Flight

Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr was born on November 18, 1923, in Derry, New Hampshire. He was the first American (second person after Yuri Gagarin) to travel into space and the fifth person to walk on the Moon.

On August 30, 1984, the Space Shuttle Discovery made its first launch into space, two months later than initially planned.  It would go on to make more flights than any other shuttle in its fleet. 

On August 23, 1966, Lunar Orbiter I captured the first images of our planet from the vicinity of the Moon.  Photographing Earth wasn’t the mission.  It wasn’t even considered until the craft was out in space.

On July 23, 1973, Eddie Rickenbacker died in Züruch, Switzerland. As a World War I flying ace, he shot down 22 enemy planes and four balloons.

General of the Air Force Henry “Hap” Arnold was born on June 25, 1886, in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. He was an early supporter of military air power, and later became the Air Force’s first five-star general.

On June 22, 1946, US Airmail was carried by jet for the first time.  The flight was part of an event to showcase how GE’s aviation products could positively impact people’s lives and the future.

Jacqueline Cochran was born Bessie Lee Pittman on May 11, 1906, in Pensacola, Florida.  The first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound, she held more speed, altitude, and distance records than any other pilot, male or female, in the world.

On May 8, 1911, the US Navy purchased its first airplane. This date is celebrated as the birth of US naval aviation.

On April 16, 1912, Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.  She had a brief, but significant aviation career, becoming a pioneer and inspiration for countless female flyers.