- 1740
| Aug 26 | Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, French inventor; helped build first hot-air balloon, is born. | Ref: 70 |
- 1745
| Jan 06 | Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, Annonay France, aeronaut (1st pioneer balloonist/brother of Joseph-Michel/co-inventor of calorimeter, hydraulic ram, and process for producing vellum), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 07 | Jacques Etienne Montgolfier, French inventor who, with his brother, launched the first successful hot-air balloon, is born. | Ref: 17 |
- 1753
| Jul 04 | Jean-Pierre-Francois Blanchard, first balloon flights in England, US, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1773
| Dec 27 | Sir George Cayley pilot: first manned glider flight; scientist: ‘father of aerodynamics’: designed gliders, helicopters, airplanes; is born. | Ref: 4 |
- 1774
| Apr 21 | Jean-Baptiste Biot French physicist/astronomer (balloonist), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1785
| Jan 31 | Charles Green, English balloonist, is born. | Ref: 17 |
- 1799
| Aug 02 | Jacques Etienne Montgolfier, inventor [w/brother Joseph]: hot air balloon, and paper manufacturer, dies. | Ref: 4 |
- 1809
| Mar 07 | Jean-Pierre-Francois Blanchard, French balloonist; made first English Channel aerial crossing, dies at age 55. | Ref: 70 |
- 1810
| Jun 26 | Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, French inventor; helped build first hot-air balloon, dies at age 69. | Ref: 70 |
- 1825
| Jan 08 | Henri Giffard, French aeronaut, first to build and fly a steerable airship, is born. | Ref: 17 |
- 1834
| Aug 22 | Aviation pioneer Samuel Langley is born. | Ref: 4 |
- 1838
| Jul 08 | Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin invented rigid dirigibles, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1841
| Feb 04 | Clément Ader French inventor (1st to fly a heavier-than-air craft), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1848
| May 23 | Otto Lilienthal pioneer aviator, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1857
| Dec 15 | Sir George Cayley pilot: first manned glider flight; scientist: ‘father of aerodynamics’: designed gliders, helicopters, airplanes; dies at age 84. | Ref: 4 |
- 1867
| Apr 16 | Wilbur Wright of aeronautical fame (Wright Brothers), is born. | Ref: 68 |
- 1870
| Mar 26 | Charles Green, English balloonist, dies at age 85. | Ref: 70 |
- 1871
| Aug 19 | Orville Wright, aviation pioneer, is born. | Ref: 68 |
- 1872
| Jul 01 | Louis Bleriot, aviator: first man to fly an airplane across the English Channel [1909]; is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1873
| Jul 20 | Santos-Dumont Alberto, Brazilian aviation pioneer, is born. | Ref: 70 |
- 1874
| May 26 | Henry Farman French aviation pioneer (double decker), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1875
| Feb 04 | Ludwig Prandtl, German Federal Republic, physicist (father of aerodynamics), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1877
| Mar 21 | Maurice Farman, French aircraft designer and manufacturer, is born. | Ref: 70 |
- 1878
-
- 1879
| Dec 05 | Clyde Vernon Cessna, American aircraft manufacturer, is born. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 29 | William Mitchell, U.S. Army officer and early advocate of a separate air force | Ref: 70 |
- 1880
| Jan 02 | Louis Breguet French aviation pioneer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1881
| Jan 08 | William T. Piper, American aircraft manufacturer, is born. | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 01 | William Edward Boeing, founded aircraft co (Boeing), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1882
| Apr 15 | Henri Giffard, French aeronaut, first to build and fly a steerable airship, dies. | Ref: 17 |
| Jul 27 | Geoffrey De Havilland, English manufacturer and aircraft designer, is born. | Ref: 70 |
- 1883
| May 14 | Jan Olieslagers Belgian aviation pioneer (Antwerp Devil), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1884
| May 14 | Claude Dornier, aircraft designer/manufacturer, one of the first to build all-metal airplanes, pioneer in the design of sea planes, is born in Kempten, Germany. ("May 14, Your Birthday", Natalis Press, ©1990) | |
- 1885
