Aviation History

Operation Firewall

On December 12, 1957, USAF Major Adrian E. Drew set a new  Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) absolute speed record over the 15/25 kilometer course at Edwards Air Force Base, California. ...

Eric "Winkle" Brown, Test Pilot Extraordinaire

Read the story of Eric "Winkle" Brown, Test Pilot Extraordinaire, also known as a pilot who was simply "the right stuff." Winkle is best known for being the first pilot to takeoff and land a jet ai...

Hero of the Soviet Union

Andrey Borisovich Yumashev, pilot and military veteran, set a number of aviation records in the mid-1930s and thrusting the USSR into the limelight of aviation feats. His reward: He was made a Hero...

The Start of the Age of Aerial Combat

On the 5th of October, 1914, the first air to air dog fight occurred between a French Voisin III aircraft and a German Aviatik B.II aircraft. The air battle took place over France during World War...

The Death Dodger Pilot

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...

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.

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...

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...

The Freeman Field Mutiny

In 1945 a group of 101 African-American Officers challenged the "Separate But Equal" view of their base commander, resulting in the The Freeman Field Mutiny.

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...

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...

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...