Air speed record - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

An air speed record is the highest airspeed

Airspeed

Airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. Among the common conventions for qualifying airspeed are: indicated airspeed , calibrated airspeed , true airspeed , equivalent airspeed and density airspeed....

attained by an aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

of a particular class. The rules for all official aviation records are defined by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...

(FAI), which also ratifies any claims. Speed records are divided into multiple classes with sub-divisions. There are three classes of aircraft: landplanes, seaplane

Seaplane

A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...

s and amphibians

Amphibious aircraft

An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft that can take off and land on either land or water. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes that are equipped with retractable wheels, at the expense of extra weight and complexity, plus diminished range and fuel economy compared to planes...

; then within these classes, there are records for aircraft in a number of weight categories. There are still further sub-divisions for piston-engined, turbojet, turboprop

Turboprop

A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...

and rocket-engined aircraft. Within each of these groups, records are defined for speed over a straight course and for closed circuits of various sizes carrying various payloads. There are still further records for the speed between specified cities such as London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

and New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

Timeline

Date	Pilot	Airspeed		Aircraft	Location
Date	Pilot	mph	km/h	Aircraft	Location
1903	Wilbur Wright	6.82	10.98	Wright Flyer Wright Flyer The Wright Flyer was the first powered aircraft, designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903 near the Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, U.S.The U.S...	Kitty Hawk Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,000 at the 2000 census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk.... , NC, USA
1905	Wilbur Wright	37.85	60.91	Wright Flyer III Wright Flyer III The Wright Flyer III was the third powered aircraft built by the Wright Brothers. Orville Wright made the first flight with it on June 23, 1905. The Flyer III had an airframe of spruce construction with a wing camber of 1-in-20 as used in 1903, rather than the less effective 1-in-25 used in 1904...
12 November 1906	Alberto Santos-Dumont Alberto Santos-Dumont Alberto Santos-Dumont , was a Brazilian early pioneer of aviation. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to science studies in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life....	25.65	41.292	14-bis	First officially recognised airspeed record
26 October 1907	Henry Farman Henry Farman Henri Farman Henri Farman Henri Farman (26 May 1874 – 17 July 1958 was a French pilot, aviator and aircraft designer and manufacturer with his brother Maurice Farman. His family was British and he took French nationality in 1937.-Biography:...	32.73	52.700	Voisin biplane
25 May 1909	P Tissander	34.04	54.810	Wright
23 August 1909	Glenn Curtiss Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss was an American aviation pioneer and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle then motorcycle builder and racer, later also manufacturing engines for airships as early as 1906...	43.367	69.821	Curtiss No. 2 Curtiss No. 2 -References:* * * * *...	1909 Gordon Bennett Cup, Reims Reims Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire.... , France
24 August 1909	Louis Blériot Louis Blériot Louis Charles Joseph Blériot was a French aviator, inventor and engineer. In 1909 he completed the first flight across a large body of water in a heavier-than-air craft, when he crossed the English Channel. For this achievement, he received a prize of £1,000...	46.160	74.318	Blériot XI Blériot XI The Blériot XI is the aircraft in which, on 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel made in a heavier-than-air aircraft . This achievement is one of the most famous accomplishments of the early years of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in...
28 August 1909	Louis Blériot	47.823	76.995	Blériot XI Blériot XI The Blériot XI is the aircraft in which, on 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel made in a heavier-than-air aircraft . This achievement is one of the most famous accomplishments of the early years of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in...
23 April 1910	Hubert Latham Hubert Latham Arthur Charles Hubert Latham was a French aviation pioneer. He was the first person to attempt to cross the English Channel in an aeroplane...	48.186	77.579	Antoinette
10 July 1910	L Morane	66.154	106.508	Blériot
