Recorded Events, Beginnings, Activities and First Flights
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Longren “Topeka 1”, The first Kansas built aircraft to fly in Kansas is piloted by A. K. Longren near Topeka, KS. |
JANUARY
| 2 | War production forces Beech to move into plant additions before heating installed, 1941. The Cessna Citation Soverign took flight for the first time, 2002. |
| 3 | Cessna 310 made first flight at Wichita, Kansas, 1953. |
| 4 | Learjet Model 35 first flight test, 1973 with pilots Bob Fisher and Bob Berry |
| 7 | Learjet Corp. begins business in Wichita, 1963. NAT awards Travel Air contract for 7 Monoplanes, 1927. |
| 8 | First Boeing B-47B rolled out, 1951. |
| 10 | B-52H flew non-stop from Okinawa to Madrid breaking 11 world speed & distance records, 1962. |
| 12 | W. D. Thompson makes first flight of experimental wing Cessna 210A, 1961. |
| 15 | First flight of Beech Model 18 “Twin Beech” (J.N. Peyton), 1937. |
| 18 | E.R. Griffin test flies Beech E90 King Air, 1972. |
| 20 | Propjet Beech King Air 90 flies for first time (J.D. Webber), 1964. |
| 22 | Name change from E. M. Laird Co. to swallow Airplane Manufacturing Co., filed 1924. Experimental Cessna XMC, 2-place pusher, test flown (B.G. Barrett), 1971. |
| 27 | 1,000th Cessna Citation delivered to Indium Corp., 1982. |
| 29 | Clyde Cessna sells his Travel Air stock, resigns as president, 1927. Learjet 28/29 series, first production airplane with winglets, gets FAA certification, 1979. |
| 30 | First flight of Boeing B-47E, 1953. |
| 31 | Walter H. Beech born, Pulaski, TN, 1891. Cessna Citation II first flight (Leonard Brady), 1977. |
FEBRUARY
| 1 | Prototype Knoll KN-1 destroyed in crash, 1929. |
| 2 | First Learjet Longhorn (50 series) rolls off assembly line, 1979. |
| 4 | Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna and Lloyd Stearman incorporated Travel Air, Inc. in Kansas, 1925. |
| 7 | Robert Timm & John cook sets world endurance record of almost 65 days without landing in a Cessna 172, 1959. |
| 8 | Cessna Model 205 test flown (R.W. Stephens), 1962. Boeing XB-47 sets trans-continental speed record of 607.8 mph, 2,289 miles, 1949. |
| 11 | Watkins Aircraft Company organized, 1929. |
| 13 | First Boeing B-52G delivered to SAC, 1959. |
| 14 | Four-place Cessna Light Twin, Model 303 first flight (B.G. Barrett), 1978. Last (Boeing) Stearman PT-17 delivered to Army Air Forces, 1945. |
| 15 | Beech Starship 1 first flight, Bud Francis, pilot, Tom Carr, co-pilot, 1986. Walter H. Beech elected President of Travel Air, 1927. |
| 16 | Retractable-gear Cessna Cardinal RG flown (L.R. Ikerd), 1970. |
| 18 | Cessna Model 309 – boundry layer control test aircraft flown (Hank Waring), 1952. |
| 19 | Gates Learjet Model 28 sets time-to-climb to 15,000 meters (49,215 ft.) (Neil Armstrong/Pete Reynolds/John Plunkett). 1979. Cessna 188 Agwagon maiden flight (R.D. Reagan), 1965. |
| 20 | Henry Beaird in Learjet 25 sets time-to-climb record to 40,000 feet in 6-minutes, 19-seconds, 1968. |
| 21 | Associated Aircraft Company formed, 1929. |
| 24 | Learjet Model 24 first flight (Jim Kirkpatrick/Bob Fisher), 1966. |
| 25 | Cessna 210 prototype, with high wing and retractable landing gear, makes first flight (Bob Crashaw), 1957. |
| 26 | Model 404 Titan test flown by Cessna, 1957. |
| 28 | Revolutionary Cessna 336 Skymaster first flight (Bill Thompson). 1961. |
MARCH
| 1 | Seibel Helicopter Co. acquired by Cessna, 1952. First Boeing B-47A rolls out at Wichita, 1950. |
| 2 | Stearman delivers first U.S. military airplanes built in Wichita – 3 YPT 9’s for U. S. Army Air Corps., 1931. |
| 6 | Boeing B-52H makes first flight at McConnell AFB, 1961. |
| 7 | Wichita Airplane Manufacturing Company formed, 1929. |
