Aviation History

Albert Scott Crossfield, Jr., Aeronautical Engineer and Test Pilot, 1921–2006.

This is the story of The Death Dodger Pilot, A. Scott Crossfield Jr. He became the first man to fly an airplane at twice the speed of sound (Mach 2), and had an illustrious career in aviation as bo...

Major Richard Ira Bong, United States Army Air Forces, Medal of Honor recepient.

The "Ace of Aces"

During World War II the air war was necessary to win to protect the troops on the ground. Of the many pilots swho became Aces (pilot with 5 or more aerial combat victories) arose a phenomenal pilot...

Kenneth Hunter makes repairs to the “City of Chicago” in mid-flight during their world record setting flight of 23 days.

Twenty-Three Days In The Air

In 1930 four brothers worked together to set a world endurance record for flying an airplane non-stop for 553 hours, 41 minutes and 30 seconds in a 1927 Stinson SM-1 "Detroiter" aircraft.

A UH-1 helicopter on a landing pad in Vietnam

Helicopters Over Vietnam

On Novmber 9, 1967, a rescue helicopter crew heard a call for help while on their way back to base. Tired, weary, and heading home, the crew decided it was more important to help their fellow soldi...

Lieutenant Byron Quinby Jones, Aviation Section, Signal Corps, United States Army.

Byron Q. Jones Aviator and Inventor

Byron Quinby Jones was a major contributer to the begginings of the U.S. Air Force starting back in 1913. Among his many accomplishments were to be the first military pilot to stall an aircraft and...

An F-105F Thud Wild Weasel preparing for Rolling Thunder in Vietnam 1960s

The Wild Weasel III

The F-105G Wild Weasels provide highly effective in suppressing SAM and AAA sites in North Vietnam, but not without a cost. The Wild Weasel crews were under constant danger from SAM missles and Fla...

Lt. Lester J. Maitland, pilot, and Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger, navigator, chosen to successfully cross the Pacific to Hawaii

The Hegenberger System

A young aeronautical engineering US Army Air Corps pilot devised an ingenious system to guide aircraft down through inlement weather to a safe landing. His system was called the "Hegenberger System...

Clarence Leonard "Kelly" Johnson, Aircraft Designer Extraordinaire

A Skunk Of A Different Kind!

Aviation history is replete with incredible men and women who brought to life the amazing world of aviation. Among them was an incredible aeronautical engineeer who designed and built some of the m...

The B-24D, Liberator, Serial Number 41-11819, named "Raunchy", landing at Benghazi, Libya 1943

The Disappearance of the "Lady Be Good"

On April 4, 1943, a Consolidated B-24D Liberator with a crew of 9 departed an airfield in Libya on a night mission to bomb Naples, Italy. Discover the story of how the aircraft and crew disappeared...

Operation Baby Lift

Operation Baby Lift was a humanitarian effort undertaken by the US government to save South Vietnamese orphans from the North Vietnamese. Like so many other government programs, this one did not en...

The History Of Mountaineering and Aviation

In 1933 a British Expedition to photograph Mount Everest from an airplane was undertaken to map the mountain to help determine a possible route to the summit. It required exceptional pilots and air...

“MiG Sweep,” by Keith Ferris. Colonel Robin Olds uses a Vector Roll to gain firing position on a MiG-21 fighter.

OPERATION BOLO

"Mig Sweep" painting by Keith Ferris This painting is a depiction of the McDonnell F-4C21-MC Phantom II depicting the aircraft making a Vector Roll to gain a firing position on an enemy North Vietn...