11 March 1910 (UK): Lieutenant J. W. Dunne’s D.5 tailless biplane is tested at Eastchurch, Kent, England. It has a 60-hp Green engine and was built by Short Brothers. The Dunne D.5 was an experimental aircraft built in the United Kingdom in 1910. Designed by John William Dunne and built by Short Brothers at Leysdown, it was a swept wing tailless biplane along the same lines as the D.1B and D.4 aircraft that he had designed in secret for the Army Balloon Factory. After the War Office discontinued funding for his work he developed his ideas and this aircraft was the first privately built. Like its military predecessors it was driven by twin pusher propellers, but it had a considerably more powerful engine. The Dunne D.5 took off under its own power on its first attempt, piloted by Dunne himself, in the summer of 1910. It proved to be aerodynamically stable in flight, and was one of the first fixed-wing aircraft ever to do so. Two demonstration flights were made for the Royal Aero Club in December 1910, one of which was witnessed by the visiting Orville Wright, after which a licence was sold to the Burgess Company for the sale of aeroplanes built to this plan. Burgess sold several aircraft of the Dunne design in the USA and Canada, including military and floatplane variants.

11 March 1912 (Philippines): Lt. Frank P. Lahm opened an Army Air School at Fort William McKinley, Philippines, with two volunteer students, Lt. Moss L. Love and Cpl. Vernon L. Burge, who later became the first enlisted pilot. Frank Purdy Lahm (November 17, 1877 - July 7, 1963) was an American aviation pioneer, the “nation’s first military aviator”, and a general officer in the United States Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces. Lahm developed an interest in flying from his father, a balloonist, and received among the first civil qualification certificates issued. He met the Wright Brothers in 1907 and used his interest in powered flight to become the Army’s first certified pilot in 1909, followed four years later by becoming its 14th rated Military Aviator. In 1916 he became a career aviator, serving in the United States Army Air Service and its successors until his retirement in 1941 at the age of 64, rising to the rank of Brigadier General.

11 March 1916 (UK): The Royal Navy charters the cargo ship SS Manica for conversion into the first British balloon ship, HMS Manica. The Royal Navy will be the only navy during World War I to operate balloon ships, specialized ships designed to handle observation balloons as their sole function.

11 March 1918 (France): Lt. Paul Baer becomes the first AEF Air Service member awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. First Lieutenant Paul Frank Baer was the first flying ace in the history of American military aviation, credited with nine confirmed and seven unconfirmed aerial victories in World War I. He also scored the first aerial victory ever for an American military unit.

11 March 1918 (Austria/USSR): The first regular international airmail service begins, with Hansa-Brandenburg C.I aircraft linking Vienna, Lviv, Proskurov, and Kiev. The Hansa-Brandenburg C.I, also known as Type LDD, was a 2-seater armed single-engine reconnaissance biplane designed by Ernst Heinkel, who worked at that time for the parent company in Germany. The C.I had similarities with the earlier B.I (Type FD, also designed by Heinkel), including inward-sloping interplane bracing struts. Like other early-war Austro-Hungarian reconnaissance aircraft, such as C-types of Lloyd or Lohner, the Type LDD had a communal cockpit for its crew.

11 March 1933 (USA): U.S.S. Macon christened at Akron, Ohio, by Mrs. W. A. Moffett. The USS Macon (ZRS-5) was a rigid airship built and operated by the United States Navy for scouting and served as a “flying aircraft carrier”, launching Curtiss F9C “Sparrowhawk” biplane fighters. In service for less than two years, in 1935 the USS Macon was damaged in a storm and lost off California’s Big Sur coast, though most of the crew were saved. The wreckage is listed as USS Macon Airship Remains on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Less than 20 ft (6.1 m) shorter than Germany’s Hindenburg, both the USS Macon and its sister ship, the USS Akron (ZRS-4) were among the largest flying objects in the world in terms of length and volume. Although the hydrogen-filled Hindenburg was longer, the two sisters still hold the world record for helium-filled airships.

11 March 1935 (UK): Introduction: Avro 652 with Imperial Airways. The Avro 652 was a 1930’s British light airliner, built by A.V. Roe and Company. It was a Twin-engine, low-wing monoplane with a retractable undercarriage, and a tailwheel. Although only two were produced, it formed the basis for the successful Avro “Anson.”

11 March 1941 (USA): The Congress of the United States passes the Lend-Lease bill, paving the way for the provision of, amongst other equipment, 16,000 warplanes to the UK. Later Lend-Lease arrangements will supply other Allied nations.

