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The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of
rockets A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...
. The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is always a historic occasion for the type and can be quite emotional for those involved. In the early days of aviation it could be dangerous, because the exact handling characteristics of the aircraft were generally unknown. The maiden flight of a new type is almost invariably flown by a highly experienced test pilot. Maiden flights are usually accompanied by a
chase plane A chase plane is an aircraft that "chases" a "subject" aircraft, spacecraft or rocket, for the purposes of making real-time observations and taking air-to-air photographs and video of the subject vehicle during flight. Background Safety can ...
, to verify items like altitude,
airspeed In aviation, airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. Among the common conventions for qualifying airspeed are: * Indicated airspeed ("IAS"), what is read on an airspeed gauge connected to a Pitot-static system; * Calibrated ...
, and general
airworthiness In aviation, airworthiness is the measure of an aircraft's suitability for safe flight. Initial airworthiness is demonstrated by a certificate of airworthiness issued by the civil aviation authority in the state in which the aircraft is register ...
. A maiden flight is only one stage in the development of an aircraft type. Unless the type is a pure research aircraft (such as the
X-15 The North American X-15 is a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft. It was operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as part of the X-plane series of experimental aircraft. The X-15 set spee ...
), the aircraft must be tested extensively to ensure that it delivers the desired performance with an acceptable margin of safety. In the case of civilian aircraft, a new type must be certified by a governing agency (such as the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States) before it can enter operation.


Notable maiden flights (aircraft)

An incomplete list of maiden flights of notable aircraft types, organized by date, follows. * June, 1875 – Thomas Moy's Aerial Steamer, London, England (pilotless, tethered) * October 9, 1890 – Clément Ader – took off from Gretz-Armainvilliers, Ouest of Paris, France. * August 14, 1901 –
Gustave Whitehead Gustave Albin Whitehead (born Gustav Albin Weisskopf; 1 January 1874 – 10 October 1927) was an aviation pioneer who emigrated from Germany to the United States where he designed and built gliders, flying machines, and engines between 1897 an ...
from
Leutershausen Leutershausen is a municipality in the district of Ansbach, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Altmühl, 12 km west of Ansbach. History Leutershausen was probably founded by Frankish settlers around 800. For the first time it ...
, Bavaria. * May 15, 1902 – Lyman Gilmore – took off from Grass Valley, California. * March 31, 1903 – Richard Pearse – took off from Waitohi Flat, Temuka, South Island, New Zealand. * December 17, 1903 – Wright brothers '' Wright Flyer'' – first heavier-than-air powered aircraft. Took off four miles south of
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, and is a part of what is known as North Carolina's Outer Banks. The population was 3,708 at the 2020 Census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk. History ...
. * March 18, 1906 –
Traian Vuia Traian Vuia or Trajan Vuia (; August 17, 1872 – September 3, 1950) was a Romanian inventor and aviation pioneer who designed, built and tested the first tractor monoplane. He was the first to demonstrate that a flying machine could rise into the ...
, a Romanian inventor and engineer, who flew 11 meters in his self-named monoplane at
Montesson Montesson () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris. Transport in Montesson is served by buses with T-tickets as well as by several Paris-subur ...
near Paris, France. * October 23, 1906 – Alberto Santos-Dumont
14-bis The ''14-bis'' (french: Quatorze-bis), (), also known as ("bird of prey" in French), was a pioneer era, canard-style biplane designed and built by Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont. In 1906, near Paris, the ''14-bis'' made a m ...
made a manned powered flight in Bagatelle Park, Paris, France, that was the first to be publicly witnessed by a crowd. * July 4, 1908 –
Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...
flew the first pre-announced public flight in the United States of America of a heavier-than-air flying machine. He flew 5,080 feet, to win the Scientific American Trophy and its $2,500 purse (). * December 22, 1916 – Sopwith Camel – this iconic biplane first took off from Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey. * July 28, 1935 –
Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
B-17 Flying Fortress – World War II American heavy bomber. * December 17, 1935 – Douglas DC-3 – propeller-driven passenger and
cargo aircraft A cargo aircraft (also known as freight aircraft, freighter, airlifter or cargo jet) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is designed or converted for the carriage of cargo rather than passengers. Such aircraft usually do not incorporate passenger ...
of which more than 10,000 were produced. * December 29, 1939 –
Consolidated B-24 The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
– World War II American heavy bomber. * November 2, 1947 – Hughes H-4 Hercules – only flight of this oversized flying boat whose common name is ''Spruce Goose''. * July 27, 1949 – de Havilland Comet – first
jet airliner A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (passenger jet aircraft). Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly clas ...
. * August 23, 1954 – Lockheed C-130 Hercules
military transport Military supply-chain management is a cross-functional approach to procuring, producing and delivering products and services for military materiel applications. Military supply chain management includes sub-suppliers, suppliers, internal info ...
plane. * May 27, 1955 – Sud Aviation Caravelle – first jet airliner with engines mounted in the tail. * March 25, 1958 –
Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was a delta-winged interceptor aircraft designed and built by Avro Canada. The CF-105 held the promise of Mach 2 speeds at altitudes exceeding and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) pr ...
– Canadian supersonic fighter interceptor. First non-experimental aircraft designed and equipped with a
fly-by-wire Fly-by-wire (FBW) is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires, and flight control ...
flight control system. * April 25, 1962 –
Lockheed A-12 The Lockheed A-12 is a high-altitude, Mach 3+ reconnaissance aircraft built for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by Lockheed's Skunk Works, based on the designs of Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. The aircraft was designat ...
– supersonic reconnaissance aircraft. * June 29, 1962 –
Vickers VC10 The Vickers VC10 is a mid-sized, narrow-body long-range British jet airliner designed and built by Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd and first flown at Brooklands, Surrey, in 1962. The airliner was designed to operate on long-distance route ...
– first airliner with 4 engines mounted in the tail. * April 9, 1967 –
Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...
– short-to-medium-range airliner. * October 4, 1968 –
Tupolev Tu-154 The Tupolev Tu-154 (russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engined, medium-range, narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian ...
– Soviet/Russian airliner, still in operation. * December 31, 1968 – Tupolev Tu-144 – Soviet supersonic airliner. * February 9, 1969 – Boeing 747 – first widebody airliner. * March 2, 1969 – Anglo-French Concorde – supersonic airliner. * September 19, 1969 –
Mil Mi-24 The Mil Mi-24 (russian: Миль Ми-24; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been ...
– Russian/Soviet-made
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
used by many countries to this day. * October 28, 1972 –
Airbus A300 The Airbus A300 is a wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Airbus. In September 1967, aircraft manufacturers in the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a large airliner. West ...
– first Airbus aircraft, short- to medium-range wide-body jet airliner. * February 22, 1987 – Airbus A320 airliner – first civilian aircraft to have an all-digital fly-by-wire system. * December 21, 1988 –
Antonov An-225 Mriya The Antonov An-225 Mriya ( uk, Антонов Ан-225 Мрія, lit=dream' or 'inspiration; NATO reporting name: Cossack) was a strategic airlift cargo aircraft designed and produced by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was o ...
– jet with the longest fuselage and wingspan and overall heaviest aircraft. * June 12, 1994 –
Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap betw ...
– long-range airliner with the most powerful jet engines ever made. * May 20, 2003 –
Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne SpaceShipOne is an experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft with sub-orbital spaceflight capability at speeds of up to 3,000 ft/s (900 m/s, 3240 km/h), using a hybrid rocket motor. The design features a unique "feathering" at ...
– The first commercial sub-orbital space craft. * April 27, 2005 – Airbus A380double-decker jet airliner, currently largest capacity in the world, took off from Toulouse–Blagnac Airport. * December 11, 2009 – Airbus A400M – military cargo plane, Airbus' first propeller plane. * December 15, 2009 –
Boeing 787 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body jet airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, ...
''Dreamliner'' – first major widebody airliner to use non-metal composite materials for most of its construction. * November 11, 2015 –
Mitsubishi Regional Jet The Mitsubishi SpaceJet (, originally named ''Mitsubishi Regional Jet'') is a regional jet developed by Japanese company Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (MAC), a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) subsidiary. The airframe is made mainly in alumi ...
– Japanese twin-engine
regional jet A regional jet (RJ) is a jet-powered regional airliner with fewer than 100 seats. The first one was the Sud-Aviation Caravelle in 1959, followed by the widespread Yakovlev Yak-40, Fokker F-28, and BAe 146. The 1990s saw the emergence of ...
, the first designed and built in Japan, took off from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Tokyo. * May 5, 2017 – Comac C919 – Chinese commercial aircraft. * April 13, 2019 – Scaled Composites Stratolaunch – The world's largest airplane * January 25, 2020 –
Boeing 777X The Boeing 777X is the latest series of the long-range, wide-body, twin-engine jetliners in the Boeing 777 family from Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777X features new GE9X engines, new composite wings with folding wingtips, greater cabin w ...
– The world's longest and largest twin-engine airliner. * April 19, 2021 – Ingenuity – an unmanned robotic helicopter, first aircraft to fly on
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
.