29 October 1910	Alfred Leblanc Alfred LeBlanc Alfred Leblanc was a pioneer French aviator.-Biography:He was born on April 13, 1869 in France. He was assistant to Louis Bleriot and handled the logistics for Bleriot on the morning of his cross channel flight July 25, 1909. In 1910 he set an cross-country flight airspeed record by flying 485...	68.171	109.756	Blériot XI Blériot XI The Blériot XI is the aircraft in which, on 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel made in a heavier-than-air aircraft . This achievement is one of the most famous accomplishments of the early years of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in...
12 April 1911	Alfred Leblanc	69.442	111.801	Blériot Blériot
11 May 1911	Edouard Nieuport	73.385	119.760	Nieuport
12 June 1911	Alfred Leblanc	77.640	125.000	Blériot
16 June 1911	Edouard Nieuport	80.781	130.057	Nieuport
21 June 1911	Edouard Nieuport	82.693	133.136	Nieuport Nie-2 N
13 January 1912	Jules Vedrines	87.68	145.161	Deperdussin Monocoque Deperdussin Monocoque - References :Wayne Biddle - Barons of the Sky: From Early Flight to Strategic Warfare. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. ISBN 0801868289.Émile Auguste Duchêne - Flight Without Formulae: Simple Discussions on the Mechanics of the Aeroplane. Longmans, Green and co., 1914....
22 February 1912	Jules Vedrines	100.18	161.290	Deperdussin Monocoque
29 February 1912	Jules Vedrines	100.90	162.454	Deperdussin Monocoque
1 March 1912	Jules Vedrines	103.62	166.821	Deperdussin Monocoque
2 March 1912	Jules Vedrines	104.29	167.910	Deperdussin Monocoque
13 July 1912	Jules Vedrines	106.07	170.777	Deperdussin Monocoque
9 September 1912	Jules Vedrines	108.14	174.100	Deperdussin Monocoque
17 June 1913	Maurice Prévost	111.69	179.820	Deperdussin Monocoque
27 September 1913	Maurice Prévost	119.19	191.897	Deperdussin Monocoque
29 September 1913	Maurice Prévost	126.61	203.850	Deperdussin Monocoque
1914	Norman Spratt Norman Spratt Norman Spratt, a native of Durban, Natal, was an officer of the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War who was involved in much aircraft testing at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, United Kingdom. He later served as a group captain in the Royal Air Force...	134.5	216.5	RAF SE.4
August 1918	Roland Rohlfs Roland Rohlfs Test pilot Roland Rohlfs was a distinguished American aviator.-Background:He was the son of Anna Katharine Green , the famous American crime novelist, and her husband, actor and renowned furniture craftsman, Charles Rohlfs....	163	262.3	Curtiss Wasp	Not officially recognised.
1919	Joseph Sadi-Lecointe	191.1	307.5	Nieuport-Delage 29v
8 February 1920	Joseph Sadi-Lecointe	171.0	275.264	Nieuport-Delage NiD 29	Villacoublay, France. First official record post World War 1.
28 February 1920	J Casale	176.1	283.464	Spad-Herbemont	Villacoublay, France
9 October 1920	Bernard de Romanet Bernard Barny de Romanet Lieutenant Bernard Henri Barny de Romanet was a World War I flying ace credited with 18 aerial victories.Barny de Romanet joined the French army in October 1913. When World War I began, he went into combat with both cavalry and infantry regiments. He transferred into the French air service in July...	181.8	292.682	Spad-Herbemont	Buc, France
10 October 1920	Joseph Sadi-Lecointe	184.3	296.694	Nieuport-Delage 29
20 October 1920	Joseph Sadi-Lecointe	187.9	302.529	Nieuport-Delage 29
4 November 1920	Bernard de Romanet	191.9	309.012	Spad S.20	Buc, France
12 December 1920	Joseph Sadi-Lecointe	194.4	313.043	Nieuport-Delage 29
26 September 1921	Joseph Sadi-Lecointe	205.2	330.275	Nieuport-Delage
13 October 1922	Billy Mitchell	222.88	358.836	Curtiss R	Detroit
18 October 1922	Billy Mitchell	224.28	360.93	Curtiss R-6
15 February 1923	Joseph Sadi-Lecointe	232.91	375.00	Nieuport-Delage	Istres
29 March 1923	Russell Maughan Russell Maughan Russell Lowell Maughan was a pioneer aviator and U.S. military pilot. His career spanned a period in which the Air Force, then part of the U.S. Army, was known as the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps; U.S. Air Service; U.S. Army Air Corps; and U.S. Army Air Forces. Maughan was born March 28,...	236.587	380.74	Curtiss R-6
2 November 1923	H. J. Rowe	259.16	417.07	Curtiss R2C-1
4 November 1923	Alford J. Williams	266.59	429.02	Curtiss R2C-1
11 November 1924	Florentin Bonnet	278.37	448.171	Bernard-Ferbois V.2
4 November 1927	Mario de Bernardi Mario De Bernardi Mario de Bernardi was an Italian World War I fighter pilot, seaplane air racer of the 1920s, and test pilot of early Italian experimental jets.-Early life:De Bernardi was born on July 1, 1893, in Venosa, Italy...	297.70	479.290	Macchi M.52 Macchi M.52 \|-M.52bis or M.52R:-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Angelucci, Enzo. World Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft. London: Willow Books, 1984. ISBN 0-00-218148-7.... seaplane	Venice Venice Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region... , Database ID 11828