11 March 1942 (Philippines/Australia): Gen. Douglas MacArthur leaves Corregidor and is flown to Australia. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur (26 January 1880 - 5 April 1964) was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army who was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Philippines Campaign, which made him and his father Arthur MacArthur, Jr., the first father and son to be awarded the medal. He was one of only five men ever to rise to the rank of General of the Army in the U.S. Army, and the only man ever to become a field marshal in the Philippine Army.

11 March 1945 (Germany): 4,738 tons of bombs dropped by 1,079 Allied bombers on Essen, Germany. During World War II, the industrial town of Essen, was a target of Allied strategic bombing. The Krupp factory was an important industrial target, Essen was a "primary target" designated for area bombing by the February 1942 British Area bombing directive. As part of the campaign in 1943 known as the Battle of the Ruhr, Essen was a regular target.

11 March 1945 (Canada): A Japanese balloon bomb, shot at in British Columbia, was recovered in Edson, Alberta. A fire balloon, or “Fu-Go”, was a weapon launched by Japan during World War II. A hydrogen balloon with a load varying from a 12-kg (26 lbs) incendiary to one 15 kg (33 lbs) antipersonnel bomb and four 5 kg (11 lbs) incendiary devices attached, they were designed as a cheap weapon intended to make use of the jet stream over the Pacific Ocean and wreak havoc on Canadian and American cities, forests, and farmland. The balloons were relatively ineffective as weapons but were used in one of the few attacks on North America during World War II. Between November 1944 and April 1945, Japan launched over 9,300 fire balloons. About 300 balloon bombs were found or observed in North America, killing six people and causing a small amount of damage.

11 March 1955 (Pakistan): Orient Airways is merged into a new government-owned airline to become Pakistan International Airlines. On 7 June 1954, Orient Airways started its operations by offering flight services between the two wings of Pakistan, i.e. service from Karachi to Dhaka. In addition, the airline also introduced two new domestic routes, i.e., Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar and Karachi-Quetta-Lahore. However, due to sustained losses being suffered by the airline, the Government of Pakistan proposed that Orient Airways merge with a new national airline. On 11 March 1955, Orient Airways merged with the government’s proposed airline, becoming Pakistan International Airlines Corporation. The newly formed airline not just offered services on its domestic routes but also inaugurated its first international route, Karachi-London Heathrow Airport via Cairo and Rome, using 3 newly-acquired Lockheed L-1049C “Super Constellations.” The airline continued using DC-3’s on domestic routes in Pakistan. In May 1956, PIA ordered 2 Lockheed L-1049H “Super Constellations” type and 5 Vickers “Viscount 815” airliners.

11 March 1955 (USA): Third of 13 North American X-10’s (GM-19309, c/n 3) on X-10 flight number 14, out of Edwards AFB, California, first flight of refitted c/n 3, the static test article. Vehicle exploded on gear retraction two seconds after lift-off. It was found that the destruct package was wired to the gear circuit instead of the engine circuit. The North American X-10 (model RTV-A-5) was an unmanned technology demonstrator, developed by North American Aviation, for advanced missile technologies during the 1950’s. The X-10 was similar to the development of Bell’s X-9 Shrike project.

11 March 1957 (USA): A Lockheed Super Constellation of Flying Tiger Lines sets a payload record for a commercial aircraft of 41,749 lbs. (18,936 kg) between Newark, New Jersey and Burbank, California. Flying Tiger Line, also known as “Flying Tigers,” was the first scheduled cargo airline in the United States and a major military charter operator during the Cold War era for both cargo and personnel (the latter with leased aircraft). The airline was bought by FedEx in 1989.

11 March 1957 (USA): The prototype Boeing 707 jet lands after a press demonstration flight from Seattle, Washington to Baltimore, Maryland. The flight covers 2,350 miles in a record time of 3 hours 48 minutes.

11 March 1958 (USA): A United States Air Force Boeing B-47E-60-LM “Stratojet” (AF 53-1876, c/n 290) from Hunter AFB, Georgia, jettisons nuclear weapons casing from 15,000 feet (4,600 m) over rural section of Florence, South Carolina, high-explosives detonate on impact causing property damage, several civilian injuries. No fuel capsule installed on bomb. The Boeing Model 450 B-47 “Stratojet” was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes to avoid enemy interception. The Boeing B-47 “Stratojet’s&rdquo oh; mission was primarily to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union. With its engines carried in pods under the swept wing, the Boeing B-47 “Stratojet” was a major innovation in post-World War II combat jet design, and helped lead to modern jet airliners.

11 March 1959 (USA): First flight of the Sikorsky SH-3 “Sea King.” The Sikorsky SH-3 “Sea King” (company designation S-61) is a Twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter. It was a landmark design, being the first ASW helicopter to take advantage of turboshaft engines, as well as being the first amphibious helicopter in the world. Introduced in 1961, it served with the United States Navy, and remains in service in many countries around the world. The “Sea King” has been built under license in Italy and Japan, and in the United Kingdom as the Westland “Sea King.” The major civil versions are the S-61L and S-61N.

