REAL FACE OF NAWAZ SHARIF

NAWAZ SHARIF TELLS CODEL MCCAIN PAKISTANIS WERE INVOLVED IN MUMBAI

Date: 2008 December 9, 07:43 (Tuesday)
Canonical ID: 08LAHORE315_a
Original Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Current Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
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Character Count: 7768
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Locator: TEXT ONLINE
TAGS:
IN - India | PGOV - Political Affairs--Government; Internal Governmental Affairs | PK - Pakistan | PREL - Political Affairs--External Political Relations | PTER - Political Affairs--Terrorists and Terrorism
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Enclosure: -- Not Assigned --
Type: TE - Telegram (cable)
Office Origin: -- N/A or Blank --
Office Action: -- N/A or Blank --
Archive Status: -- Not Assigned --
From: Pakistan Lahore
Markings: -- Not Assigned --
To:
Afghanistan Kabul | Central Intelligence Agency | India Chennai | India Kolkata | India Mumbai | India New Delhi | Pakistan Islamabad | Pakistan Karachi | Pakistan Lahore | Pakistan Peshawar | Secretary of State
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Consulate Lahore, US DoS. REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 1. (C) Summary: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham December 6 he is convinced Pakistanis were involved in the Mumbai attacks and he would push for strict action against the responsible extremists. Sharif pointed out that he had concluded the Lahore Declaration in 1999 with Indian Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee, and the PMLN has refrained from making India a political issue. McCain noted the enormous political pressures Indian leaders faced and urged Pakistan action against Mumbai attacker, Sharif said he recognized that Pakistan faced the same enemy and committed to work against the extremists. End Summary. Nawaz Sharif Upset About U.S. Support for Musharraf 2. (C) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham December 6 that his party has acted responsibly with the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) to fight terrorism. He recounted that former President Pervez Musharraf had exiled both him and PPP leader Benazir Bhutto, and he was "amazed when President Bush provided his support for a dictator." His party had supported the PPP government until President Asif Zardari failed to honor his commitment to restore the judges dismissed by Musharraf, at which point the PMLN withdrew from the national government.
3. (C) Nawaz Sharif contrasted his approach to India, in which he had signed the Lahore Declaration with Indian Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee to establish a peaceful path to normalization, to Musharraf's strategy, which brought on the confrontation at Kargil, "the biggest blunder he committed," Sharif said. He boasted that his party has refrained from using India as a political tool. "We strongly condemned what happened in India, and want the issue to come to an end," he stated. "If there is any concrete evidence, we must take action." McCain Urges Pakistan to Respond Quickly
4. (C) Senator John McCain underscored that the evidence from the Mumbai attacks indicates the perpetrators came out of Pakistan. "These are facts," he stressed. He described his recent visit to New Delhi, in which he found public opinion "never more aroused." "Unless some concrete steps besides condemning the attacks are taken, you will see concrete action from India," he warned. Specific action from Pakistan, such as dismantling the training camps, will allow the U.S. to help defuse the rapidly escalating tension between the two countries and relieve the pressure on India to respond militarily, he offered.
5. (C) Turning to Afghanistan, McCain noted that the U.S. has achieved "some degree of success against these warring elements." He worried about the viability of the government in Kabul and President Hamid Karzai's lack of popularity and acceptance throughout the country, and recognized that violence has increased because of the sustained presence of the Taliban. He urged Sharif to support Pakistan to work closely together with the U.S. to confront a "common enemy." Sharif Says He Recognizes Terrorist Threat to Pakistan