30 March 1928	Mario de Bernardi	318.620	512.776	Macchi M.52bis seaplane	Venice Venice Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region... , Database ID 11827
July 1929	Giuseppe Motta	362.0	582.6	Macchi M.67 Macchi M.67 \|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Angelucci, Enzo. World Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft. London: Willow Books, 1984. ISBN 0-00-218148-7.... seaplane	Unofficial
10 September 1929	George H. Stainforth George Stainforth Wing Commander George Hedley Stainforth AFC RAF was a British Royal Air Force pilot and the first man in the world to exceed 400 miles per hour.-Early life:...	336.3	541.4	Gloster VI Gloster VI -External links:* Royal Air Force.... seaplane	Calshot Calshot Calshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England at the west corner of Southampton_Water where it joins the Solent. A settlement at the site is believed to have existed since the fifth century AD... , Database ID 11829,
12 September 1929	Augustus Orlebar Augustus Orlebar Air Vice Marshal Augustus Henry Orlebar CBE AFC & Bar was a British Army and Royal Air Force officer who served in both world wars....	357.7	575.5	Supermarine S.6 Supermarine S.6 \|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Supermarine Aircraft since 1914, 2nd edition. London: Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-800-3.... seaplane	Calshot Calshot Calshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England at the west corner of Southampton_Water where it joins the Solent. A settlement at the site is believed to have existed since the fifth century AD... ,Database ID 11830
13 September 1931	George H. Stainforth	407.5	655.8	Supermarine S.6B Supermarine S.6B \|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Supermarine Aircraft since 1914, 2nd edition. London: Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-800-3.... seaplane	Lee-on-the-Solent Lee-on-the-Solent Lee-on-the-Solent, often referred to as Lee-on-Solent, is a small seaside town in Hampshire, England about five miles west of Portsmouth. The town is located on the coast of the Solent and forms part of the borough of Gosport... , Database ID 11831
10 April 1933	Francesco Agello Francesco Agello Francesco Agello was an Italian test pilot.-Biography and flight achievements:Born at Casalpusterlengo, Lombardy, Agello graduated from pilot school in 1924 and soon became a test pilot. He was the fourth of four test pilots who tried to set a speed record with the Macchi M.C.72...	423.6	682.078	Macchi M.C.72 Macchi M.C.72 \|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Cowin, Hugh W. The Risk Takers, A Unique Pictorial Record 1908-1972: Racing & Record-setting Aircraft . London: Osprey Aviation, 1999. ISBN 1-85532-904-2.... seaplane	Desenzano del Garda Desenzano del Garda Desenzano del Garda is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy, which borders Lake Garda. It is bordered by other communes of Castiglione delle Stiviere, Lonato, Padenghe sul Garda and Sirmione.-History:... , Database ID 11836
23 October 1934	Francesco Agello	440.5	709.209	Macchi M.C.72 Macchi M.C.72 \|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Cowin, Hugh W. The Risk Takers, A Unique Pictorial Record 1908-1972: Racing & Record-setting Aircraft . London: Osprey Aviation, 1999. ISBN 1-85532-904-2.... seaplane	Desenzano del Garda Desenzano del Garda Desenzano del Garda is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy, which borders Lake Garda. It is bordered by other communes of Castiglione delle Stiviere, Lonato, Padenghe sul Garda and Sirmione.-History:... , Database ID 4497
1935	Howard Hughes Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...	352	566	Hughes H-1 Racer Hughes H-1 Racer The Hughes H-1 was a racing aircraft built by Hughes Aircraft in 1935. It set a world airspeed record and a transcontinental speed record across the United States... landplane – Not an Official FAI record
26 April 1939	Fritz Wendel Fritz Wendel Fritz Wendel was a German test pilot during the 1930s and 1940s.-Achievements:On 26 April 1939 Fritz Wendel set the world air speed record of 469.22 mph, flying the Messerschmitt Me 209 V1...	469.220	755.138	Me 209 V1 - Piston-engined record until 1969	Augsburg Augsburg Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
1941	Heini Dittmar Heini Dittmar Heini Dittmar was a German glider pilot.Inspired by the example of his glider flying brother Edgar, Dittmar took an apprenticeship at the German Institute for Gliding , and won first prize in his class in the 1932 Rhön Glider Competition, when he was 21 years old, with a self-built glider,...	623.65	1003.67	Rocket powered – Not an Official FAI record but over the 3 km FAI distance Messerschmitt Me 163A V4	Peenemünde Peenemünde The Peenemünde Army Research Center was founded in 1937 as one of five military proving grounds under the Army Weapons Office ....
