In the history of aviation 21 September truly is a day of firsts, with three US aircraft taking to the skies for the first time on this day in history.

Boeing B-29 Superfortress

On 21 September, 1942 the Boeing B-29 Superfortress made its maiden flight. It would go on to be one of the most famous bombers of World War II, in no small part due to the B-29 Enola Gay and B-29 Bockscar being the aircraft used to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

To read more about the B-29 Superfortress take a look at Combat Aircraft 33: B-29 Superfortress Units of World War 2 and Combat Aircraft 42: B-29 Superfortress Units of the Korean War, both available at a 20% discount until the end of September!

 

Boeing CH-47 Chinook

Nine years later Boeing decided to debut another of their aircraft, with the Boeing CH-47 Chinook taking to the skies for the first time. Primarily used for troop movement and battlefield resupply, the CH-47 Chinook has been immortalized through its use in Vietnam, Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq, and is still in use to this day.

 

North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie

The XB-70, an experimental deep-penetration strategic bomber, made its first flight 51 years ago. It would have been the world's first Mach 3 bomber, with its high-speed capability meaning that it would be almost immune to interceptor aircraft. However, improvements to surface-to-air missiles put this in doubt, and the program was discontinued in 1969 after only 2 aircraft were completed.

 

For all you aviation fans, just a reminder that Osprey's Aviation titles are available at a 20% discount until the end of September!