| Jan 19 | Fred Burnaby English Colonel/balloon pioneer, dies in battle. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 26 | Robert Blackburn British aviation pioneer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1886
| Jan 17 | Glenn Luther Martin, aviator (Collier Trophy-1933), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 13 | Albert William Stevens, balloonist and photographer, is born. | Ref: 2 |
| Jul 23 | Arthur Whitten Brown, British aviator, is born. | Ref: 2 |
- 1887
| May 24 | Mick (Edward) Mannock, WWI flying ace for Great Britain with 73 hits, is born. | Ref: 4 |
- 1888
| Jan 18 | Sir Thomas Octave Sopwith, aviator, airplane builder, Sopwith Pup, Sopwith Camel, Hurricane, and the Harrier VTOL, born | Ref: 68 |
| Jan 24 | Ernst Heinrich Heinkel German inventor (1st rocket-powered aircraft), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1889
| May 25 | Igor Sikorsky, aeronautical engineer, inventor of the helicoptor, is born. | Ref: 68 |
- 1890
| Feb 06 | Anton Hermann Fokker aviation pioneer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 06 | Anthony Herman Gerard Fokker, pioneer aircraft manufacturer, is born in Holland. | Ref: 68 |
| Oct 08 | Edward V. Rickenbacker, the World War I flying ace who went on to lead Eastern Airlines for thirty years, is born in Columbus, Ohio. | Ref: 70 |
| Oct 25 | Floyd Bennett, American aviator, is born. | Ref: 70 |
- 1891
| Jan 17 | Norman "Squab" Read US aviator who lived to be 101, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1892
| Jan 22 | Marcel Dassault [Bloch], French airplane builder, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 06 | Donald Wills Douglas US, aircraft pioneer (McConnell Douglas), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 06 | Sir John William Alcock, British aviator, is born. | Ref: 70 |
- 1893
| Jan 20 | Bessy Colman, first African American aviator, is born. | Ref: 2 |
| Jan 26 | Bessy Colman, first African American aviator, is born in Atlanta GA. | Ref: 68 |
- 1894
| Mar 30 | Sergei Ilyushin Russian airplane builder (Ilyushin), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 02 | Walter Mittelholzer Swiss aviation pioneer (Swiss Air) | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 24 | Georges Guynemer French WWI pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 28 | Andr‚ de Meulemeester Belgian WWI pilot (Eagle of Flanders), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1895
| Jan 04 | Leroy Randle Grumman, American aeronautical engineer and founder of Grumman Aircraft, is born. | Ref: 70 |
| Jan 05 | Jeannette (Ridlon) Piccard balloon pilot: first American woman to be free balloon pilot: set record [w/husband] for balloon ascent into stratosphere [57,579 ft. 1934]; one of first women to become Episcopalian priest; is born. | Ref: 4 |
| May 20 | Reginald J "R" Mitchell, English aviation manufacturer (Spitfire), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 21 | Juan de la Cierva, aeronautical engineer who invented the autogyro, is born. | Ref: 2 |
| Nov 10 | John Knudsen Northrop aircraft designer (Northrop Air), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1896
| Aug 09 | Otto Lilenthal is fatally injured during a glider test. He dies the next day. | Ref: 5 |
| Aug 10 | Otto Lilienthal dies in a Berlin hospital from a broken spine and other injuries suffered in a glider crash the previous day. | Ref: 68 |
| Aug 21 | Albert Ball, English World War I fighter pilot, is born. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 14 | James Doolittle, aviator: U.S. Army Air Force Lt. General: awarded Congressional Medal of Honor for leading 1st U.S. aerial raid against Japan in WWII, is born. | Ref: 4 |
- 1897
| Feb 09 | Sir Charles Edward Kingsford-Smith pioneer Australian aviator | Ref: 5 |
- 1898
| Feb 24 | Kurt Tank German WWII aircraft designer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 29 | Cecil Lewis airman/writer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 26 | Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft designer, is born in Frankfort | Ref: 70 |
| Jul 24 | Amelia Earhart aviator: first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; 1st woman to fly solo from Hawaii to CA; is born. | Ref: 4 |
- 1899
| Jun 27 | Juan T. Trippe, American pioneer in commercial aviation, is born. | Ref: 70 |
- 1900
| Jun 29 | Antoine de Saint-Exupery, France, aviator/writer (Wind, Sand & Stars), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1901