6. (C) Sharif recounted that during his stints as Prime Minister he offered Pakistan's support for the Gulf War and discussed in great detail with President Clinton how to deal with extremist forces in Afghanistan. "Who could be more committed to fight against terrorism?" he asked. The December 5 bomb in Peshawar and the blast at the Marriott Hotel proved that Pakistan also faced a threat. He was aggrieved over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and he himself had dodged bullets at election rallies. "The people responsible for Bombay are also operating in Pakistan -- we face those forces here," he said. He underlined his commitment to help the government "eradicate this menace."
7. (C) Regarding India, Sharif acknowledged the country's anger, but criticized the Indian media for its "indecent haste" in blaming Pakistan. But he described how he had listened to the phone call made by one of the attackers and even though the individual claimed he was Indian, Sharif heard a Pakistani accent. "The people involved were from this country -- I am convinced," he stated. "We must take strictest action against those elements." Once India produces concrete evidence, "we should proceed whole hog," he declared. McCain Urges Action
8. (C) McCain reiterated that Pakistan must take "specific steps to calm the situation." He explained that because India's government answers to the people, it must respond to the voters' demand to take action. He pointed out that economic development and military assistance to Pakistan is essential to help the country fight terrorism. "I do not want to see a movement in Congress to take measures to reduce assistance," he cautioned. Graham Stresses Rule of Law
9. (C) Senator Graham praised the lawyers movement, and said that he saw an "opportunity for the rule of law to take center stage." He offered that the international community would look favorably on Pakistan if it took decisive action against the terrorists. "If India believes that its neighbor is a safe haven for the people who slaughtered its citizens, it cannot sit on the sidelines," he observed. Instead of working on the Kashmir issue through the Lashker-e-Taiba, he urged Pakistan to use legal measures to defeat the terrorists. Assimilating the tribal areas legally might also help eliminate a source of tension within Pakistan, he thought. On Afghanistan, he noted that President-elect Obama intended to win the war, and he emphasized that the U.S. considered Pakistan a long-term partner. PMLN Party Members Question Evidence
10. (C) Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudry Nasir Ali Khan recalled that by asserting Pakistan's sovereignty during the presidential campaign, McCain had reversed the impression in Pakistan that he would prolong President Bush's policies. Chaudry Nasir highlighted the need for the U.S. to sway public opinion and clarify its stance on the restoration of the judiciary. "You must decide whether the U.S. wants to fight through cronies or genuine friends," he stated. The U.S. has compromised Pakistan's sovereignty and signed a nuclear treaty with India, which has turned sentiment in Pakistan away from the U.S. "There is an across the board consensus on action, but not until proof is put forward," he said. Nasir emphasized that the government can't move without popular support. Senator McCain agreed that public opinion is key. - - - McCain Stresses Action
11. (C) McCain said that he would urge the Indian government to turn over any evidence it has found. "We are in a race against time," he pressed, and warned that military action would cause even greater loss of life. "The purpose of those attacks was to cause armed conflict between India and Pakistan, and they could succeed," he counseled.
12. (C) Comment: Importantly, the Sharifs did not push back against Senator McCain's assertions that the Lashkar-eTaiba was responsible for the Mumbai attacks. The issue will be whether he can take the high road and support a government crackdown on LeT as he did in private.
CLINT TAYLOR

