AviationGeeks.com - Aviation Facts

Below are some fun (and not so fun) facts about aviation

World´s first jet aircraft was the Heinkel He 178 produced in 1939. 

Steve Fossett was the first to fly solo around the world without re-fuelling. Steve completed the flight in March, 2005 on the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer.

The North American X-15 holds the record for fastest speeds ever achieved by manned rocket powered aircraft with speed of 6,206 km/h (3,856 mph, 3350 knots)

Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world with over 850 passengers in all-economy class.

The Macchi M.C.72 is the fastest propeller seaplane with max speed of 682 km/h (424 mph, 368).

The first supersonic flight was made on October 14^th, 1947, in the X-1 jet.

In 1937, the crew of Focke Wulf FW-61 made the first fully controlled flight on a helicopter.

The Bell V-22 is the most expensive mass produced helicopter in the world.

The crew of the Superfortress Lucky Lady II was the first to circle the world nonstop when they completed the 37,742 km (23,452 miles) journey in 1949.

The Antonov An-225 has the heaviest payload of any aircraft ever made, 250 tons (550,000 lb).

The world´s first mass-produced helicopter was the Sikorsky R-4, first produced in 1942.

In 1968, The Russian Tupolev Tu-144 became the first supersonic airliner.

Charles Lindbergh made the first nonstop transatlantic flight on May 21^st, 1927.

Boeing 777 is the largest twin jet aircraft in the world.

The Vickers F.B.5 was the first aircraft manufactured specifically for air-to-air combat making it the world´s first fighter. The F.B.5 first flew in 1914.

Edwin A Shackleton has a world record in most type of aircrafts flown in as a passenger. As of 2007, Edwin has flown 841 different types of aircrafts.

The Hughes H-4 Hercules, nicknamed the Spruce Goose, has the largest wingspan of any aircraft even built, 97.54 meters (321 feet).

In 1917, the British single seat fighter, Sopwith Pup, was the first airplane to ever land on a moving ship.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 is the world´s fastest fighter with a max speed of 3,403 km/h (2,115 mph, 1,838 knots)

The home-built Bede BD-5J Microjet owned by Juan Jimenez is the world smallest jet at only 162 kg (358 lb) in weight, is 3.7 m (12 ft) long, has a wingspan of 5.7 m (17 ft), and can fly at 483 km/h (300 mph, 260 knots).

Boeing 737 is the most popular jet with well over 6,000 aircrafts produced. In addition there are over 2,000 737´s on order.

In November, 1929, Richard Evelyn Byrd and his crew were the first to fly over the South Pole. The aircraft that was used in the expedition was Ford Trimotor.

Ford Trimotor by Gary Chambers

Airbus A380 is the most expensive airliner and costs $317-338 million apiece.