Maiden flight
The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets.
This article is about aircraft and rockets. For other uses of the term, see First Flight.
The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is always a historic occasion for the type and can be quite emotional for those involved. In the early days of aviation it could be dangerous, because the exact handling characteristics of the aircraft were generally unknown. The maiden flight of a new type is almost invariably flown by a highly experienced test pilot. Maiden flights are usually accompanied by a chase plane, to verify items like altitude, airspeed, and general airworthiness.
A maiden flight is only one stage in the development of an aircraft type. Unless the type is a pure research aircraft (such as the X-15), the aircraft must be tested extensively to ensure that it delivers the desired performance with an acceptable margin of safety. In the case of civilian aircraft, a new type must be certified by a governing agency (such as the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States) before it can enter operation.
March 31, 1903 – – took off from Waitohi Flat, Temuka, South Island, New Zealand.
Richard Pearse
December 17, 1903 – Wright Flyer – First successful piloted and controlled heavier-than-air powered aircraft; flights took place four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Wright brothers
July 4, 1908 – flew the first pre-announced public flight in the United States of America of a heavier-than-air flying machine. He flew 5,080 feet, to win the Scientific American Trophy and its $2,500 purse (equivalent to $85,000 in 2023).
Glenn Curtiss
December 22, 1916 – – this iconic biplane first took off from Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey.
Sopwith Camel
December 17, 1935 – – propeller-driven passenger and cargo aircraft of which more than 10,000 were produced.
Douglas DC-3
December 29, 1939 – – World War II American heavy bomber.
Consolidated B-24
November 2, 1947 – – only flight of this oversized flying boat whose common name is Spruce Goose.
Hughes H-4 Hercules
May 27, 1955 – – first jet airliner with engines mounted in the tail.
Sud Aviation Caravelle
March 25, 1958 – – Canadian supersonic fighter interceptor. First non-experimental aircraft designed and equipped with a fly-by-wire flight control system.
Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow
June 29, 1962 – – first airliner with 4 engines mounted in the tail.
Vickers VC10
April 9, 1967 – – short-to-medium-range airliner.
Boeing 737
October 4, 1968 – – Soviet/Russian airliner, still in operation.
Tupolev Tu-154
March 2, 1969 – Anglo-French – supersonic airliner.
Concorde
October 28, 1972 – – first Airbus aircraft, short- to medium-range wide-body jet airliner.
Airbus A300
February 22, 1987 – airliner – first civilian aircraft to have an all-digital fly-by-wire system.
Airbus A320
December 21, 1988 – – jet with the longest fuselage and wingspan and overall heaviest aircraft.
Antonov An-225 Mriya
June 12, 1994 – – long-range airliner with the most powerful jet engines ever made.
Boeing 777
May 20, 2003 – – The first commercial sub-orbital space craft.
Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne
April 27, 2005 – – double-decker jet airliner, currently largest capacity in the world, took off from Toulouse–Blagnac Airport.
Airbus A380
December 11, 2009 – – military cargo plane, Airbus' first propeller plane.
Airbus A400M
December 15, 2009 – Dreamliner – first major widebody airliner to use non-metal composite materials for most of its construction.
Boeing 787
November 11, 2015 – – Japanese twin-engine regional jet, the first designed and built in Japan, took off from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Tokyo.
Mitsubishi Regional Jet
May 5, 2017 – – Chinese commercial aircraft.
Comac C919
April 13, 2019 – – The world's largest airplane
Scaled Composites Stratolaunch
January 25, 2020 – – The world's longest and largest twin-engine airliner.
Boeing 777X
July 19, 2022 – - Advanced multirole fighter designed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
KF-21 Boramae
December 14, 2022 – – a single-engine, low-observable, carrier-capable, jet-powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle.
Baykar Bayraktar Kızılelma
An incomplete list of maiden flights of notable aircraft types, organized by date, follows.
October 3, 1942 – made its first successful test flight. The nose cone crossed the Karman line, widely considered the end of Earth's atmosphere, making it the first human-made object to reach space.
V-2 Rocket
August 3, 1953 – , designed by Wernher von Braun, was the US's first large ballistic missile. Launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 4, it flew for 80 seconds until an engine failure caused it to crash into the sea.
PGM-11 Redstone
October 4, 1957 – , first orbital rocket.
Sputnik
December 22, 1960 – , first human-rated rocket (first manned flight April 12, 1961).
Vostok-K
November 9, 1967 – , was used to launch humans to the Moon.
Saturn V
April 12, 1981 – , first partially reusable launch system, largest payload at the time of its maiden flight.
Space Shuttle
December 21, 2004 – , largest payload at the time of its maiden flight.
Delta IV Heavy
February 6, 2018 – , largest payload at the time of its maiden flight, partially reusable.[3]
Falcon Heavy
April 20, 2023 - , currently the most powerful launch vehicle.
Starship
January 8, 2024 -