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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-doolittle-blind-flight

In 1929, Jimmy Doolittle became the first pilot to do what?

Fly "blind" using instruments alone, from takeoff to landing.

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  1. Fly faster than sound
  2. Take off, fly and land using only instruments ✔
  3. Fly around the world

Why: Doolittle took off, flew a course and landed without looking outside, using only his instruments. That proved pilots could fly safely in clouds and fog. It led to the instrument flying used by airliners today.

Huh, didn't know that: Doolittle also earned one of the first doctorates in aeronautics from MIT, in 1925.

The dad joke
Why did Doolittle fly blind? He wanted to see if he could do it without seeing.
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References

Answer: Take off, fly and land using only instruments. Doolittle took off, flew a course and landed without looking outside, using only his instruments. That proved pilots could fly safely in clouds and fog. It led to the instrument flying used by airliners today.

  1. CAP Achievement 6, Doolittle page www.gocivilairpatrol.com/programs/cadets/stripes-to-diamonds/doolittle
    being the first airman to fly "blind," using instruments alone
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. FAA: 100 Years of Sustained Power Flight History www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/education/educators/curriculum/k12/K-12_One_Hundred_Years_of_Sustained_Flight.pdf
    returns to point of departure solely by instrument readings
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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