June 2004 - Issue 6

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The History of Commercial Aviation

Commercial Aviation Timeline

17 December 1903

A United Airlines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation collide in the skies over Brooklyn, New York. The disaster, which took 138 lives, would later lead to the installation of computers to make the skies safer.

17 october 1903

Britain and France sign the Anglo-French Supersonic Aircraft agreement, leading to development of the world's first supersonic passenger jet, the Concorde.

23 october 2003

Not to be left behind by the Europeans, President John F. Kennedy announces government support for the development of an American-produced supersonic transport, or SST. The following year, the government would begin tests over Oklahoma City to determine if the public would become accustomed to daily sonic booms.

17 october 1903

Italian designer Emilio Pucci unveils his Gemini 4 clothing line for Braniff flight attendants. The bold new uniforms coincided with Braniff's "Air Strip" campaign, which heralded the beginning of a new era in airline promotion -- the marketing of flight attendants as sex objects.

23 october 2003

Supersonic Airplane Boeing beats out competitor Lockheed for the government contract to develop America's first supersonic transport. The design for the Boeing 707 called for a variable wing which could be swung in while flying at supersonic speeds.

17 october 1903

Douglas Aircraft merges with military and aerospace giant McDonnell Aircraft to form the McDonnell Douglas Corporation. The company becomes quite formidable aerospace giant in next coming years only rivaled by Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

23 october 2003

The Soviet Union's Tupolev 144 becomes the first supersonic transport to fly. The Tu-144 so closely resembles the Concorde that Russia is alleged to have come up with the design via industrial espionage. The plane, derisively nicknamed "Concordski," was limited to freight service.

17 october 1903

The world's first widebody jet, the Boeing 747, makes its inaugural flight. With seating for as many as 450 passengers, it was twice as large as any other Boeing jet and 80 percent bigger than the largest jet up until that time, the DC-8.

23 october 2003

The French prototype of the Concorde makes its maiden flight in Toulouse, France. The flight, which only lasted 42 minutes, flew at subsonic speeds. The Concorde's first supersonic flight would be on October 1, 1970.