1944	Heinz Herlitzius	624	1004	Not an Official FAI record Messerschmitt Me 262 Messerschmitt Me 262 The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944... S2	Leipheim Leipheim Leipheim is a town in the district of Günzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the Danube, 5 km west of Günzburg, and 17 km northeast of Ulm. The village Riedheim and the hamlet Weissingen are districts of Leipheim...
1944	Heini Dittmar Heini Dittmar Heini Dittmar was a German glider pilot.Inspired by the example of his glider flying brother Edgar, Dittmar took an apprenticeship at the German Institute for Gliding , and won first prize in his class in the 1932 Rhön Glider Competition, when he was 21 years old, with a self-built glider,...	702	1130	Rocket powered – Not an Official FAI record Messerschmitt Me 163 Messerschmitt Me 163 The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Lippisch, was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance unrivaled at the time. Messerschmitt... B V18	Lagerlechfeld
7 November 1945	H. J. Wilson	606.4	975.9	Gloster Meteor F Mk4 Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...	Herne Bay Herne Bay, Kent Herne Bay is a seaside town in Kent, South East England, with a population of 35,188. On the south coast of the Thames Estuary, it is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local government district... , UK
7 September 1946	Edward Mortlock Donaldson Edward Mortlock Donaldson Air Commodore Edward "Teddy" Mortlock Donaldson CB, CBE, DSO, AFC & Bar was an RAF Second World War Flying ace, and former holder of the airspeed World Record.-Biography:...	615.78	990.79	Gloster Meteor F Mk4 Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...	Littlehampton Littlehampton Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester.... , UK
19 June 1947	Col. Albert Boyd Albert Boyd Albert Boyd was a pioneering test pilot for the United States Air Force. During his 30 year career, he logged over 23,000 hours of flight time, flying an astounding 723 military aircraft...	623.74	1003.60	Lockheed P-80R Shooting Star P-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. Designed in 1943 as a response to the German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter, and delivered in just 143 days from the start of the design process, production models were flying but...	Muroc Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in... , California, USA
20 August 1947	Cmdr. Turner Caldwell	640.663	1031.049	Douglas Skystreak Douglas Skystreak The United States Douglas Skystreak was a single-engine jet research aircraft of the 1940s. It was designed in 1945 by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, in conjunction with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics...	Muroc Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in... , California, USA
25 August 1947	Major Marion Eugene Carl USMC	650.796	1047.356	Douglas Skystreak Douglas Skystreak The United States Douglas Skystreak was a single-engine jet research aircraft of the 1940s. It was designed in 1945 by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, in conjunction with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics...	Muroc Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in... , California, USA
1947	Chuck Yeager Chuck Yeager Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager is a retired major general in the United States Air Force and noted test pilot. He was the first pilot to travel faster than sound...	670.0	1078	Bell X-1 Bell X-1 The Bell X-1, originally designated XS-1, was a joint NACA-U.S. Army/US Air Force supersonic research project built by Bell Aircraft. Conceived in 1944 and designed and built over 1945, it eventually reached nearly 1,000 mph in 1948... – Rocket powered – Not an official FAI C-1 record	Muroc Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in... , California, USA
15 September 1948	Maj. Richard L. Johnson, USAF	670.84	1079.6	North American F-86A-3 Sabre F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...	Cleveland Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border... , USA
18 November 1952	J. Slade Nash	698.505	1,124.13	North American F-86D Sabre	Salton Sea Salton Sea The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death... , USA
1953	William Barnes William Barnes William Barnes was an English writer, poet, minister, and philologist. He wrote over 800 poems, some in Dorset dialect and much other work including a comprehensive English grammar quoting from more than 70 different languages.-Life:He was born at Rushay in the parish of Bagber, Dorset, the son of...	715.745	1,151.88	North American F-86D Sabre	Salton Sea Salton Sea The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death... , USA
