F-47 Sixth-Generation Fighter's First Flight

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• Defense09/27/2026@DefenseDesk

  US Air Force Picks Boeing to Build the F-47 Sixth-Generation Fighter

  Boeing, 929, Long Bridge Drive, National Landing, Crystal City, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, 22202, United StatesBoeing

  

  Starts 03/21/2025CONFIRMED82% CONFIDENCE1.5 years agoBoeing's^[1] release, datelined 'ARLINGTON, Va., March 21, 2025': 'The U.S. Air Force announced Boeing ... has been awarded a contract to design, build and deliver its next-generation fighter aircraft.'

  The Air Force awarded Boeing the Next Generation Air Dominance contract to design, build and deliver the F-47, the first US sixth-generation fighter and the F-22's successor, beating Lockheed Martin; Trump announced it in the Oval Office.

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• Aerospace09/21/2026@BuildDesk

  The Bell X-1 Breaks the Sound Barrier Over the Mojave

  Muroc Army Air Field, Mojave Desert, California, USABell Aircraft

  

  Starts 10/14/1947CONFIRMED87% CONFIDENCE79.0 years agoHappened as dated, per en.wikipedia.org^[1]: "The first manned supersonic flight occurred on 14 October 1947, over the Mojave Desert in California."

  Captain Chuck Yeager, drop-launched from a B-29 over the Mojave Desert, took X-1 #46-062 "Glamorous Glennis" to Mach 1.06 – the first piloted aeroplane to exceed the speed of sound in level flight. It was XS-1 flight number 50.

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• Aerospace09/15/2026@BuildDesk

  Boeing Completes the Maiden Flight of Its Model 314 Clipper

  Elliott Bay, Seattle, Washington, USABoeing

  

  Starts 06/07/1938CONFIRMED85% CONFIDENCE88.3 years agoHistoryLink.org^[3] and the Museum of Flight both date the maiden flight to June 7, 1938.

  Boeing's Model 314 Clipper flying boat made its 38-minute first flight over Puget Sound, piloted by test pilot Eddie Allen. The giant flying boat went on to open Pan Am's first non-stop transatlantic passenger service.

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• Aerospace09/21/2026@BuildDesk

  The Heinkel He 178 Makes the First Turbojet-Powered Flight

  Heinkel Marienehe factory airfield, Rostock-Schmarl, GermanyHeinkel

  

  Starts 08/27/1939CONFIRMED85% CONFIDENCE87.1 years agoHappened as dated, per en.wikipedia.org^[1]: "On 27 August 1939, the He 178 V1, the first prototype, performed its maiden flight, piloted by Erich Warsitz."

  Erich Warsitz flew the He 178 V1 for six minutes from Heinkel’s Marienehe factory airfield at Rostock, the first aircraft ever to fly on the thrust of a turbojet. The undercarriage would not retract and the landing was made by side-slipping.

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• Aerospace09/21/2026@BuildDesk

  The Airbus A300 Prototype Makes Its Maiden Flight

  Toulouse–Blagnac Airport, Toulouse, FranceAirbus

  

  Starts 10/28/1972CONFIRMED90% CONFIDENCE53.9 years agoHappened as dated, per en.wikipedia.org^[1]: the first prototype "conducted its maiden flight from Toulouse–Blagnac International Airport on 28 October that year."

  Airbus’ first aircraft and the world’s first twin-engine wide-body airliner flew from Toulouse–Blagnac a month ahead of schedule, for one hour and 25 minutes, with Max Fischl as captain and Bernard Ziegler as first officer.

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• Aerospace09/21/2026@BuildDesk

  The GCAP Combat Air Demonstrator Begins Flight Testing

  BAE Systems Warton Aerodrome, Lancashire, United KingdomBAE Systems

  

  Starts 01/01/2028ESTIMATED62% CONFIDENCEin 1.3 yearsA span the event runs from, per aerospacetestinginternational.com^[1]: "Power-on is planned for mid-2027, aircraft ready by the end-2027 with flight test starting from early 2028", so the pin takes the first day of that period.

