April 3 in aviation: the first flight over Everest, the first flight of the Airbus A310 aircraft.
On April 3, 1933, two British aircraft, Westland PV-3 and Westland PV-6, made their first flight over Mount Everest. The two pilots, Sir Douglas Douglas-Hamilton and David McIntyre, took off at 08:25 AM from Lalbalu Aerodrome and returned at 11:30 AM, making the first flight over the highest mountain peak on the planet. . The flight was funded by Lady Douglas and organized by Aviation Officer Stewart Blacker. The aircraft were transported by boat to Karachi, and then flew to Purnea. This flight was a landmark in the evolution of aviation technology and high-altitude photography.
Other aviation events on April 3.
BOAC introduced the first weekly service to Tokyo.
On April 3, 1953, BOAC introduced the first weekly service to Tokyo, using a jet plane from Havilland Comet for these flights.
Qantas introduced the first "tourist class" services.
On April 3, 1954, Qantas introduced the first "tourist class" services on its route from Sydney to London.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 prototype crashed in the Mojave Desert
On April 3, 1980, the Bombardier Challenger 600 prototype crashed in the Mojave Desert of California. In the accident, the pilot was killed.
The first flight of the Airbus A310
On April 3, 1982, the first Airbus A310 flight took place. Airbus A310 was a wide-body aircraft, designed and manufactured by Airbus Industries, then a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers. Airbus demanded a smaller aircraft than the A300, the first twin-engine aircraft. On 7 July 1978, the A310 (originally A300B10) was launched, with the first orders being received from Swissair and Lufthansa. On April 3, 1982, the first prototype made its first flight and received zbpr certification on March 11, 1983.
An Antonov An-28 operated by Blue Wing Airlines crashed in Suriname.
On April 3, 2008, a plane crash occurred in Suriname, when an Antonov An-28, operated by Blue Wing Airlines, crashed near Benzdorp. All 19 people on board the aircraft were killed.
A Canadair CL-415 plane landed "on its stomach" at Quebec Airport.
On March 3, 2009, an aircraft operated by Quebec Service Aérien, a Canadair CL-415 (C-GQBG), landed "on its belly" at Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec (Canada) and suffered substantial damage.