7 September 1953	Neville Duke Neville Duke Squadron Leader Neville Frederick Duke DSO, OBE, DFC & Two Bars, AFC, FRAeS,Czech War Cross was a British Second World War fighter pilot. He was the top Allied flying ace in the Mediterranean Theatre, having shot down at least 27 enemy aircraft, and was acknowledged as one of the world's foremost...	727.6	1,171	Hawker Hunter F Mk3 Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...	Littlehampton Littlehampton Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester.... , UK
26 September 1953	Mike Lithgow Mike Lithgow Michael John "Mike" Lithgow, OBE was a British aviator and chief test pilot for Vickers Supermarine. He became the holder of the World Absolute Air Speed Record in 1953 flying a Supermarine Swift but died when the prototype BAC One-Eleven airliner crashed in 1963.- Second World War :Joined Fleet...	735.7	1,184	Supermarine Swift F4 Supermarine Swift The Supermarine Swift was a British single-seat jet fighter of the Royal Air Force , built by Supermarine during the 1950s. After a protracted development period, the Swift entered service as an interceptor, but, due to a spate of accidents, its service life was short...	Castel Idris, Tripoli Tripoli Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three... , Libya Libya Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
3 October 1953	James B. Verdin, US Navy	752.9	1,211.5	Douglas F4D Skyray F4D Skyray The Douglas F4D Skyray was an American carrier-based supersonic fighter/interceptor built by the Douglas Aircraft Company...	Salton Sea, USA
October 1953	Frank K. Everest USAF	755.1	1,215.3	North American F-100 Super Sabre F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...	Salton Sea, USA
From this point records are set at altitude and not sea level.
October 1955	Horace A. Hanes	822.1	1,323	North American F-100C Super Sabre F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...	Palmdale Palmdale, California Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is... , USA
10 March 1956	Peter Twiss Peter Twiss Lionel Peter Twiss, OBE, DSC and Bar was a British test pilot who held the World Air Speed Record as the first man to fly at a speed greater than 1,000 mph.-Early life:...	1,132	1,822	Fairey Delta 2 Fairey Delta 2 The Fairey Delta 2 or FD2 was a British supersonic research aircraft produced by the Fairey Aviation Company in response to a specification from the Ministry of Supply for investigation into flight and control at transonic and supersonic speeds.The aircraft was the first to exceed 1000mph, and...	Chichester Chichester Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings... , UK
December 1957	USAF	1,207.6	1,943.5	McDonnell F-101A Voodoo	Edwards Air Force Base, USA
May 1958	Cap. WW Irwin, USAF	1,404	2,259.5	Lockheed F-104C Starfighter	Edwards Air Force Base, USA
31 October 1959	Col. Georgii Mosolov	1,484	2,388	Ye-66 (proto Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish pilots due to... )	USSR
December 1959	Maj. Joseph Rogers Joseph Rogers Joseph Rogers was an Irish-born pioneer and settler who, with his father-in-law Thomas Amis, founded the town of Rogersville, Tennessee in 1789.-Early life:... , USAF	1,525.9	2,455.7	Convair F-106 Delta Dart F-106 Delta Dart The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft for the United States Air Force from the 1960s through the 1980s. Designed as the so-called "Ultimate Interceptor", it has proven to be the last dedicated interceptor in USAF service to date...	Edwards Air Force Base, USA
22 November 1961	Robert G. Robinson Robert G. Robinson Robert Guy Robinson was a United States Marine Corps First Lieutenant who earned the Medal of Honor as a gunnery sergeant during World War I.-Biography:... , US Navy	1606.3	2585.1	Modified McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...	Edwards Air Force Base, USA
7 July 1962	Col. Georgii Mosolov	1665.9	2681	Mikoyan Gurevich Ye-166 – name adopted for the record attempt, originally a version of a Ye-152	USSR
1 May 1965	Robert L. Stephens Robert L. Stephens Robert L. "Silver Fox" Stephens was an American United States Air Force test pilot who set several speed and altitude records while testing the Lockheed YF-12 and SR-71.-Early years:Robert L... and Daniel Andre	2,070.1	3,331.5	Lockheed YF-12A Lockheed YF-12 The Lockheed YF-12 was an American prototype interceptor aircraft, which the United States Air Force evaluated as a development of the highly-secret Lockheed A-12 that also spawned the SR-71 Blackbird.-Design and development:...	Edwards AFB Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in... , USA
28 July 1976	Capt. Eldon W. Joersz Eldon W. Joersz Major General Eldon Wayne Joersz is an American pilot, who jointly holds the World Air Speed Record.Joersz and Ltc George T. Morgan Jr. set the air speed record on July 28, 1976 in an SR-71 Blackbird at Beale Air Force Base. They went to 2,194 mph , breaking the record of Daniel Andre and Robert L... and Maj. George T. Morgan	2,193.2	3,529.6	Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird #61-7958	Beale AFB, USA