  Flight tests of the UK’s crewed sixth-generation demonstrator are due to start from early 2028, after power-on in mid-2027. More than 11,500 parts – about 90% of the aircraft’s weight – have been designed and released, with final assembly under way in Lancashire.

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• Aerospace09/21/2026@BuildDesk

  The Boeing 787 Dreamliner Makes Its Maiden Flight

  Paine Field, Everett, Washington, USABoeing Commercial Airplanes

  

  Starts 12/15/2009 6:27PMCONFIRMED2.5 years late82% CONFIDENCE16.8 years agoHappened as dated, per en.wikipedia.org^[1]: "On December 15, 2009, Boeing conducted the 787-8 maiden flight from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, at 10:27 am PST."

  N787BA lifted off from Paine Field at 10:27 am PST and landed three hours later at Boeing Field, reaching 180 knots and 13,200 feet. The first airliner with a primarily composite airframe flew more than two years later than Boeing first promised.

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• Aerospace09/15/2026@BuildDesk

  Antonov An-124 Ruslan Makes Its First Flight

  Kyiv, UkraineAntonov

  

  Starts 12/26/1982CONFIRMED87% CONFIDENCE43.8 years agoWikipedia's^[3] Antonov An-124 Ruslan article states the prototype's first flight took place on 26 December 1982.

  The Antonov An-124 Ruslan, still one of the largest cargo aircraft ever built, first flew over Kyiv on 26 December 1982, years before it entered airline service.

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• Aerospace09/21/2026@BuildDesk

  NASA’s X-59 Flies Supersonic for the First Time

  Edwards Air Force Base, California, USANASA

  

  Starts 06/05/2026 6:08PMCONFIRMED85% CONFIDENCE114 days agoHappened as dated, per nasa.gov^[1][3][4]: the X-59 "marked a major milestone Friday, June 5, when it flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time."

  The quiet supersonic demonstrator reached Mach 1.1 and 43,400 feet on an 81-minute flight from Edwards Air Force Base, the first time it exceeded the speed of sound. A NASA F-15 chase plane flew alongside, its own booms drowning out anything the X-59 made.

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• Aerospace09/21/2026@BuildDesk

  The First B-21 Raider Arrives at Ellsworth Air Force Base

  Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, USANorthrop Grumman

  

  Starts 12/31/2027ESTIMATED74% CONFIDENCEin 1.3 yearsA year with no day, per militarytimes.com^[1]: Gen. Dale White "confirmed that the first operational aircraft of the stealth bombers are on track for a 2027 Ellsworth delivery as initially projected in February", so the pin takes the last day of that year.

  The US Air Force’s first operational B-21s are due "on the ramp" at their first operational base in South Dakota in 2027. The stealth bomber programme has raised production capacity by 25%, heading for about seven aircraft a year and a fleet of at least 100.

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• Aerospace09/21/2026@BuildDesk

  The Wright Flyer Makes the First Powered Aeroplane Flight

  Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, USAWright Cycle Company

  

  Starts 12/17/1903CONFIRMED90% CONFIDENCE122.8 years agoHappened as dated, per en.wikipedia.org^[1]: the Flyer "made the first sustained flight by a manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft on December 17, 1903."

  Orville Wright flew 120 feet in 12 seconds over the sand at Kill Devil Hills, the first sustained flight by a manned, powered, controlled heavier-than-air aircraft. The brothers flew four times that day; Wilbur’s fourth and last covered 852 feet in 59 seconds.

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• Aerospace09/15/2026@BuildDesk

  The Hawaii Mars Flying Boat Retires to a British Columbia Museum

  British Columbia Aviation Museum, Sidney, British Columbia, CanadaCoulson Aviation

  

  Starts 08/11/2024CONFIRMED83% CONFIDENCE2.1 years agoThe Aviationist^[4] and Skies Mag^[3] reported that Hawaii Mars made its final retirement flight to the British Columbia Aviation Museum on August 11, 2024.

  On August 11, 2024, the Martin JRM Mars flying boat "Hawaii Mars" made its final flight, escorted by Snowbirds jets, ending 78 years of service as the world’s largest water bomber.

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