EDUCATION AND SKILLS IN DIGITAL AGE - EVERY HOME A UNIQUE WORLD CLASS UNIVERSITY – HOW

PLAYLIST TO HELP IN SKILLS, CLICK AND LISTEN TO BURUSHASKI DUA, HOW, CENTERS IN GB, LIVING DOCUMENT, EXPLORE THE WORLD OF HIGHER EDUCATION, SPEECH BY MHI, UNESCO REPORT
PhD, RELATED

A knowledge society refers to a society in which the creation, dissemination, and use of knowledge play a central role in economic, political, and cultural life. It is characterized by an increased reliance on information and communication technologies and the ability of individuals to access, process, and use the information to improve their lives. The knowledge society values education, innovation, and the exchange of ideas, and seeks to create conditions that support the development and application of new knowledge to solve problems and meet human needs.

In the digital age world class education as well as skills are universally accessible as such depending on BRICK and MORTAR facilities of questionable standards will fail to prepare competitive HR for a global world. There is definite need for reorientation towards methods and facilities made accessible by technology.

Welcome development, Chinese establish three state of the art lifelong learning centers and open universities in Hunza towards development of HR in the global world. Propose the LSOs in the area must motivate populations to avail these facilities, also name these centers in the context of dedicated individuals of their respective regions. In Altit, I propose the center be named GHULAMUDDIN LIFELONG LEARNING CENTER AND OPEN UNIVERSITY.
I am willing to train all TKN volunteers towards effective utilization of these facilities as these are steps towards attainment of three of the four D. J. Goals.
Readers can visit the following post to get a better idea of my advocacy:

1. OUTERNET SATELLITE.

2.   DO ITYOUR SELF RECEIVER - First step towards technology.
a. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY0hvWsH-mg

http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-ETCHING-TONER-TRANSFER-METHOD-1/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

3.  HOME DISPLAY

4.  HOME VIDEO

My advocacy revolves around acquiring a specialty commensurate with God gifted APTITUDE by each seeker of knowledge/skill. In this age it has become totally accessible and it is MEANS BLIND. You can do all the Courses at home; despite non availability of internet and public electrical supply, copy on USB from server in SASLLC/Open University Baltit:

KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY INITIATIVE - Life Long Learning Centers for Developing Human Resources through free World Class Education at the Doorsteps

This community based self-help project has been initiated to provide world class education/skills, from ECD to UNIVERSITY, as well as free medical cover to all populations in our region. I expect that many of you will participate in this endeavor through the LSO/VO/WO/Government sponsored schools and health units of various descriptions located close to your home.
STRATEGY

Multifaceted Proposal towards “Knowledge Society”:

Many of the VO/WO's in our region have savings running into a few million each. Rs. 50,000/00 safe investment in a project doable in seven days can be accomplished to provide electricity for 3 to 4 hours each day and a single distant learning/telemedicine station (DATA DRIVEN HEALTH CARE) to a cluster of ten households. Idea demonstration project running in Khurukushal khan WO under BRSO since 2013. This can be replicated in each of WO/VO without waiting for external inputs.

TELEMEDICINE

One of the options:

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MUST SEE POST: KHURUKUSHAL, BETTER FUTURE - REORIENTATION 

 KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY, SOLAR ENERGY, SKILLS, ROAD-MAP

Heavier than air; 1853–1947 - NOSTALGIA OF AN AVIATOR

Otto Lilienthal in mid-flight, c. 1895.

First glider flights

First glider flight: In 1853, a glider designed by George Cayley first flew. One report gives John Appleby as the pilot.[31][32][33]

First photographed manned glider flight: Otto Lilienthal, in 1891.[34]

First flight in a powered airplane:

The Wright brothers are widely regarded as the inventors of the first fixed-wing aircraft to achieve sustained, controlled flight, the Wright Flyer. Orville Wright made the first successful flight in this aircraft on December 17, 1903, travelling 120 feet (37 m) at a speed of 6.8 mph (10.9 km/h).[35]

On October 9, 1890, Clément Ader flew uncontrolled for approximately 50 m (160 ft) in the steam-powered Éole.[36]

Gustave Whitehead claimed a flight on August 14, 1901, which was described in detail in a contemporary newspaper article.[37] His claims are dismissed by many aviation historians, as are those of persons who stated decades later that they saw short flights.[38][39]

Richard Pearse is said to have flown a fixed-wing aircraft several hundred meters on March 31, 1903. Pearse himself later denied this claim.[40] Several persons stated decades later that they witnessed or were told of short flights or hops by Pearse in 1903 prior to December, the month the Wrights flew.[41]

First circular flight by a powered airplane: Wilbur Wright flew 4,080 feet (1,244 m) in about a minute and a half on September 20, 1904.[42]

First heavier-than-air flight of more than 25 meters in Europe: On October 23, 1906, Alberto Santos-Dumont, flew a distance of 60 metres (200 ft) in his 14-bis at the Chateau de Bagatelle, Paris, winning the Archdeacon Prize.[43]

