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National Aviation Day
Special Interest
"I feel the need -- the need for speed" - Maverick
National Aviation Day

When: August 19th

Where: United States

Traditional Celebration Ideas

Read about the history of flight and the Wright brothers invention of the airplane. Fly a kite or make a paper airplane. Visit air and space museum. Watch planes take off and land at nearby airport.

Numbers

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the worlds busiest airport.
Handling more than 100 million passengers a year, and employing over 60,000 people.

Description

Today we celebrate National Aviation Day as well as the  birthday of Orville Wright.  In 1903 along with his brother Wilbur, the Wright brothers successfully made a flight in the worlds first motor operated airplane.  The brothers are also credited with inventing airplane controls that enabled fixed wing powered flight to happen.  Aviation continues to advance in many areas from large passenger planes to the new speed and stealth technology in military aircraft.  The SR-71 Blackbird is currently the worlds fastest airplane at 2,190 mph, a bit faster than the Wight brothers Wright Flyer at an estimated 30 mph speed. Aviation has changed our daily lives and made the world smaller.  According to skyscanner.com, there is an average of 9,728 planes in the sky at any one time, carrying approximately 1,270,406 people.  Many people are continue to be fascinated by the idea of flight, and can even get involved in the most simple ways such as building a paper airplane.  Some of the longest flights of paper planes have flown over 200 feet!  In United States one of the most popular aviation movies of all time is Top Gun.

Interesting Facts

  1. A Russian Antonov An-225 Mriya is the largest, and the heaviest aircraft ever built having the largest wingspan and six engines only one plane was ever built and it is currently still in service.
  2. During WW2, Howard Hughes was contracted by the U.S. government to design and build an aircraft capable of transporting 60 tons of troop and or cargo across the Atlantic. The famous plane called  "Spruce Goose"  was only ever flown one time.
  3. The speed of sound, Mach 1, is about 758 mph.
  4. Stealth Bomber airplane with its groundbreaking technology was created in 1997.
  5. Lockheed Martin's F-22 Stealth Fighter is currently the worlds most capable and dangerous jet aircraft.

Information

Observed:
  • August 19th
Next Dates:
  • Sat, August 19th (2023)
  • Mon, August 19th (2024)
  • Tue, August 19th (2025)
  • Wed, August 19th (2026)
  • Thu, August 19th (2027)