – 1934
Also, on this date in 1943, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first President of the United States to travel on an airplane while in office. He flew from Miami to Morocco to discuss World War II with Winston Churchill).
The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is an all-metal, unpressurized, single-engined, piston-powered airplane. In 1960, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the first certificate to the PA-28. Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft located in Vero Beach, Florida.
The de Havilland Express was a four-engined passenger aircraft manufactured between 1934 and 1937. This was developed to meet an order by the Australian QANTAS to fly the Singapore to Australia route. A total of 62 were built and a number were operated by various military services.
The Convair F2Y Sea Dart rode on twin hydro-skis for takeoff. It was a unique American seaplane fighter aircraft that flew only as a prototype never entering production. Interestingly, it is the only seaplane to exceed the speed of sound.