Aviation History

Douglas C-1 Transport Aircraft
The first production aircraft of the Douglas Aircraft Company was the Douglas C-1, a cargo/passenger aircraft built for the U.S. Army Air Corps. Learn the history of this iconic aircraft manufactur...
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What began as a quest for a single-pilot combination dive bomber/torpedo bomber instead resulted in an exceptional aircraft - the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. Learn about its history andole in the Vietna...
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Read about RCAF Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee Jr, a Spitfire pilot during World War II, who loved flying so much that when he landed after a high altitude flight test wrote the famous poem "Hi...
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Clyde Wilbur Ice was an adventurous sole who became a pioneer pilot during the dawn of aviation. Read the story about how Clyde became a famous pilot in South Dakota.
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When Poland was invaded by Germany the fledgling pilots of the Polish Air Force decided to escape and fight with the Allies during World War II. Jan Zumbach was one of them, and became known as a h...
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An Outstanding World War II Flying Ace
Joseph Jacob Foss became one of the most successful fighter pilots in the US Marine Corps during World War II, having shot down 26 enemy aircraft in 90 days. He survived the war and went on to beco...
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The Douglas DC-3 was one of the world's first modern passenger airliners, and went on to become an essential World War II tranportation tool. Even today there are a number of the original DC-3s sti...
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A World War Two Legendary Dogfight
During the Battle of Guadalcanal a dogfight between a Japanese Zero and an American Grumman F4F Wildcat became a legendary example of a dogfight during World War II.
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Saburō Sakai, Famous Japanese Ace
Aerial combat in World War II created a lot of flying aces, including one of many in Japan by the name of Saburō Sakai. Discover what the other side in the war went through to become flying aces in...
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A continuation of the saga of Lt. Cdr. Dick "Brown Bear" Schaffert where we learn of his extraordinary dog flight with four MiG-17s over North Vietnam. This battle is one of the examples of legenda...
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Into the Danger Zone: U.S. Navy Pilots in the Vietnam Air War
Lt. Cdr. Richard W. Schaffert describes the life of a U.S. Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, including the good, the bad, and the ugly.
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Kenneth A. Walsh, Lt. Col. USMC, WWII
Lt. Col. Kenneth Walsh, USMC, had an interesting path to his Wings of Gold as a Marine Corps fighter pilot, climbing up through the ranks from a Marine Corps Private to Lt. Col. at retirement. He e...
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