First flight certified and registered by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI): On November 12, 1906, in the presence of official observers from the newly founded FAI, Alberto Santos Dumont flew his 14-bis a distance of 220 metres (720 ft) at the Chateau de Bagatelle, Paris.[44]

First airplane passenger:

Léon Delagrange, with pilot Henri Farman, on March 29, 1908.[45]

Charles Furnas, Wright Company mechanic, in a Wright Flyer III flown by Wilbur Wright on May 14, 1908.[46][47]

First person to die in a crash of a powered airplane: Thomas Etholen Selfridge, a passenger on an aircraft piloted by Orville Wright which crashed at Fort Myer on September 17, 1908.[48] Wright was badly injured, and was hospitalised for seven weeks.

First ditching of an airplane in the sea: Hubert Latham, while attempting to complete the first powered flight across the English Channel on July 19, 1909, instead became the first person to perform a water landing when his aircraft suffered engine failure.[49]

First airplane flight across the English Channel: Louis Blériot crossed the Channel on July 25, 1909,[50] winning the Daily Mail prize of £1,000.[51]

First woman to earn a pilot license: Raymonde de Laroche on March 8, 1910.[52][53]

First documented and witnessed seaplane flight under power from water's surface: Henri Fabre, piloting the Fabre Hydravion, at Martigues, France, on March 28, 1910.[54]

First Chief of State to fly on an airplane: Ferdinand I of Bulgaria was a passenger in an aircraft flown by Jules de Laminne on July 15, 1910, during a visit in Belgium.[55]

First mid-air collision between two airplanes: An Antoinette monoplane, piloted by Rene Thomas, rammed Bertram Dickson's Farman biplane on October 1, 1910.[56][57]

First shipboard take-off and landing by an airplane: Eugene Burton Ely, in a Curtiss pusher, took off from a temporary platform aboard light cruiser USS Birmingham on November 14, 1910.[58] Ely was also the first to land an airplane on a ship, touching down on a temporary platform aboard armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania on January 11, 1911.[59]

The first non-stop flight from London to Paris: Pierre Prier on 12 April 1911 in 3 hours and 56 minutes.[60]

First woman to die in a crash of a powered airplane: Denise Moore, on July 21, 1911.[61]

First flight across the Continental Divide of the Americas: Cromwell Dixon flew over the Rocky Mountains in a Curtiss pusher on September 30, 1911, reaching an altitude of 7,100 feet.[62]

Armour Company poster showing the Vin Fiz transcontinental flight route, autumn 1911

First transcontinental flight across North America: Calbraith Perry Rodgers piloted the Wright Model EX pusher biplane, the Vin Fiz Flyer through a seventy-plus-stop cross-country flight from his departure from Sheepshead Bay, New York on September 17, 1911, flying westwards across the United States to arrive in Long Beach, California by December 10, 1911.[63]

First parachute jump from an airplane:

Grant Morton, according to some sources, jumped from a Wright Model B over Venice, California, in 1911.[64][65]

Albert Berry jumped from a Benoist biplane over Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, on March 1, 1912.[66] Berry is generally considered to have been the first to jump from an airplane, notwithstanding Morton's claim.[64]

First woman to fly across the English Channel: Harriet Quimby flew from Dover to Hardelot-Plage on April 16, 1912.[67]

First airplane flight across the Irish Sea: Denys Corbett Wilson took off from Goodwick in Wales in his Bleriot XI and landed at Enniscorthy in Ireland 100 minutes later, on April 22, 1912.[68]

First take-off by an airplane from a moving ship: Commander Charles R. Samson took off from a temporary platform aboard battleship HMS Hibernia in a Short Improved S.27 No. 38, on May 9, 1912.[69]

First bombing attack against a surface ship: Didier Masson and Captain Joaquín Bauche Alcalde, flying for Mexican Revolutionist Venustiano Carranza, dropped dynamite bombs on Federalist gunboats at Guaymas, Mexico, on May 10, 1913.[70]