11 March 1964 (UK): British European Airways, British European Airways, introduces the Hawker Siddeley "Trident" on its route between London and Copenhagen. The Hawker Siddeley HS 121 "Trident" (originally the de Havilland D.H.121 and the Airco DH 121) was a British short and medium-range airliner. It was the first T-tail rear-engined three-engined jet airliner designed. It was also the first airliner to make a blind landing in revenue service in 1965.

11 March 1968 (Canada): No. 6 Strike Reconnaissance OTU redesignated 417 Squadron. The 417 “City of Windsor&rdquo Squadron Badge shows in front of a palm tree eradicated a sword and fasces in saltier. This squadron operated with the 8th Army in North Africa, in the Sicilian landings, and in Italy in close support of the Army. The palm tree suggests the desert, the sword air support to the Army, and the fasces the fighting in Italy.

11 March 1974 (USA): The General Dynamics YF-16 “Fighting Falcon” attained Mach 2 for the first time in test flights at Edwards AFB, Calif. The General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin) F-16 “Fighting Falcon” is a multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,500 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Although no longer being purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are still being built for export customers. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta. The “Fighting Falcon” is a fighter with numerous innovations including a frameless bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, a seat reclined 30° to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire flight control system helps to make it a nimble aircraft. The F-16 has an internal M61 “Vulcan” cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons and other mission equipment. The F-16’s official name is “Fighting Falcon”, but “Viper” is commonly used by its pilots, due to a perceived resemblance to a viper snake as well as the “Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper&rdquop; starfighter. In addition to active duty U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard units, the aircraft is also used by the USAF aerial demonstration team, the U.S. Air Force “Thunderbirds,” and as an adversary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy. The F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations.

11 March 1982 (Norway): Widerøe Flight 933, a de Havilland Canada “Twin Otter”, crashes into the Barents Sea near Mehamn, killing all 15 on board; this accident remains highly controversial in Norway. The DHC-6 “Twin Otter” is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft’s fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC aircraft. In addition, the “Twin Otter&rdquo has been popular with commercial skydiving operations, and is used by the United States Army Parachute Team and the United States Air Force’s 98th Flying Training Squadron.

11 March 1983 (Argentina): An Avensa Douglas DC-9 crashes at Barquisimeto Airport, Venezuela, 22 passengers and one crew killed. The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 (initially known as the Douglas DC-9) is a Twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.

11 March 1985 (UK): First flight of the ARV “Super 2.” The ARV “Super 2” is a British two-seat, strut-braced, shoulder wing, light aircraft, designed by Bruce Giddings. It was to be both a cost-effective trainer and an affordable aircraft attractive to private owners. Around 35 aircraft were produced in the 1980’s before the manufacturing companies went into liquidation.*

11 March 1990 (Philippines): Philippine Airlines Flight 143 (PR143) was the route designator of a domestic flight from the Manila Ninoy Aquino Airport, Metro Manila, Philippines to Mandurriao Airport, Iloilo City. On May 11, 1990, the Boeing 737-300 (c/n 24466, MSN 1771) assigned to that route exploded and burned on the ground at Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport. There were 8 fatalities among the 120 on-board passengers and crew from the violent explosion on the ground.

11 March 1993 (France): First flight of the Airbus A321. The Airbus A320 family consists of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus. The family includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, and the ACJ business jet. Final assembly of the family in Europe takes place in Toulouse, France, and Hamburg, Germany. Since 2009, a plant in Tianjin in the People’s Republic of China has also started producing aircraft for Chinese airlines. In June 2012, Airbus announced plans to begin building the 319, 320, and 321 variants in Mobile, Alabama. The aircraft family can accommodate up to 220 passengers and has a range of 3,100 to 12,000 km (1,700 to 6,500 nmi), depending on model.

11 March 1998 (Japan): The first two of four Boeing E-767 airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircrafts are officially handed over to the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force. The Boeing E-767 AWACS developed as a natural progression from the E-3 “Sentry” following the closure of Boeing’s 707 production line. The Boeing E-767 combines a Boeing 767-200ER airframe with the APY-2 development of the “Sentry’s” APY-1 radar and mission system. The first flight of the completed Boeing E-767 occurred on August 9, 1996 at Everett, Washington. Other military variants of the Boeing 767 are now under consideration, including tanker and strategic transport aircraft to replace the aging fleet of Boeing KC-135’s and B707’s in worldwide military service.

11 March 1996 (USA): ValuJet Flight 592 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, and William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia. On Saturday, May 11, 1996, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft flying that route crashed in the Everglades approximately 10 min after take-off, killing all 110 persons on board.

