Portal:Aviation/Historical anniversaries/December in aviation/December 17

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December 17

  • 2003 - SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately built and manned aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound
  • 1984 - C-5 Galaxy of the USAF becomes airborne with 920,836 pounds (417,684 kg) aboard, setting a U.S. national record
  • 1935 - the Douglas DC-3, one of the most successful airliners of all time, makes its first flight
  • 1903 - The Wright Brothers make four flights in their Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. After years of dedicated research and development, the brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright fly 120 ft (37 m) in the first practical aeroplane. This may be the first controlled powered heavier-than-air flight and the first photographed powered heavier-than-air flight. On their fourth flight they manage 850 ft (260 m)