First air drop of propaganda leaflets: Didier Masson, flying for the Mexican Revolutionist Venustiano Carranza, post May 10, 1913.[70]

First pilot to fly a loop: Pyotr Nesterov in a Nieuport IV, on September 9, 1913.[71]

First flight across the Mediterranean Sea: Roland Garros flew from the South of France to Tunisia, on September 23, 1913.[72]

First dogfight: Dean Ivan Lamb (flying a Curtiss pusher) and Phil Rader (in a Christopherson biplane) fired pistol shots at each other while airborne, during the Siege of Naco, Mexico. This incident took place sometime around November/December 1913; the exact date is unknown.[73]

First scheduled commercial flight using winged aircraft: On January 1, 1914, Tony Jannus piloted the inaugural flight of the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line with a Benoist XIV biplane flying-boat, carrying former St. Petersburg mayor Abraham C. Pheill as its first paying passenger. The flight from St. Petersburg to Tampa took 23 minutes, and was repeated twice daily, six days a week, until May 5, 1914.[74]

First flights by a mostly-metal aircraft: In May 1914, Vlaicu III, an aircraft with metal body and canvas wings, was completed in Romania and managed to fly a distance of 200–300 meters at an altitude of 2 meters.[75]

First flight across the North Sea: On July 30, 1914, Tryggve Gran flew from Cruden Bay in Scotland to Jæren in Norway, a distance of 320 miles (510 km), in 4 hours and 10 minutes.[76]

First aircraft intentionally downed by another aircraft: A Russian Morane-Saulnier G flown by Pyotr Nesterov rammed an Austrian Albatros B.II reconnaissance aircraft operated by observer Baron Friedrich von Rosenthal and pilot Franz Malina from FLIK 11 on September 7, 1914. Both aircraft were destroyed and all three individuals died.[77]

First aircraft to shoot down another aircraft: A French Voisin III, piloted by Sergeant Joseph Frantz and Corporal Louis Quénault, engaged a German Aviatik B.II near Rheims on October 5, 1914. After expending all of his machine-gun ammunition, Quénault shot the German pilot (Wilhelm Schlichting) with his rifle, causing the Aviatik to crash.[78]

First shooting down of a military aircraft with ground-to-air fire: During Italo-Turkish War in 1912 Turks shot an aeroplane by rifle.[79]

First shooting down of a military aircraft with ground-to-air artillery fire: Serbian Army private Radoje Ljutovac shot an Austro-Hungarian aircraft with a cannon on 30 September 1915, during a bombing raid on Kragujevac.[80][81]

First female military pilot: Eugenie Mikhailovna Shakhovskaya was a reconnaissance pilot in the Imperial Russian Air Service, having been ordered to active service on November 19, 1914.[82]

The actual E.5/15 aircraft used by Wintgens in his pioneering aerial engagement on July 1, 1915, as it appeared at the time of the engagement.

First aerial victory for a fighter aircraft armed with a forward-firing synchronized machine gun: Leutnant Kurt Wintgens of the Deutsches Heer's Fliegertruppe air service, while serving with its Feldflieger Abteilung 6b squadron flying a production prototype (M.5K/MG) of the Fokker E.I Eindecker, downed a French Morane-Saulnier L "Parasol" near Lunéville, France, on July 1, 1915.[83][84]

First female fighter pilot: According to Guinness World Records, Sabiha Gökçen.[85] However, others such as Marie Marvingt in 1915 [86][87] or Eugenie Mikhailovna Shakhovskaya[88][89][90] preceded her as military pilots in other roles, probably without a military academy enrollment.

