A Century of Flight Achievements
July 12 – Dwight Eisenhower is the first president to fly in a helicopter, I 957.
July 18 – Katherine Stinson becomes the first woman to perform a loop-to-loop in her Laird Looper biplane, Chicago, Ill. 1915.
July 20 – Neil A. Armstrong, an astronaut among Apollo 11 crew, is the first man to set foot on the moon, 1969.
Aug. 5 – The Women Army Service Pilots (WASP) is created. It is the first time female pilots fly for the U.S. military, 1943.
Aug. 19 – This day is designated as National Aviation Day in honor of Orville Wright’s birthday, 1939.
Aug. 25 – Amelia Earhart sets three records for women flyers. She makes the first non-stop U.S. crossing, longest distance record and a coast-to-coast record time, 1932.
Aug. 29 – The first class at the Air Force Academy in Colorado begins, 1958.
Source: Minnesota DOT. Office of Aeronautics. 1999 Calendar.