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The maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground under its own power. This is similar to a ship's maiden voyage. The first flight of a new aircraft type is always a historic occasion for the type. It is also one of the most dangerous, because the exact handling characteristics of the aircraft are generally unknown. The first flight of a new type is almost invariably flown by a highly experienced test pilot. First flights are usually accompanied by a chase plane, to verify items like altitude, airspeed, and general airworthiness. A first 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 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 first flights == An incomplete list of first flights of notable aircraft types, organized by date, follows. * June, 1875 – Thomas Moy's Aerial Steamer, London, England (pilotless, tethered)〔http://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Prehistory/late_1800s/PH4G7.htm〕 * October 9, 1890 – Clément Ader – took off from Gretz-Armainvilliers, Ouest of Paris, France * August 14, 1901 – Gustave Whitehead From Leutershausen, 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 * March 18, 1906 – Traian Vuia, a Romanian engineer, flew in Montesson near Paris, France. * October 23, 1906 – Alberto Santos-Dumont 14-bis flight, in Bagatelle park, Paris, France * July 4, 1908 - Glenn Curtiss flew the first pre-announced public flight of a heavier-than-air flying machine. He flew 5,080 feet, to win the Scientific American Trophy and its $2,500 purse. * July 28, 1935 – Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress – WWII American heavy bomber. * December 17, 1935 – Douglas DC-3 – propeller-driven passenger and cargo aircraft of which more than 10,000 were produced * December 29, 1939 – Consolidated B-24 – WWII American heavy bomber. * November 2, 1947 – Hughes H-4 Hercules – only flight of this oversized flying boat. * July 27, 1949 – de Havilland Comet – first jet airliner. * August 23, 1954 – Lockheed C-130 Hercules – military transport plane. * May 27, 1955 – Sud Aviation Caravelle – first jet airliner with engines mounted in the tail. * April 25, 1962 – Lockheed A-12 Blackbird – supersonic reconnaissance plane. * June 29, 1962 – Vickers VC10 – first airliner with 4 engines mounted in the tail. * April 9, 1967 – Boeing 737 – short-to-medium-range airliner. * October 4, 1968 – Tupolev 154 – 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 – Russian/Soviet-made helicopter used by many countries to this day. * October 28, 1972 – Airbus A300 – first Airbus aircraft, short- to medium-range wide-body jet airliner. * February 22, 1987 – Airbus A320 airliner – first civil aircraft to have an all-digital fly-by-wire system. * December 21, 1988 – Antonov An-225 Mriya – jet with the longest fuselage and wingspan and overall heaviest aircraft. * June 12, 1994 – Boeing 777 – long-range airliner with the most powerful jet engines ever made. * July 3, 1994 – General Atomics MQ-1 Predator – unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). * February 19, 2002 – Embraer E-Jet family – Brazilian narrow-body airliner. * April 27, 2005 – Airbus A380 – doubledecker jetairliner, currently largest capacity in the world, took off from Toulouse–Blagnac Airport. * December 15, 2006 – F-35 Lightning II – fifth-generation, stealth multirole fighter. * December 11, 2009 – Airbus A400M – military cargo plane, Airbus first propeller plane. * December 15, 2009 – Boeing 787 ''Dreamliner'' – first major widebody airliner to use non-metal composite materials for most of its construction. * January 29, 2010 – Sukhoi PAK FA – first Russian fifth generation fighter aircraft. * February 8, 2010 – Boeing 747-8F – freighter version of the stretched version of the Boeing 747. * January 11, 2011 – Chengdu J-20 – Chinese 5th generation fighter aircraft. * March 20, 2011– Boeing 747-8I – passenger version of the stretched version of the Boeing 747. * June 14, 2013 – Airbus A350 XWB – widebody airliner, took off from Airbus facilities at Toulouse–Blagnac Airport. * September 16, 2013 – Bombardier CS100 – narrow-body airliner, took off from Montreal-Mirabel Airport. * September 17, 2013 – Boeing 787-9 – widebody airliner, took off from Paine Field in Seattle, Washington. * September 25, 2014 – Airbus A320neo – narrow-body airliner. * February 3, 2015 – Embraer KC-390 – Brazilian military tactical transport/tanker aircraft, the largest airplane ever designed and built in Brazil, took off from Embraer´s facilities in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo State. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「maiden flight」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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