Official records versus unofficial

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

SR-71 Blackbird

The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft. It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by the Lockheed Skunk Works. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was responsible for many of the...

holds the official Air Speed Record for a manned airbreathing jet aircraft with a speed of 3,530 km/h (2,193 mph). It was capable of taking off and landing unassisted on conventional runways. The record was set on 28 July 1976 by Eldon W. Joersz and George T. Morgan Jr. near Beale Air Force Base, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, USA.

Although the official record for fastest piston-engined aeroplane in level flight is held by a Grumman F8F Bearcat, the Rare Bear, with a speed of 528.31 mph (850.24 km/h), the unofficial record for fastest piston-engined aeroplane in level flight is a held by a British Hawker Sea Fury

Hawker Sea Fury

The Hawker Sea Fury was a British fighter aircraft developed for the Royal Navy by Hawker during the Second World War. The last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy, it was also one of the fastest production single piston-engined aircraft ever built.-Origins:The Hawker Fury was an...

at 547 mph. Whereas these were both demilitarised, modified fighters, the fastest piston-engined aeroplane in stock (original, factory-built) condition was the German Dornier Do 335

Dornier Do 335

The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil was a World War II heavy fighter built by the Dornier company. The two-seater trainer version was also called Ameisenbär . The Pfeils performance was much better than other twin-engine designs due to its unique "push-pull" layout and the much lower drag of the in-line...

Pfeil, with a maximum speed of 474 mph (765 km/h) in level flight. The unofficial record for fastest piston-engined aeroplane (not in level flight) is held by a Supermarine Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...

Mk IXX, which was calculated to have achieved a speed of 690 mph (1,110 km/h, Mach 0.96) in a dive on 5 February 1952.

For a period of time, during and immediately following World War II, the unpublicised and unofficial speed record of 1004.5 km/h (623.8 mph) set by the Messerschmitt Me 163AV4 (the third prototype) rocket aircraft, on October 2, 1941 was actually the fastest velocity any aircraft had been measured as traveling to that time. That figure, set during wartime when no records were being ratified, was achieved by the Me 163A V4 at altitude rather than sea-level as it had been towed by a Bf 110

Messerschmitt Bf 110

The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...

to set the record. Many record attempts were stated as being "set" after World War II by such aircraft as the Gloster Meteor

Gloster Meteor

The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. It first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force...

, which exceeded the 755 km/h (469 mph) velocity record of the pre-war holder (the Messerschmitt Me 209

Messerschmitt Me 209

|-See also:-Bibliography:* Feist, Uwe. The Fighting Me 109. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1993. ISBN 1-85409-209-X.* Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Fighters, vol. I. London: Hanover House, 1960....

V1 piston-engined aircraft) but the first to actually exceed the Me 163 A V4 claim was the Douglas Skystreak

Douglas Skystreak

The United States Douglas Skystreak was a single-engine jet research aircraft of the 1940s. It was designed in 1945 by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, in conjunction with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics...

on August 20, 1947.

The fastest manned atmospheric vehicle of all time was the Apollo command module as it returned from the moon, reaching speeds of around Mach

Mach number

Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...