| Jul 14 | Pancho Barnes,American aviator and movie stunt pilot, is born. | Ref: 70 |
- 1902
| Jan 26 | Laurence "Bill" Craigie jet pioneer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1903
| Jul 01 | Amy Johnson, English aviator, is born. | Ref: 2 |
- 1904
| Mar 13 | Henry Iliffe Cozens pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 12 | Harald James Penrose pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1906
| Jan 22 | Willa Brown-Chappell (Coffey) US black air pioneer (NAAA), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1907
| Jun 01 | Frank Whittle inventor (jet engine), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1908
| Feb 20 | Grigori Yakovlevich Bakhchivangi test pilot (BI-1), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 20 | Rosalind Laura Burke aviatrix, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 29 | Gerben Sonderman Dutch test pilot (Fokker), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1909
| Sep 07 | Eugene Lefebvre dies test piloting a Wright A aircraft. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 26 | Lt. Frank P Lahm becomes one of the first pilots qualified by Wilbur Wright. | Ref: 46 |
- 1910
| Jan 04 | Léon Delagrange French aviation pioneer, dies. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 16 | David McCampbell US pilot/captain (WWII-Pacific-downed 34 Japanese planes), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | John B. Moisant and Arch Hoxsey, two of America's foremost aviators, die in separate plane crashes. | Ref: 2 |
- 1911
| Aug 01 | Harriet Quimby becomes first woman granted pilot's license by Aero Club of America. | Ref: 10 |
- 1912
| Jan 11 | Roger Lewis aviation exec (Lockheed, Curtiss Wright, Pan Am), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| May 02 | Wilbur Wright falls gravely ill with typhoid fever during a trip to Boston. He dies within the month. | Ref: 46 |
| May 30 | Wilbur Wright, American inventor and aviation pioneer, dies of typhoid at age 45. | Ref: 68 |
- 1913
| Feb 01 | Jeffrey Kindersley Quill Test pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1915
| Jan 12 | Joseph Roy George Ralston pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 12 | Joseph Roy George Ralston pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1917
| Feb 20 | Frederick Page CEO (British Aerospace Aircraft Group), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 08 | Graf (count) Ferdinand von Zeppelin Dutch count/airship pioneer, dies in Berlin at age 78. | Ref: 5 |
| May 07 | Albert Ball, English World War I fighter pilot, dies at age 20. | Ref: 70 |
| Sep 11 | Georges-Marie Guynemer, French World War I combat pilot, dies at age 22. | Ref: 70 |
- 1919
| Apr 15 | Clive Beadon airman, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 19 | Leslie Irvin of US makes first parachute jump & free fall. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 18 | John Alcock pilot (1st non-stop over Atlantic), dies in a crash at age 27. | Ref: 5 |
- 1920
| May 15 | Hugh Henry Home Popham aviator/writer/poet, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1921
| Feb 20 | Joseph Albert Walker Washington DC, test pilot (X-15), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| May 28 | Geo Mestdagh Belgian aviation pioneer, dies. | Ref: 5 |
- 1922
| Jan 11 | Neville Duke English test pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 08 | John B (Jack) McKay US test pilot (X-15), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1923
| Jan 01 | Chalmers Goodlin US test pilot (XS-1), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 13 | Chuck Yeager, US test pilot (1st man to break sound barrier), is born. Also | Ref: 5 |
- 1924
| Jan 29 | Brian Trubshaw British test pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 06 | Robert M White pilot (X-15), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Oct 09 | Robert Rushworth pilot (X-15), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1926
| Mar 05 | Clement Ader, French engineer and pioneer of flight, dies at age 85. | Ref: 70 |
| Apr 30 | Bessie Coleman, the first African American aviator, dies at age 33 in Jacksonville FL. | Ref: 68 |
