Aviation History

A "Ferret" Mission

I had the honor of serving in the USAF from 1960 through 1965 as a Russian Linguist. This was during one of the most interesting periods in the history of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Most c...

Up, Up and Away

Who among us has not thought, if not dreamed, of becoming a pilot? Those of us who did dream of flying can't help but turn our gaze skyward when we hear an airplane passing overhead. What thoughts ...

The First Cold War Crisis

The Berlin airlift of 1948-1949 was a test of the will of the Allies in the face of strong Soviet interference with the Marshall Plan and access to Berlin. Not to be intimidated nor deterred, the A...

The World's First Transpolar Flight

From June 18, 1937, through June 20, 1938, the first transpolar flight occurred when a Soviet-era ANT-25 aircraft, crewed by three Russians, flew from Moscow to Vancouver, WA, across the North Pole...

Alvin Swauger White, North American Aviation Test Pilot

Alvin S. White was the Pilot in Command of the XB-70 on June 8, 1966, when it was involved in an accident that ended the XB-70 program. Al White was a talented experimental aircraft test pilot with...

Valkyrie Down: The Unsolved Mystery

Perhaps the most beautiful aircraft ever built was the North American Aviation B-70 Valkyrie bomber. This incredible bomber was designed to outrun any Soviet fighter jet by speeding along at Mach 3...

Can You Safely Eject From An SR-71 At Speed And Altitude And Survive?

Flying the SR-71 was not only a lot of fun for the pilots but presented them with some real danger should something go wrong. So, could they survive ejecting from an SR-71 at 85,000 feet plus and M...

The Outside Loop

Whenever the name Jimmy Doolittle comes up, the first thought that occurs to us is the raid over Tokyo in World War II. On that date, the United States launched 16 B-25 bombers from the deck of the...

The Age Of Helicopter Airlines

Clarence Belinn formed the first helicopter airline in 1947, flying mail from the roof of the post office at LAX. In 1954 Los Angeles Airways began operations carrying passengers from LAX airport t...

Amy, Wonderful Amy

I have always been fascinated by airplanes, and on February 25, 1961, I took my first flight in an Aeronca 7AC (N2778E) in San Angelo, Texas. That flight was the culmination of my dream of flying, ...

The Flying Debutante

A privileged young girl learns to fly while attending college, without her parent's knowledge, and becomes famous for setting several world records for women in the 1930s. Discover the famous Flyin...

Yuri Gagarin, The First Man In Space

On April 12th, 1961, a Soviet Vostok-1 rocket launched the first man into Earth orbit, becoming the first man in space. Yuri Gagarin slips the surly bonds of Earth to become the first human in spac...