11 March 2004 (Iraq): Boeing-Vertol CH-46E “Sea Knight” (BuNo 153389) from HMM-161 makes hard landing in brownout conditions in Al Anbar province; took additional damage during transportation and later was written off. The Boeing Vertol CH-46 “Sea Knight” is a medium-lift tandem rotor transport helicopter. It is used by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) to provide all-weather, day-or-night assault transport of combat troops, supplies and equipment. Additional tasks include combat support, search and rescue (SAR), support for forward refueling and rearming points, CASEVAC and Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP).

11 March 2005 (China): China’s first private airline, Okay Airlines has its maiden revenue flight. Okay Airways was established in June 2004 and in February 2005 received an aviation carrier business license from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). It is China’s first private sector airline. The carrier’s maiden flight from its base in Tianjin to Changsha was on 11 March, 2005, with 81 people on board.

11 March 2005 (Canada): Jetsgo ceases all operations and declares bankruptcy protection. Jetsgo Corporation was a Canadian low-cost carrier based in the Saint-Laurent area of Montreal. Jetsgo served 19 destinations across Canada, 10 destinations in the United States, and 12 scheduled weekend-charter destinations in the Caribbean. Jetsgo abruptly ended service and entered bankruptcy protection on 11 March, 2005, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, right at the beginning of the busy March-break travel season. According to news outlets, the airline was still processing orders and taking payments for flights the very night before they claimed bankruptcy.

11 March 2007 (Taiwan): A Republic of China Air Force Northrop F-5F "Tiger II" fighter jet crashed into a military base in Hukou, Taiwan on 11 May 2007. The accident killed the two Taiwanese crewmen and three Singaporean soldiers who were part of an unrelated unilateral training stint on the ground. Another eight Singaporeans were injured, with one sustaining serious burn injuries.

11 March 2008 (USA): The Space Shuttle “Endeavour” STS-123 is launched at 06:28:14 UTC. Mission highlights include: ISS assembly flight 1J/A: JEM ELM PS & SPDM, crew rotation.

11 March 2010 (Kazakhstan): A Mil Mi-8 helicopter Kazakhstan The Ministry of Emergency Situations crashed for unknown reasons during rescue flight in blizzard. The Mil Mi-8 (Russian: Mи-8, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is one of the world’s most-produced helicopter, used by over 50 countries. Russia is the main producer and the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter.

11 March 2011 (Japan): Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake off the coast of Japan, Sendai Airport in Natori, Japan, is engulfed by a tsunami and put out of action. Flights are suspended from a number of airports in Japan, including Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, Tokyo. In Hawaii, Hilo International, Honolulu International, Kahului and Lihue airports are all temporarily closed. The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, often referred to in Japan as Higashi nihon daishinsai and also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the 3.11 Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.03 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately 70 kilometers (43 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku and the hypocenter at an underwater depth of approximately 32 km (20 mi). It was the most powerful known earthquake ever to have hit Japan, and one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900. The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 40.5 meters (133 ft) in Miyako in Tohoku’s Iwate Prefecture, and which, in the Sendai area, traveled up to 10 km (6 mi) inland. The earthquake moved Honshu (the main island of Japan) 2.4 m (8 ft) east and shifted the Earth on its axis by estimates of between 10 cm (4 in) and 25 cm (10 in).

On 12 September 2012, a Japanese National Police Agency report confirmed 15,880 deaths, 6,135 injured, and 2,694 people missing across twenty prefectures, as well as 129,225 buildings totally collapsed, with a further 254,204 buildings ’half collapsed’, and another 691,766 buildings partially damaged. The earthquake and tsunami also caused extensive and severe structural damage in north-eastern Japan, including heavy damage to roads and railways as well as fires in many areas, and a dam collapse. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said, “In the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan.” Around 4.4 million households in northeastern Japan were left without electricity and 1.5 million without water.

The tsunami caused nuclear accidents, primarily the level 7 meltdowns at three reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex, and the associated evacuation zones affecting hundreds of thousands of residents. Many electrical generators were taken down, and at least three nuclear reactors suffered explosions due to hydrogen gas that had built up within their outer containment buildings after cooling system failure. Residents within a 20 km (12 mi) radius of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and a 10 km (6.2 mi) radius of the Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant were evacuated. In addition, the U.S. recommended that its citizens evacuate up to 80 km (50 mi) of the plant. Early estimates placed insured losses from the earthquake alone at US$14.5 to $34.6 billion. The Bank of Japan offered ¥15 trillion (US$183 billion) to the banking system on 14 March in an effort to normalize market conditions. The World Bank’s estimated economic cost was US$235 billion, making it the costliest natural disaster in world history.