Flight Altitude Record - Fixed-wing Aircraft

Fixed-wing Aircraft

Year Date Altitude Person Aircraft Propulsion Notes
Imperial Metric
1890 October 8 8 in 20 cm Clément Ader Éole propeller First true aeroplane, yet uncontrolled
1903 December 17 10 ft 3 m Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright Wright Flyer propeller Photographed and witnessed unofficially.
1906 October 23 10 ft 3 m Alberto Santos-Dumont 14-bis propeller First officially witnessed and certified flight.
1906 November 12 13 ft 4 m Alberto Santos-Dumont 14-bis propeller
1908 December 18 360 ft 110 m Wilbur Wright Biplane propeller at Auovors
1909 July 492 ft 150 m Louis Paulhan Farman propeller Douai Air Show
1909 3,018 ft 920 m Louis Paulhan Farman propeller Lyon
1910 January 9 4,164 ft 1,269 m Louis Paulhan Farman propeller Los Angeles air meet
1910 June 17 4,603 ft 1,403 m Walter Brookins Wright biplane propeller
1910 October 30 8,471 ft 2,582 m Ralph Johnstone Wright biplane propeller
1915 January 5 11,950 ft 3,640 m Joseph Eugene Carberry Curtiss Model E propeller
1916 November 9 26,083 ft 7,950 m Guido Guidi Caudron G.4 propeller
1920 February 27 33,113 ft 10,093 m Major Rudolf Schroeder LUSAC-11 propeller
1921 September 18 34,508 ft 10,518 m Lieutenant John Arthur Macready LUSAC-11 propeller
1923 September 5 35,250 ft 10,740 m Joseph Sadi Lecointe propeller
1923 October 30 36,600 ft 11,200 m Joseph Sadi Lecointe propeller
1930 June 4 43,168 ft 13,158 m Lieutenant Apollo Soucek, USN Wright Apache propeller
1932 September 16 43,976 ft 13,404 m Cyril Uwins Vickers Vespa propeller
1933 September 28 44,819 ft 13,661 m Gustave Lemoine Potez 50 propeller
1934 April 11 47,354 ft 14,433 m Renato Donati Caproni Ca.113 propeller
1936 August 14 48,698 ft 14,843 m Georges Détré Potez 506 propeller highest with no pressure suit
1936 September 28 49,967 ft 15,230 m Squadron Leader Francis Ronald Swain Bristol Type 138 propeller
1938 June 30 53,937 ft 16,440 m M. J. Adam Bristol Type 138 propeller
1938 October 22 56,850 ft 17,330 m Lieutenant Colonel Mario Pezzi Caproni Ca.161 manned propeller biplane record to date
1953 May 4 63,668 ft 19,406 m Walter Frame Gibb English Electric Canberra B.2 Turbojet fitted with two Rolls-Royce Olympus engines.
1953 Dec 12 74,200 ft 22,600 m Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager Bell X-1A Payload Deployed Rocket Plane Powered by the XLR-11 liquid fuel rocket engine.
1955 August 29 65,876 ft 20,079 m Walter Frame Gibb English Electric Canberra B.2 Turbojet Olympus powered.
1956 September 7 126,283 ft 38,491 m Iven Kincheloe Bell X-2 Payload Deployed Rocket Plane
1957 August 28 70,310 ft 21,430 m Mike Randrup English Electric Canberra B.2 Turbojet/rocket with Scorpion Rocket Motor
1958 April 18 76,939 ft 23,451 m Lieutenant Commander George C. Watkins F11F-1F Tiger Turbojet
1959 December 6 98,557 ft 30,040 m Commander Lawrence E. Flint, Jr. McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Turbojet
1959 December 14 103,389 ft 31,513 m Capt "Joe" B. Jordan F-104 Starfighter | J79 Turbojet The F-104 was the first aircraft to simultaneously hold the world speed and altitude records.
1962 July 17 59.6 mi 95.9 km Robert Michael White X-15 rocket
1963 July 19 65.8 mi 105.9 km Joseph Albert Walker X-15 rocket
1963 August 22 66.9 mi 107.7 km Joseph Albert Walker X-15 rocket
1973 July 25 108,720 ft 33.14 km A. Fedotov Soviet Ye-266 Jet plane record Under Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) classification the Ye-155 type
1977 August 31 123,520 ft 37.65 km A. Fedotov Soviet Ye-266 Jet plane record Under Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) classification the Ye-155 type
1995 August 4 60,897 ft 18,561 m Grob Strato 2C manned propeller monoplane record to date
2001 August 14 96,863 ft 29,524 m Unmanned NASA Helios HP01 propeller solar-electric aircraft — record for non-rocket plane
2004 October 4 69.6 mi 112.0 km Brian Binnie SpaceShipOne rocket plane

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