Through The Mist Darkly

HM Airship R-100 arrived in St. Hubert Quebec after an Atlantic crossing from Cardigan, Wales.

The picture above shows in floating over the Toronto skyline

The de Havilland Comet flew for the first time.  Plagued by problems with metal fatigue and a poorly designed wing, the world’s first jetliner suffered a number of spectacular crashes.

The 1^st flight of a delta-wing jet airplane is made with the Convair XF-92A.

The North American X-15 rocket plane makes its 1^st powered flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California.  Carried aloft by a B-52, a single rocket engine generated 57,000 pounds of thrust.

In 1967 on it’s 188th flight, the X-15 piloted by Pete Knight reached a top speed of 4,159 mph, a record that still stands to this day.  Astronaut Neil Armstrong flew the X-15 in 1962.

The Canadian Aviation Corps is authorized by the Minister of Militia and Defence to be formed. This is the beginning of Canada’s military air force.  The Corps consists of 2 pilots and a mechanic. The aircraft, a Burgess-Dunne, never sees military service and the Corps is disbanded a year later.

The CAC was:

Capt. E.L. Janney, Lt. W.F.N. Sharpe and Lt. H.A. Farr. 

The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is launched during the Space Shuttle mission STS-48 carrying the Canadian designed Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) which measures wind, temperature and emission rate from the aurora.  The satellite was decommissioned in 2005 but continues to orbit.

The 1^st successful flight into the eye of a hurricane is made by a three-man American crew flying a Douglas A-20 Havoc. They demonstrate that valuable scientific information can be obtained in this manner, which is still done today.

Millionaire film producer and amateur air racer Howard Hughes shatters the world land plane speed record in his H-1 Racer.  The speed was 352 mph.  It marked the last civilian built aircraft to hold that honor.

The 1^st pilotless radio-controlled aerial bomb is tested in the United States. It is actually a small biplane that can fly radio-guided for 50 miles with 308 pounds of bombs aboard.

Of course today’s post remembers the day the world of aviation changed forever. 

American Airlines Flight 11.  Boeing 767-223ER, registration N334AA. 81 passengers and 11 crew members departs Logan International Airport in Boston at 7:59am for a flight to Los Angeles.  Fifteen minutes later, the plane is hijacked by Mohammed Atta and others.  Atta flies the plane towards New York City and at 8:46:40 they crash into the northern facade of the North Tower of the World Trade Centre.  The aircraft is traveling at about 466mph and carries about 10,000 US gallons of jet fuel.  At 10:28, the tower collapsed.

United Airlines Flight 175.  Boeing 767-200ER, registration N612UA. 56 passengers and 9 crew members leaves Boston, also bound for LA.  Take off at 8:14, hijacked 30 minutes later.  At 9:03:06, it crashes into the South Tower at 545mph.  Approximately 600 people in the tower were killed instantly or trapped.  Although hit after the North Tower, the South Tower collapsed first – 9:59am.

In all, 3,017 people are killed and over 6,000 injured as a direct result of these two hijackings.

American Airlines Flight 77.  Boeing 757-223, registration N644AA. 58 passengers and 8 crew members leaves Washington Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles at 8:20am. It’s hijacked 30 minutes later.  At 9:37:44 it hits the western side of the Pentagon in Arlington Virginia.  125 people in the building are killed along with the crew, passengers and hijackers.

United Airlines Flight 93.  Boeing 757-200, registration N591UA.  Only 37 passengers and 7 crew members depart Newark International Airport bound for San Francisco at 8:42am.  In flight, the crew is warned about the hijackings that are taking place but they are overcome by the 4 terrorists aboard their jet at 9:28. UA93 crashed into a field near Stonycreek Pennsylvania at 10:03:11 at 563mph leaving a crater 10 feet deep.  Although it is thought that the hijackers were heading for Washington, DC, evidence points to a revolt by the crew and passengers leading to the crash.

These aircraft, their brave crews and all the people on board and on the ground who died that terrible day are remembered today.  Aviation changed and the world changed that clear, sunny morning 8 years ago.