| May 04 | Milton "Milt" Thompson US NASA-test pilot/chief-engineer (X-15), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| May 30 | Bessie Coleman, American aviator, dies at age 33. | Ref: 70 |
- 1927
| Feb 28 | John Swire British aircraft magnate (Cathay Pacific), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1928
| Jan 16 | John William Fozard aircraft designer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 05 | Floyd Bennett, American aviator, dies at age 37. | Ref: 70 |
| Apr 25 | Floyd Bennett, American aviatorm dies at age 37. | Ref: 70 |
- 1929
| Apr 10 | Edmond Thieffry Belgium, WWI pilot, dies at 36. | Ref: 5 |
| May 18 | Johan N Block aviation pioneer (Martinair/Transavia/Air Holland), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 18 | William (Pete) Knight X-15 pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1930
| May 05 | Michael James Adams USAF pilot (X-15), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 23 | Glenn Curtiss, American aviation pioneer, dies at age 52. | Ref: 70 |
| Nov 03 | William H Dana pilot (X-15), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1931
| Feb 07 | Aviator Amelia Earhart married publisher George P. Putnam in Noank, Connecticut. | Ref: 2 |
- 1932
| Feb 15 | Adrian Swire British aircraft magnate (Cathay Pacific), is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 11 | F Gregory Neubeck USAF pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 23 | Santos-Dumont Alberto, Brazilian aviation pioneer, dies at age 59. | Ref: 70 |
- 1933
| May 23 | Bruce A Peterson US test pilot (M2, HL-10), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1936
| Feb 19 | William Mitchell, U.S. Army officer and early advocate of a separate air force, dies at age 56. | Ref: 70 |
| Aug 02 | Louis Bleriot, first man to fly an airplane across English Channel, dies. | Ref: 4 |
- 1937
| Apr 25 | Clem Sohn air show performer dies at 26 when his chute fails to open. | Ref: 5 |
| May 09 | Walter Mittelholzer Swiss aviation pioneer, dies in crash at 43. | Ref: 5 |
| Jun 11 | Reginald J "R" Mitchell, English aircraft designer; developed the Spitfire fighter plane, dies at age 42. | Ref: 70 |
| Jul 02 | Amelia Earhart, 40, and navigator Fred Noonan disappear near Howland Island in the Pacific during a round the world trip from Florida to CA. | Ref: 4 |
- 1939
| Dec 23 | Anthony H G Fokker Dutch airplane builder (Spider), dies at 49. | Ref: 68 |
- 1940
| May 19 | Frank Lorenzo airline executive (Continental, Texas Air, Eastern), is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1941
| Nov 30 | Brigadier General Frank P Lahm, one of the first pilots qualified by Wilbur Wright back in 1909, retires from active duty. | Ref: 46 |
- 1943
| Jan 07 | Nicholas Warner test Pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 27 | Grigori Yakovlevich Bakhchivangi test pilot (BI-1), killed in crash. | Ref: 5 |
- 1944
| Jul 31 | Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French aviator and writer (Wind, Sand & Stars), dies at age 44. | Ref: 70 |
- 1945
| Dec 30 | John Kevin Moorhouse test pilot, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1948
| Oct 04 | Sir Arthur Whitten Brown, English aviator; co-captained the first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic, dies at age 62. | Ref: 70 |
- 1949
| Mar 26 | Albert Stevens, American army officer, balloonist and aerial photographer, dies age 63. | Ref: 70 |
- 1953
| Aug 15 | Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist, "father of aerodynamics", dies at age 78. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 31 | Albert Plesman Dutch aviation pioneer/founder (KLM), dies at 64. | Ref: 5 |
- 1954
| Nov 20 | Clyde Vernon Cessna, American aircraft manufacturer, dies at age 74. | Ref: 70 |
- 1955
| May 04 | Louis Breguet French aviation pioneer, dies at 75. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 04 | Glenn Luther Martin, aviator (Collier Trophy-1933), American airplane inventor, dies at age 69. | Ref: 70 |
- 1956
| Sep 28 | William Boeing, American engineer, dies at age 74. | Ref: 70 |
- 1958
| Jan 30 | Ernst Heinkel, German rocket designer, dies at age 70. | Ref: 70 |
- 1959
| Mar 07 | First aviator to fly a million miles (1.61 Mkm) in a jet (MC Garlow). | Ref: 5 |
- 1960
| May 07 | Arnon Ohad co-pilot (El Al) plane that crashed on Bijlmer Amsterdam, is born. | Ref: 5 |
- 1962