First aerial torpedo attack on a ship: Charles Edmonds, flying a Short 184, torpedoed and sunk a Turkish supply ship in the Sea of Marmara on August 12, 1915. The ship was abandoned, having been crippled by a British submarine four days earlier.[91][92]

First combat search and rescue by airplane: Richard Bell Davies rescued a comrade who had been shot down in Bulgaria on November 19, 1915.[93]

First medical evacuation (medevac) by air: Louis Paulhan evacuated the seriously ill Milan Stefanik from the Serbian front in 1915.[94]

First black military pilot: Ahmet Ali Çelikten a.k.a. Arap Ahmet Ali was the first black military pilot in the history, served in Ottoman Aviation Squadrons from 1914 or 1915.[95][96][97] His grandmother came from Bornu (now in Nigeria) to the Ottoman Empire as a slave.[70][98]

The Junkers J 1, the world's first airworthy all-metal aircraft (1915-16)

First flights by an all-metal aircraft: The Junkers J 1 pioneering all-metal demonstrator aircraft was flown on several flight trials starting on 12 December 1915 through to 19 January 1916, by both Gefreiter Paul Arnold and Leutnant Theodor Mallinckrodt on separate occasions, with the J 1 attaining altitudes up to 900 meters (3,000 ft) and airspeeds up to 170 km/h (110 mph).[99]

First landing by an airplane on a moving ship: Squadron Commander Edwin Dunning, in a Sopwith Pup, landed on HMS Furious on August 2, 1917.[100]

First flight by an airplane across the Andes: Luis Candelaria flew from Zapala, Argentina, to Cunco, Chile, on April 13, 1918; reaching an altitude of 4,000 meters.[101]

First flight across the Andes for its top mountains, Chile - Argentina: Teniente Dagoberto Godoy, on December 12, 1918. Made the crossing on a Bristol M.1C and was awarded by a bi-national Chilean-Argentinian prize. Reach an altitude of more 6.300 meters, without oxygen supply.

First non-stop transatlantic flight: Alcock and Brown flew a modified Vickers Vimy from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Clifden, Ireland, on June 14–15, 1919. They were awarded a Daily Mail prize of £10,000, and both men were knighted by King George V.[102]

First England to Australia flight: Keith Macpherson Smith and Ross Macpherson Smith (plus mechanics Sergeant W.H. (Wally) Shiers and J.M. (Jim) Bennett) completed the journey from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome to Darwin in a Vickers Vimy on December 10, 1919, winning a prize of £A10,000.[103]

First African-American woman to obtain a pilot's license: Bessie Coleman on June 15, 1921.[104]

First aerial crossing of the South Atlantic: Artur de Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho flew from Lisbon, Portugal, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between March 30 and June 17, 1922.[105] The first to use astronomical navigation (and to rely solely on it during the crossing), with an artificial horizon for aeronautical use.[106][107]

First aerial refueling: An Airco DH.4B biplane of the United States Army Air Service successfully refuelled another DH.4B in mid-air on June 27, 1923.[108]

First Portugal to China flight: Sarmento de Beires and Brito Pais flew from Vila Nova de Milfontes, Alentejo, to Canton, between April 7 and June 20, 1924.[109][110]

First solo non-stop transatlantic flight: Charles Lindbergh, flying the Spirit of St. Louis, made the 33-hour journey from New York to Paris on May 20–21, 1927, winning the Orteig Prize.[111]

First transpacific flight from U.S. mainland to Hawaii: U.S. Army lieutenants Albert Francis Hegenberger and Lester J. Maitland flew from California to Hawaii in the Bird of Paradise, a C-2 transport, on June 28–29, 1927.[112]

First female airline pilot: Marga von Etzdorf (de) was hired by Lufthansa in 1927.[113] One year later, Mary, Lady Heath, was hired by KLM.

First transpacific flight to Australia: Charles Kingsford Smith and crew, in the Southern Cross, flew from Oakland, California, to Brisbane, Australia, between May 31 and June 9, 1928.[114]

First woman to fly across the Atlantic (as passenger): Amelia Earhart was flown by Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon, in a Fokker F.VII, from Trepassey, Newfoundland, to Burry Port, Wales, on June 17, 1928.[115]

First successful trans-Tasman flight: Charles Kingsford Smith and crew, in the Southern Cross, flew from Richmond, New South Wales, to Christchurch, New Zealand, on September 9–10, 1928, becoming the first airplane pilots to successfully cross the Tasman Sea.[116]