| 9 | Capt. Bill Odom lands “Waikiki Beech” Bonanza at Teterboro, NJ after record 4,957 mile flight from Honolulu, 1949. |
| 13 | Irl Beach pilots first Travel Air on initial flight, 1925. |
| 17 | Beech King Air 100 first flight (Francis/Contractor), 1969. |
| 18 | First RB-47E rolled out at Boeing-Wichita, 1953. |
| 25 | Boeing-Wichita Plant II reopened for B-29 modification program, 1948. Ground broken for new Cessna plant on east franklin (Pawnee) Rd., 1929. |
| 26 | Dwane Wallace flies first Cessna twin, Model T50, on first flight, 1939. |
| 28 | 1,000th Learjet is delivered to Eaton Corp., in Ohio, 1980. |
| 30 | Cessna 337 Super Skymaster makes first flight (R.B. Kemper), 1964. |
| 31 | Wichita Municipal Airport terminal building dedicated, 1935. |
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Beech 17R “Staggerwing”, The first aircraft built by Beech Aircraft. 785 of these executive aircraft were built. |
APRIL
| 1 | Beech Aircraft formed, 1932. The second Learjet built is put on permanent display at National Air & Space Museum, 1978. |
| 4 | Al Mooney takes off in the new Mooney Low Wing, on non-stop transcontinental record attempt from Glendale, CA to Long Island, 1930. |
| 5 | Al Mooney’s record attempt ends near Ft. Wayne, IN for an unofficial record of 1,980 miles in 22 hours and 27 minutes, 1930. |
| 6 | Varney Airlines pilot, Leon Cuddeback, makes first contract airmail flight (CAM 5) from Pasco, WA to Elko, NV in a Swallow mail plane, 1926. |
| 8 | Cessna P-260 cargo plane for USAAF, test flown (Carl Winstead), 1943. 500th Learjet, a Model 24D is delivered to Mexican Navy, 1975. Matty Laird flies first Laird Swallow on initial hop, 1920. |
| 13 | Beech U-21A prototype (Model 65) first flown (A.W. Scheu), 1967. |
| 15 | First production B-29 completed at Boeing-Wichita, 1943. Geared-engine Cessna 175 test flown (R.W. Stephens), 1957. Travel Air 6,000 first flight piloted by Clarence Clark, 1928. |
| 16 | Mooney Aircraft Company started, 1929. |
| 19 | Kansas Aviation Museum opened, 1991. Learjet Longhorn 54/55/56, with winglets, makes maiden flight (Ed Chaplin/Bob Fisher/Jim Dwyer), 1979. |
| 22 | Cessna 187 test flown by W.H. Ohmsieder, 1968. |
MAY
| 1 | Wichita’s first airport near Bridgeport plant, dedicated, 1919. reorganization creates the Stearman Aircraft Division of Boeing Airplane Company, 1938. |
| 6 | First flight of B-52F, at Wichita, 1958. |
| 11 | Cessna T207 first flown (P.R. Leckman), 1968. |
| 14 | First flight of a Wichita-built B-52D, 1956. |
| 15 | Beech Model 87 (Military NU-8F) first flight (S.C. Tuttle), 1963. |
| 19 | Golfer Arnold Palmer captains a Learjet 36 on a record 57 hr., 26 min. around-the-world flight, to mark U. S. Bicentennial, 1976. Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower makes his first solo flight in a Stearman PT, 1937. |
| 20 | Wichita’s Maj. James Jabara becomes world’s first Jet Ace; is Triple Ace by war’s end, 1951. |
| 21 | Learjet 23 breaks coast-to-coast speed records both eastbound and westbound, 1965. |
| 22 | Clyde Cessna replaces Walter P. Innes, Jr. as President of Travel Air, Inc., 1925. |
| 23 | Jacob M. Moellendick, father of Wichita Aviation, born, 1873. |
| 24 | Learjet 24 circles Earth in 50-1/2 hours flying time, setting 18 world records, 1966. |
| 25 | R. S. Hagan takes Beech Model 56 TC Turbo Baron on maiden flight, 1966. |
| 26 | Hank Waring pilots Cessna 180 prototype on first flight, 1952. |
| 27 | Cessna becomes first company in the world to produce 100,000 airplanes, 1972. |
| 30 | Cessna 650 Citation III, with swept wings, makes first flight (Leonard/Brady), 1979. |
JUNE
| 1 | Cessna Model 1034 XMC with ducted fan makes initial flight (B.G. Barrett), 1972. |
