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March 1

1912… Capt. Albert Berry makes the first parachute descent from a powered airplane in America when he jumps from a Benoist aircraft that is being flown by the company pilot, Anthony Jannus. The aircraft flew t a height of 1,500 ft. over Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri, and Berry uses a static line parachute.

1925… Ryan Airlines begins the first regularly scheduled passenger airline service flown within the mainland United States. The service runs between Los Angeles and San Diego.

1928… An airmail route between France and Chile is opened with a fast sea link between Dakar, Senegal and Natal, Brazil.

1933… U.S. Air Commerce Regulations are amended to increase the flying time required for a pilot’s license from 10 hours to 50 hours.
1956– The International Air Transport Association finalizes a draft of the Radiotelephony spelling alphabet for the International Civil Aviation Organization.

1962– American Airlines Flight 1 crashes on take off in New York.
The aircraft was a Boeing 707-123B, U.S. Registry N 7506A. It was delivered to American Airlines on 12 February 1959, and that same day. At the time of the crash, it had accumulated 8,147 hours of air time during the course of 3 years. Its last periodic inspection had occurred on 18 January 1962 at 7,922 hours of air time.
The aircraft received instructions to taxi to Idlewild’s Runway 31L at 09:54 AM EST, and clearance to proceed to Los Angeles non-stop under instrument flight rules. Flight 1 became airborne at 10:07 AM EST. Following American Airlines procedures and Departure Control instructions, the aircraft initiated a left turn. In the course of the turn, the Boeing banked too far, flipped 90 degrees, and began an upside-down, nose-first descent in a nearly vertical dive.
Flight 1 crashed into Pumpkin Patch Channel, Jamaica Bay, at 10:08am

Some notable victims of the crash were:
W. Alton Jones, multi-millionaire former president of Cities Service Company (now CITGO) and close personal friend of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Admiral Richard Lansing Conolly, USN ret., president of Long Island University and two-time Deputy Chief of Naval Operations.
Arnold Kirkeby, millionaire realtor and former head of the Kirkeby chain of luxury hotels.
Louise Lindner Eastman, whose daughter Linda Eastman would later marry the Beatle Paul McCartney.

1962… Los Angeles Airways sets up the world’s first commercial service using turbine-powered, multi-engine helicopters, the Sikorsky S-621L, which could accommodate up to 28 passengers.
1966 – Venera 3 Soviet space probe crashes on Venus becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet’s surface.

And that is what happened TODAY in Aviation History.

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