First solo trans-Tasman flight: Guy Menzies, flying an Avro Avian named the Southern Cross Junior, took off from Sydney on January 7, 1931, and crash-landed in a swamp near Hari Hari, New Zealand, nearly twelve hours later.[117]

First nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean: Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon flew from Samushiro, Japan, to Wenatchee, Washington, on October 4–5, 1931. The journey took 41 hours, 13 minutes.[118]

First female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean: Amelia Earhart, in a Lockheed Vega 5B, flew from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, to Culmore, Ireland, on May 20, 1932.[119]

First successful single-lift rotor helicopter: Alexei Cheremukhin and Boris Yuriev's TsAGI-1EA, which flew to a record altitude of 605 meters (1,985 ft) on August 14, 1932.[120][121]

First flight over the world's highest peak, Mount Everest: Lord Clydesdale and David McIntyre, in Westland's PV-3 and PV-6 respectively, flew over Everest on April 3, 1933.[122]

First flight by a liquid-fueled rocket-powered aircraft: The Heinkel He 176, piloted by Erich Warsitz, made its maiden flight on June 20, 1939.[123]

First flight by a turbojet-powered aircraft: The Heinkel He 178, piloted by Erich Warsitz, made its maiden flight on August 27, 1939.[124]

First aerial combat engagement with a jet fighter: The Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a twin-jet fighter, Werknummer (serial number) 130 017 flown by Leutnant Alfred Schreiber, serving with the Ekdo 262 service test unit at Lechfeld Air Base, Bavaria, engaged an RAF de Havilland Mosquito twin-piston engined reconnaissance aircraft of 540 Squadron on July 26, 1944, in an inconclusive combat sortie.[125]

First combat sortie by any rocket-powered military aircraft: The Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet interceptor aircraft of I. Gruppe/JG 400 from Brandis in Germany on July 28, 1944.[126]

Heavier than air; 1947–present[edit]

First human to break the sound barrier: Chuck Yeager first exceeded the speed of sound in level flight in a Bell X-1 on October 14, 1947.[127]

First nonstop around-the-world flight: B-50A Superfortress Lucky Lady II, commanded by Capt. James Gallagher, flew around the world from 26 February to 2 March 1949, taking off and landing at Carswell AFB, Texas. The Superfortress refuelled inflight four times from KB-29M tankers.[128]

First British all-female airline flight crew: An all-female crew, captained by Caroline Frost, flew for British Air Ferries from Southend to Düsseldorf on October 31, 1977.[129]

First supersonic scheduled passenger flights: Concorde, the world's first supersonic passenger transport, made two simultaneous maiden flights – from London to Bahrain, and from Paris to Rio de Janeiro – on January 21, 1976.[130]

First non-stop, un-refueled fixed-wing aircraft flight around the Earth: Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, aboard the Rutan Model 76 Voyager, December 14–23, 1986. The flight took 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds.[130]

First deployment of an FAA-certified whole-plane parachute recovery system: Scott D. Anderson successfully flew all 7 inflight test deployments of the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The tests were done in a Cirrus SR20 during the summer of 1998; the plane became type certified in October of that year.[131][132][133]

First solo non-stop fixed-wing aircraft flight around the Earth: Steve Fossett flew from Salina, Kansas, eastbound and back, on a Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, between February 28 and March 3, 2005, taking a total time of 67 hours.[134]

First piloted overnight solar-powered flight in a fixed-wing aircraft: Andre Borschberg piloted the Solar Impulse 1 for a continuous flight of more than 24 hours, between 7 July and 8 July 2010.[135]

First piloted non-stop solar-powered transatlantic flight: Bertrand Piccard flew from New York City to Seville in the Solar Impulse 2 between 20 June and 23 June 2016.[136]

First circumnavigation of the world by a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar power: Solar Impulse 2 between March 2015 and July 2016; Borschberg and Piccard alternated piloting stages of the journey.[137]