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This is a list of aviation-related events from 1908:
[edit] Events
[edit] Month unknown
[edit] January
- January 13 - Henry Farman wins the Deutsch-Archdeacon Prize for making a circular flight of over 1 km (0.6 miles). He flew 3,279 feet (999 m) in 1 minute and 28 seconds.
- May 14 - Charles Furnas becomes the first passenger in an aeroplane in the United States, piloted by Wilbur Wright. Wilbur Wright flew Charles W. Furnas for 22 seconds in the Wright 1905 Flyer, modified with seats for pilot and passenger. Shortly after, Orville Wright flew Furnas for four minutes.
- Henri Farman is reported[1] to have flown with a Mlle P. Van Pottelsberghe in Ghent Belgium in late May. If correct she would be the first ever woman passenger in an aeroplane.
[edit] August
- August 8 - Wilbur Wright makes his first flights at the Hunaudieres straight at Le Mans, France. The Wright Flyer used for this and later flights was shipped to a Le Havre customs by Orville the previous year. It had been seriously damaged by custom officials when it arrived in France and uncrated. Wilbur had to spend the whole summer of 1908 rebuilding the machine and getting it into flying condition. Wilbur's flights in this machine had a profound effect on European aviation at that time.
[edit] September
- September 9 - Orville Wright flies 1 hour 3 minutes and 15 seconds.
- September 17 - Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge became the first person killed in a powered airplane and the first military aviation casualty when Orville Wright crashed his two-passenger plane during military tests at Fort Myer in Virginia. Orville Wright was severely injured.
- Thérèse Peltier makes a flight of 200 metres at a height of approximately 2.5 mteres at the Military Square in Turin, Italy. Photos of Peltier with the aeroplane are published on 27 September.[1] This is the first unofficial flight by a female aviator.
[edit] October
[edit] November
[edit] December
- December 18 - Wilbur Wright at Auvours flies 100 km (62 miles) in 1 hour and 54 minutes rising to 110 m (360 ft) - a new world record.
- December 31 - Wilbur Wright wins a prize of FF 20,000 from Michelin for the longest flight of the year (a world record) - 124 km (76.5 miles) in 2 hours 18 minutes and 53 seconds from Camp d'Auvours.
[edit] First flights
- March 12 - AEA Red Wing, flying from the surface of Keuka Lake near Hammondsport, New York. Flew for a distance of 318 feet, 11 inches (97.2 m), before collapsing to the ground, leaving the pilot slightly bruised. This would be the first public demonstration of a powered aircraft flight in the United States.
[edit] September
[edit] October
[edit] December
[edit] Entered service
[edit] References
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