Notable maiden flights (rockets)

* October 3, 1942 – V-2 Rocket made its first successful test flight. The nose cone crossed the Karman line, widely considered the end of Earth's atmosphere, making it the first human-made object to reach space. * August 3, 1953 –
PGM-11 Redstone The PGM-11 Redstone was the first large American ballistic missile. A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), it was in active service with the United States Army in West Germany from June 1958 to June 1964 as part of NATO's Cold War defense of W ...
, designed by
Wernher von Braun Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( , ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German and American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, as well as the leading figure in the develop ...
, was the US's first large ballistic missile. Launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 4, it flew for 80 seconds until an engine failure caused it to crash into the sea. * October 4, 1957 – Sputnik, first orbital rocket. * December 22, 1960 –
Vostok-K The Vostok-K (russian: Восток meaning ''"East"''), GRAU index 8K72K was an expendable carrier rocket used by the Soviet Union for thirteen launches between 1960 and 1964, six of which were manned. It was derived from the earlier Vostok-L ...
, first human-rated rocket (first manned flight April 12, 1961). * November 9, 1967 – Saturn V, most powerful rocket launched so far, was used to launch humans to the Moon. * April 12, 1981 – Space Shuttle, first partially reusable launch system, largest payload at the time of its maiden flight. * December 21, 2004 –
Delta IV Heavy The Delta IV Heavy (Delta 9250H) is an expendable heavy-lift launch vehicle, the largest type of the Delta IV family. It is the world's third highest-capacity launch vehicle in operation, behind NASA's Space Launch System and SpaceX's Falcon H ...
, largest payload at the time of its maiden flight. * February 6, 2018 –
Falcon Heavy Falcon Heavy is a partially reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle that is produced by SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer. The rocket consists of two strap-on boosters made from Falcon 9 first stages, a center core also made from a Falc ...
, largest payload at the time of its maiden flight, partially reusable.


See also

*
Flight test Flight testing is a branch of aeronautical engineering that develops specialist equipment required for testing aircraft behaviour and systems. Instrumentation systems are developed using proprietary transducers and data acquisition systems. D ...


References

{{Authority control Aerospace engineering