| 2 | Swift Aircraft Corporation organized, 1928. |
| 5 | Beech XA-38 “Grizzly” first flight (Vern Carstens), 1944. |
| 6 | Boeing B-52H flies 11,303 miles from Seymour Johnson AFB, NC, to set new world record, 1962. |
| 8 | Cessna, Beech and Boeing-Wichita ordered to build 1,500 CG-4 Gliders by Oct. 1, 1942. |
| 10 | Stearman buys 30 acres from Swift Aircraft Co., on South Oliver Rd., 1953. |
| 11 | First flight of CR-3 racer built by Clyde and Eldon Cessna, 1933. |
| 12 | Cessna Model 172 first test flight, 1955. Beech experimental flight trainer, Model 16, test flown (M.R. Donaldson), 1970. |
| 13 | Buckley LC-4 “Wichcraft” receives Dept. of Commerce approval 2-359, 1931. |
| 14 | Beech Starship 1 becomes first all-composite pressurized aircraft certified by FAA, 1988. Last Cessna A37B rolls out at Wallace Division, 1977. Clyde Cessna builds and flies a 4-place cabin Monoplane at Travel Air Field, 1926. |
| 15 | Supreme Propeller Company moved to Wichita from Dayton, Ohio, 1928. |
| 22 | S. C. Tuttle takes Beech Model 80 Queen Air on first hop, 1961. Last B-52H rolls off line, completing B-52 production at Wichita, 1962. |
| 23 | Beech Model 58 Baron makes first flight (R.R. Stone), 1969. |
| 24 | Ground broken for construction of Boeing-Wichita Plant II, 1941. Lloyd Stearman resigns from Stearman Aircraft Company, 1930. |
| 25 | First B-47A makes maiden flight at Boeing-Wichita, 1950. |
| 26 | First Wichita-built B-52D delivered to SAC, 1956. |
| 28 | Cessna Model 140 test flown, 1945. |
| 29 | First Boeing-Wichita built YB-29 flies, 1943. |
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Boeing B-29 “Superfortress”, A trio of Wichita-built B-29s in formation. 40 percent of all B-29s were built in Wichita. |
JULY
| 2 | Beech Model 88 Queen Air first flown (J.D. Webber), 1965. |
| 3 | First flight of Boeing RB-47E Recon Aircraft, 1953. |
| 5 | Clyde Cessna sets U. S. speed record of 124.6 mph in flight from Blackwell, OK to Wichita, KS in Comet, 1917. |
| 7 | Cessna Model 1023, a Model 177 powered by C. W. Wankel engine test flown (L.R. Ikerd), 1971. Learjet Model 55 sets sustained altitude record of 52,000 ft. (B. Stillwell/D. Lennox), 1983. Cessna Pressurized Skymaster (T337G) first flight (P.R. Leckman), 1971. |
| 9 | Prescott Pusher first flight (Tom Prescott), 1985. |
| 11 | Walter H. Beech makes his first solo flight in Curtiss Pusher, 1914. |
| 13 | Boeing-Wichita XL-15 Scout observation plane first flight, 1947. |
| 14 | Bronte & Smith fly prototype Travel Air 5000 to Hawaii – first commercial aircraft to do so, 1927. |
| 15 | William Robinson test flies Cessna 177 Cardinal, 1966. |
| 16 | Cessna Model 152 test flown by W. K. Bergman, 1976. |
| 17 | Ace Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation formed, 1929. |
| 20 | Neil Armstrong, Commander of Apollo II, becomes first man to set foot on the moon; Beech gas storage system part of Apollo II spacecraft, 1969. |
| 23 | First Boeing B-52G rolled out, 1958. |
| 27 | Stearman C-3B Sport Commercial receives approved type certificate, 1928. |
| 28 | B-47 sets trans-atlantic record of 4-3/4 hours at 617.4 mph, 1953. |
| 31 | Learjet 23 received type certificate, 1964. Pat Boling leaves Manila on record-setting 6,856 mile non-stop flight to Pendleton, OR in Beech Bonanza, 1958. |
AUGUST
| 1 | C. V. Cessna CR-3 racer destroyed after Johnny Livingston bails out at Columbus, OH, 1933. |
| 3 | Delivery of last Boeing RB-47E, 1955. |
| 6 | Beech Model 95 Travel Air first flight (S.C. Tuttle), 1956. |
| 9 | Bob Faris sets World Distance record for Light Airplanes flying his 1,075 lb. Mooney Mite from Wichita, KS to Montpelier, VT, 1952. |
| 10 | Stearman Model 6A delivered to U.S. Army Air Corps at Wright Field, OH, for testing, 1930. Cessna C-34 Airmaster test flown by George Hart, 1934. |
