August 11911

Harriet Quimby, America’s first woman pilot

Milestone115 years ago

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18historical events

60occurrences in earlier years

1911–2026years covered

Fact of the day

After 33 lessons at the Moisant school on Long Island, journalist Harriet Quimby passes her test and receives licence number 37 from the Aero Club of America: the first woman to hold a pilot’s licence in the United States. She flew in a purple satin flying suit that became famous; eight months later she would cross the English Channel.

Also on this day · 17

1930Airline China’s CNAC is born

The China National Aviation Corporation is founded, the Sino-American airline that opened China’s skies and flew the Hump in wartime.

1945Airline America’s first local-service airline

Essair, the future Pioneer Air Lines, becomes the first local-service airline, the new category the CAB created to link small towns.

1946Airline SAS is born

The airlines of Denmark, Norway and Sweden form Scandinavian Airlines System to fly the intercontinental routes together.

1946Airline British European Airways is born

The United Kingdom establishes BEA as a state corporation for European and domestic routes.

1947Airline KNILM disappears

KNILM, the airline of the Dutch East Indies, is dissolved and its routes pass to KLM.

1951Airline Japan Airlines is born

Japan Air Lines, the Japanese flag carrier, is founded; it would begin flying in October with leased aircraft.

1953Airline Indian Airlines takes off

Indian Airlines begins operations as eight Indian airlines are nationalised and merged.

1963Airline Jersey Airlines merges into British United

Jersey Airlines, the Channel Islands carrier, disappears as it merges into British United Airways.

1972Airline Delta absorbs Northeast Airlines

Delta Air Lines merges with Northeast and gains its New England and Florida routes.

1976Record Don Taylor sets out to circle the globe in a homebuilt

Don Taylor leaves Oshkosh in his amateur-built Thorp T-18 to fly around the world; two months later he became the first to do it in a homebuilt.

1977Accident Gary Powers dies in a news helicopter

Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 pilot shot down over the USSR, dies when the KNBC news helicopter he is flying crashes in Los Angeles.

1978Airline Royal Swazi National Airways is born

Royal Swazi National Airways, the flag carrier of Swaziland, is founded.

1983Airline America West takes off

America West Airlines begins flying from Phoenix with three 737s.

1990Accident An Aeroflot Yak-40 crashes in Karabakh

An Aeroflot Yak-40 crashes in the Karabakh mountains; all 46 aboard are killed.

1997Milestone Boeing absorbs McDonnell Douglas

The Boeing–McDonnell Douglas merger is completed: The Boeing Company as we know it today is born.

2013Milestone The Atlas enters service

Airbus delivers the first A400M Atlas in Seville to the French Air Force, the first to operate it. Assembled in Spain, the great European four-engine turboprop transport thus began its career.

2026Milestone Bhogapuram Airport opens

Andhra Pradesh opens Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport, Visakhapatnam’s new airport.

This day in earlier years · 60

Occurrences recorded on August 1 in earlier years across the fleet we document; this year’s are in News. Each one opens the record of the aircraft involved.