This week in Edwards flight test history Published Dec. 1, 2016 412th Test Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- On Nov. 28, 1956, the Ryan X-13 Vertijet made the world’s first jet vertical transition flight. Following a horizontal takeoff, test pilot Pete Girard put the test airplane into a vertical hover and then recovered flying speed for a conventional landing. This Edwards History Office file photo was captured at South Base on Oct. 24, 1956, during a vertical takeoff test.