| 11 | Cessna Model 620, 4-engine business liner makes initial flight, 1956. |
| 12 | Learjet Model 25 makes first flight (Hank Beaird/Tom Seay), 1966. |
| 13 | Swallow Airplane Manufacturing Co., goes into bankruptcy, 1927. |
| 17 | The Woolaroc, a Travel Air MA5000, wins Dole Race to Hawaii, 1927. |
| 18 | Travel Air Model R “Mystery Ship” makes first test hop, with Clarence Clark at the controls, 1929. |
| 19 | “Dallas Spirit” especially built for the $25,000 Dole Race by the Swallow airplane Mfg. Co. is lost enroute to Hawaii during second attempt, 1927. Cessna Model 321 (USMC OE-2) observation aircraft test flown (Robert L. Crawshaw), 1954. |
| 24 | Learjet Model 28/29 first flight (Pete Reynolds/John Plunkett/Bob Fisher), 1977. |
| 26 | Cessna Model 401/402 prototype first flight (Robert L. Crawshaw), 1965. |
| 27 | Cessna Model R182 Skylane RG test flown by T.E. Wallis, 1976. Cessna receives approved type certificate for Model “A” with Anzani engine, 1928. |
| 28 | Learjet introduces long range Models 35/36, 1973. Beech Queen Air (Model 65) test flown by S.C. Tuttle, 1958. |
| 29 | Beech flies 85-percent-scale prototype of Starship 1 in Mojave, CA, 1983. |
| 30 | Travel Air “Special” makes first flight – on it’s trip to Tulsa Air Meet, 1925. |
SEPTEMBER
| 2 | A. K. Longren builds and flies first airplane built in Kansas, at Topeka, 1911. |
| 3 | Last of 1,399 Learjets built in Wichita, a Model 35A, rolls out-the-door; assembly moved to Tuscon, AZ, 1985. |
| 4 | Transcontinental Learjet 25C and 10-place 25B receive FAA certification, 1970. |
| 7 | Stearman Aircraft Company incorporated in Kansas, 1927. |
| 8 | Cessna-Roos Aircraft Company formed, 1927. |
| 10 | Cessna Model 182 makes first flight (E.B. Feutz), 1955. Three special-purpose Learjet 35A Models delivered to Finnish Air Force, 1982. |
| 12 | Boeing XB-47 rolls out at Seattle, 1947. First of 23,839 Cessna 2-place Model 150 makes test flight (Bill Thompson), 1957. |
| 13 | Cessna Model 425 propjet first flight by Rick Trissell, 1978. Cessna CH-1 helicopter prototype operates from Pike’s Peak; first ‘copter to do so, 1955. |
| 14 | Beech Model 33 Debonair first flight (S.C. Tuttle), 1959. |
| 15 | Beech Model 24R Musketeer Super R test flown (M.R. Donaldson), 1963. Cessna Fanjet 500 flies; renamed Citation (Sills/LeSueur), 1969. |
| 20 | B-47 makes first jet flight over North Pole, 1951. |
| 22 | “Texaco No. 13” Travel Air Model R Racer forced down in Mass., never flown again, 1932. |
| 23 | Last B-52G rolls out at Boeing-Wichita, 1960. |
| 27 | Stearman Aircraft Co., re-established in Wichita after moving from Venice, CA, 1927. |
| 28 | 3 Travel Air biplanes enter 1925 Ford Reliability Tour. |
| 29 | Jayhawk Aircraft Corp. organized, becoming Wichita’s 17th aircraft company, 1929. |
| 30 | First B-52H rolls from Boeing-Wichita production line, 1960. |
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Cessna 172 “Skyhawk”, More airplanes of this model have been built than any other type in the history of aviation. |
OCTOBER
| 1 | Pressurized Centurion, Cessna Model P210N first flight (L.R. Ikead), 1976. Four-engine, twin prop Beech Model 34 “Twin Quad” test flown by V. L. Carstens, 1947. |
| 2 | Cessna Skylane RG is last aircraft to be built at Pawnee plant, 1985. |
| 3 | First flight of B-52E, in Wichita, 1957. |
| 6 | Cessna P10, twin-engined trainer first flight, 1941. Lt. E. R. Bleckley (of Wichita) observer, and Lt. Goettler, pilot, killed in action while making historic aerial resupply drop to the lost Battalion; first airmen to get Medal of Honor, 1918. |
| 7 | First Learjet (Model 23) makes first test flight (Hank Beaird/Bob Hagan), 1963. |