| Mar 25 | Auguste Piccard Swiss explorer/balloonist, dies at 78. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 21 | Frederick Handley Page designer of first big airplane (40 seats), dies. | Ref: 5 |
- 1964
| Feb 25 | Maurice Farman, French aircraft designer and manufacturer, dies at age 86. | Ref: 70 |
- 1965
| May 21 | Geoffrey De Havilland, English manufacturer and aircraft designer, dies at age 82. | Ref: 70 |
- 1970
| Jan 12 | Blanche Stuart Scott US pilot, dies at 84. | Ref: 5 |
| Jan 15 | William T. Piper, American aircraft manufacturer, dies at age 89. | Ref: 70 |
| Dec 09 | Artem Mikoyan Russian aircraft designer (MIG), dies at 65. | Ref: 5 |
- 1972
| Oct 26 | Igor Sikorsky, Russian-born American aircraft designer; developed the helicopter, dies at age 83. | Ref: 2 |
| Dec 23 | Andrej N Tupolev Russian aircraft builder, dies at 84. | Ref: 5 |
- 1973
| Mar 07 | André de Meulemeester Belgian WWI pilot [Eagle of Flanders], dies at 78. | Ref: 5 |
| Jul 23 | Edward V. Rickenbacker, the World War I flying ace who went on to lead Eastern Airlines for thirty years, dies. | Ref: 70 |
- 1975
| Apr 15 | John B McKay US test pilot (X-15), dies. | Ref: 5 |
- 1976
| Jan 03 | Michael V Love US test pilot (X-24), dies in F-4 crash at 37. | Ref: 5 |
- 1977
| Feb 09 | Sergei Ilyushin Russian airplane builder (Ilyushin), dies at 82. | Ref: 5 |
- 1978
| May 14 | William Powell Lear inventor of Lear Jet, dies in Reno NV. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 17 | Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft engineer and designer, dies at age 80. | Ref: 70 |
- 1981
| Feb 01 | Donald W Douglas US aviation pionieer/builder, founded Douglas Aircraft Company, dies at age 88. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 02 | Donald W Douglas US aircraft pioneer/builder, dies at 88. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 18 | John Knudsen Northrop, American aircraft designer, dies at age 85. | Ref: 70 |
| Apr 03 | Juan T. Trippe, American pioneer in commercial aviation, dies at age 81. | Ref: 70 |
| May 17 | Jeannette (Ridlon) Piccard, balloon pilot: 1st American woman to be free balloon pilot: set record [w/husband] for balloon ascent into stratosphere [57,579 ft. - 1934]; one of first women to become Episcopalian priest, dies. | Ref: 4 |
- 1982
| Oct 04 | Leroy Randle Grumman, American aeronautical engineer and founder of Grumman Aircraft, dies at age 87. | Ref: 70 |
- 1987
| Apr 19 | Gregory Robertson does 200-mph free fall to save unconscious skydiver. | Ref: 5 |
| Nov 12 | Roger Lewis aviation exec (Lockheed, C Wright, Pan Am), dies at 75. | Ref: 5 |
- 1989
| Jan 27 | Sir Thomas Octave Sopwith, aviator, airplane builder, Sopwith Pup , Sopwith Camel, Hurricane, and the Harrier VTOL, dies at age 101. | Ref: 68 |
- 1990
| May 21 | Mary Victor Bruce who flew around the Empire State Building in 1930, dies. | Ref: 5 |
- 1993
| Mar 05 | Peter Bierdrager Dutch Fokker's-test pilot, dies in air crash. | Ref: 5 |
| Sep 27 | James Doolittle, aviator: U.S. Army Air Force Lt. General: awarded Congressional Medal of Honor for leading 1st U.S. aerial raid against Japan in WWII, dies at age 96. | Ref: 4 |
- 1994
| Feb 24 | Lores Bonney aviator, dies at 96. | Ref: 5 |
| Feb 27 | Laurence "Bill" Craigie jet pioneer, dies at 92. | Ref: 5 |
| Mar 27 | Dennis Hartas flier, dies at 69. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 01 | Rosalind Laura Burke aviatrix, dies at 86. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 01 | Stuart Sloan war hero/test pilot, dies at 72. | Ref: 5 |
| Apr 11 | Johan Block Dutch aviation pioneer (Martinair/Transavia), dies at 64. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 31 | BAM "Bob" Schreiner airline owner (S Aviation Group), dies at 79. | Ref: 5 |
- 1995
| Feb 23 | Peter Guy Wykeham Fighter Pilot-Barnes dies at 79. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 09 | Aviator Douglas "Wrong-Way" Corrigan dies at age 88. Corrigan got his nickname when he made a solo flight to Ireland in 1938 instead of to Orange, CA, as he announced. (TWA, 1997) | Ref: 95 |
- 1996
| Feb 20 | Jeffrey Kindersley Quill Test pilot, dies at 83. | Ref: 5 |
| May 25 | David W Howe test pilot, dies at 77. | Ref: 5 |
| Dec 11 | W G G Duncan-Smith fighter pilot, dies at 82. | Ref: 5 |
- 1997
| Dec 26 | John Whitley air-Marshal, dies at 92 | Ref: 5 |
|
Aviators Chronology