30. Although it used the air largely as a brake, it did also achieve a lift to drag ratio of around 0.368 which was used to control the flight trajectory. However this is probably very different from most people's idea of an 'aircraft'.

Other air speed records

Year	Pilot	Airspeed		Aircraft	Comments
Year	Pilot	mph	km/h	Aircraft	Comments
1960	Ivan Soukhomline (USSR)	541.45	871.38	Tupolev Tu-114	Fastest propeller-driven aircraft Fastest propeller-driven aircraft A number of aircraft have claimed to be the fastest propeller-driven aircraft. This article presents the current record holders for several sub-classes of propeller-driven aircraft that hold recognized, documented speed records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale records are the basis for this...
1967	'Pete' Knight	4,510	7,274	North American X-15 North American X-15 The North American X-15 rocket-powered aircraft/spaceplane was part of the X-series of experimental aircraft, initiated with the Bell X-1, that were made for the USAAF/USAF, NACA/NASA, and the USN. The X-15 set speed and altitude records in the early 1960s, reaching the edge of outer space and...	Rocket plane; incapable of breathing air
1981-2011	Multiple	17,500	28,000	Space Shuttle Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...	Speed attained during atmospheric reentry Atmospheric reentry Atmospheric entry is the movement of human-made or natural objects as they enter the atmosphere of a celestial body from outer space—in the case of Earth from an altitude above the Kármán Line,...
August 11, 1986	John Egginton	249.1	400.87	Westland Lynx 800 G-LYNX Westland Lynx The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants...	Fastest helicopter
December 31, 1988	L.P. Krantov	258.8	415	Tupolev Tu-134A Tupolev Tu-134 The Tupolev Tu-134 is a twin-engined airliner, similar to the American Douglas DC-9 and the French Sud Aviation Caravelle, and built in the Soviet Union from 1966–1984. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain other Russian airliners , it can operate from unpaved...	Fastest landing speed record (76 passengers aboard, no one harmed)
August 21, 1989	Lyle Shelton Lyle Shelton Lyle Shelton was an American aviator who set the world's absolute propeller-driven 3-kilometer speed record of 528.329 mph. He won ten Unlimited air races, the most of any pilot, and six national championships, second only to Darryl Greenamyer...	528	850	F8F Bearcat Rare Bear Rare Bear Rare Bear is a highly-modified Grumman F8F Bearcat that dominated the Reno Air Races for decades.-History:The Bearcat that became Rare Bear was a severely damaged wreck when discovered by Lyle Shelton in 1969. It had been abandoned next to a runway in Valparaiso, Indiana after it crashed there,...	Fastest straight-line piston-engined aircraft
November 16, 2004	Unmanned	7,546	12,144	NASA X-43A	Air-launched hypersonic Hypersonic In aerodynamics, a hypersonic speed is one that is highly supersonic. Since the 1970s, the term has generally been assumed to refer to speeds of Mach 5 and above... scramjet Scramjet A scramjet is a variant of a ramjet airbreathing jet engine in which combustion takes place in supersonic airflow...
December 22, 2006	Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann, born 1952 in Neustadt, Germany is a German glider pilot who has established 36 world records approved by FAI. Among these is the record for a free distance flight with up to 3 turn-points by flying 3,009 km from Chapelco Airport at San Martín de los Andes in a Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4... & Matias Garcia Mazzaro	190.6	306.8	Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4DM Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4 The Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4 is a family of high-performance FAI Open Class gliders designed by Klaus Holighaus and manufactured by Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH in Kirchheim, Germany...	Fastest glider (sailplane) Glider (sailplane) A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight... over 500km
September 15, 2010	Kevin Bredenbeck	299	481	Sikorsky X2 Sikorsky X2 The Sikorsky X2 is an experimental compound helicopter with coaxial rotors developed by the American aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. It is considered to be the fastest helicopter ever produced.-Design and development:...	Fastest compound helicopter (unofficial)
12 June 2009	Maurizio Cheli Maurizio Cheli Maurizio Cheli is an Italian engineer, air force officer, a European Space Agency astronaut and a veteran of one NASA space shuttle mission....	155	250	Skyspark	Fastest manned, electric only aircraft.

External links

web site of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...

(FAI)
Speed records time line

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