| 8 | Roy Knabenshue thrills Wichitans with first exhibitions of flight in his 40 hp dirigible, 1908. |
| 10 | National Air Congress Exhibition and Races held in Wichita, 1924. |
| 11 | W. A. (Felix) Knoll, German designer, to head newly formed Knoll Aircraft Corporation in Wichita, 1928. |
| 12 | Bob Hagan takes Cessna XT-37 jet trainer on first flight, 1954. |
| 14 | Cessna’s first pressurized-cabin aircraft, Model 421, makes first flight, 1965. 1,000th B-47 rolls off the Boeing production line, at Wichita, 1954. |
| 15 | Beech Model 19 Musketeer Sport test flown by M.R. Donaldson, 1965. Experimental Cessna 182 with Dow/Windecker plastic wing test flown (W.M. Robinson), 1965. |
| 17 | Cessna T303 Crusader test flown by T.E. Wallis, 1979. |
| 23 | Beech Model 23 Musketeer first flight (S.C. Tuttle), 1961. |
| 24 | Last of more than 1,300 Boeing-built B-47’s delivered to USAF, 1956. |
| 25 | Beech Model 99 Airliner first flown (J.D. Webber), 1966. |
| 26 | First of 193 B-52G test flown, 1958. Last Boeing B-52H delivered to SAC, 1962. |
| 27 | Beech Model 101, King Air 200, first flight (Webber/Francis), 1972. |
| 28 | Dwane L. Wallace elected President of Cessna Aircraft Company at age 25, 1936. |
NOVEMBER
| 1 | Movie star Wallace Beery orders first Laird Aircraft Corporation, “Whippoorwill”, 1927. |
| 4 | Pete Hill test flies the first Beech airplane, the famous Model 17R “Staggerwing”, 1932. |
| 13 | Al W. Mooney makes first flight of Mooney AX “Low Wing”, 1929. |
| 15 | Beech Model 50 Twin Bonanza makes first flight (V.L. Carstens), 1949. |
| 19 | Beech Model 24 Musketeer Super, test flown (M.R. Donaldson), 1965. |
| 21 | Clyde Cessna, founder of Cessna Aircraft, dies, 1954. |
DECEMBER
| 2 | Vern Carstens pilots Beech T-34 prototype on first flight, 1948. |
| 4 | Four-place Cessna Model 327 Center-Line-Thrust aircraft test flown (G.M. Baker), 1967. |
| 6 | Native Kansas Capt. Ronald Evans (USN) is command module pilot, on Apollo 17, holds record for time in lunar orbit, 1972. |
| 7 | First flight of Cessna 190 by Carl winstead, 1945. |
| 8 | Stearman delivers its first Wichita-built airplane to Varney Airlines, 1927. |
| 9 | The “New Swallow” designed by Lloyd Stearman first flown, 1923. Cessna 208 Caravan I, single-engine turbo prop utility aircraft first flight (W.K. Bergman), 1982. |
| 13 | War time employment hits 29,795 at Boeing-Wichita, 1943. |
| 14 | The famous Cessna Model 305 (L-19) flies, 1949. Olive Ann Beech elected President of Beech Aircraft Corporation, 1950. |
| 15 | King Radio Corporation formed in Olathe, KS, 1959. |
| 17 | Wright brothers make first successful manned powered flight (1903) giving birth to the aviation entrepreneurial spirit in Kansas, eventually leading to Wichita being named, “Air Capital of the World.” |
| 18 | Beech Model 73A Jet Mentor – first Beech jet, test flown by T.G. Gillespie, 1955. |
| 20 | Beech 17-R negative stagger biplane receives approved type certificate, 1932. |
| 22 | Beech Model 35, the world famous V-Tail Bonanza, first flown (V.L. Carstens), 1945. |
| 23 | B-47 breaks it’s own trans-atlantic record by averaging 650.5 mph, 1953. |
| 28 | U.S. Army Capt. Bowman sets world helicopter altitude record of 30,355 feet in a Cessna YH-41, 1957. |
| 29 | Beech Model 60 Duke, first flight (R.S. Hagan), 1966. |
| 30 | Knoll KN-1 makes successful first flight, 1928. |
| 31 | Victor Roos leaves Cessna-Roos Aircraft Company. reincorporated as the Cessna Aircraft Company, 1927. First flight of the Cessna Model 120, 1945. |
Source: The Kansas Aviation Museum Archives, 1999. Aviation historians with knowledge of additional historical events, beginnings, activities and first flights, please forward that information to [email protected]. for updates and revision. Thank you!