Aviation History

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

"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...

A Boeing 707 sitting on the tarmac belonging to SABENA Airlines in 1961

A Boeing 707 Death Spiral

The Boeing 707 was one of the first jet powered intercontinental aircraft, it had four engines and one of the most interesting features of the aircraft were it's swept wings and tail surfaces. Spec...

Sabrina Patricia Jackintell (FAI) sitting her Grob G102 Astir CS glider

Sabrina Patricia Jackintell, World Record Holding Aviatrix

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways…Chardonnay in one hand…chocolate in the oth...

Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran, Aviatrix Extraordinaire pilot and entreprenuer

Jacqueline Cochran, Aviatrix Extraordinaire! - Part Two

This is the story of an amazing aviatrix who over her aviation career accomplished more than most pilots do in a lifetime. Follow Jackie as she goes from learning to fly in 1932 to starting her own...

A photograph of Jackie Cochran in 1932 at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, NY from a glass negative

Jacqueline Cochran, Aviatrix Extraordinaire!

Bessie Mae Pittman a/k/a Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran, hairdresser extraordinaire in Saks Fifth Avenue Stores. Meet one of the most interesting female pilots with a career lasting over four decades ...

Buffalo Airways Lockheed L188 Electra aircraft in flight

The Sole Surviver

This is an interesting story about an aircraft accident that occurred over the Amazon jungle and the sole survivor of that accident. The aircraft involved was a Peruvian airline Lockheed Electra L1...

The U-2 "Dragon Lady" in flight on a reconnaisance mission.

Gary Powers and the U-2 Program

The wreckage of the U-2 flown by Gary Powers over the Soviet Union an downed near Sverdlovsk The Aftermath Of The Downing The CIA's first indication that something was wrong with Power's mission oc...

A drawing of a 1930's era standard airway beacon installation.

The Birth Of Instrument Flying

In the early days of aviation, navigating in bad weather presented a real challenge for pilots, resulting in the early demise of many pilots. There were no navigation aids to help pilots easily fin...

Jack Northrop's first flying wing aircraft called the N-1M.

The Flying Wing

Early adoption of the Flying Wing occurred in 1908 but achieved some success in 1940 when Jack Northrop built the N-1M Flying Wing aircraft. Following that success Northrop Aircraft Company went on...

A map of the first US non-stop transcontinental flight in 1923

The First Non-Stop US Transcontinental Flight

In early May of 1923 two Army Air Service lieutenants departed from Long Island, NY en route to San Diego, CA in a Fokker T-2 to complete the first non-stop transcontinental airplane flight. The 26...

A photograph of Lt. JG David S. Ingalls, USN pilot and the very first US Navy Fighter Ace in 1918

The First US Navy Ace

The U.S. Navy has traditionally had a lot of excellent fighter pilots who performed extremely well in World War I, World War II, and in the Vietnam War. But did you know who was the very first U.S....

The Shootdown of Tiger #620

Being a test pilot is a dangerous job sometimes, and unusual events occur on a regular basis. In this case a test pilot shoots himself down but survives.