Aviation History

Mt. Everest as seen from the south.

The History Of Mountaineering and Aviation

John M. White | Apr 5, 2024
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 aircraft to make this possible. Read about how it was done! View Article
The Maker of Pilots: Willa B. Brown

The Maker of Pilots: Willa B. Brown

John M. White | Mar 22, 2024
Willa B. Brown, Aviatrix and Maker of PilotsWilla Beatrice Brown was born on January 22, 1906, to Eric Brown (an African American father) and Hallie Brown (her Native American mother) in Glasgow, Kentucky.Soon the family moved to Indiana, a state with integrated schools where their children would have better educational opportunities.It turns out... View Article
The Montgolfier brothers first free flight balloon carrying a human being November 21, 1783.

Project Excelsior

John M. White | Mar 15, 2024
A reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's ornithopter he envisioned for manned flight.Leonardo da Vinci made the first real studies of flight in the 1480's. Da vinci had over 100 drawings that illustrated his theories on flight, one of which was the Ornithopter flying machine pictured above. It was never actually built,... View Article
“MiG Sweep,” by Keith Ferris. Colonel Robin Olds uses a Vector Roll to gain firing position on a MiG-21 fighter.

OPERATION BOLO

John M. White | Mar 9, 2024
"Mig Sweep" painting by Keith FerrisThis 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 Vietnamese MiG-21 on January 2, 1967.Note the image of a MiG just to the left of the Phantom's... View Article
A photo of the altitude record setting Packard-Lèpere L USA C.II P53, A.S. 40015 aircraft in 1920. (U.S. Air Force)

Flying High

John M. White | Mar 1, 2024
Today we all enjoy comfortable flight in modern jet powered passenger aircraft which cruise at altitudes as high as 45,000 feet.What many do not realize is that the outside air temperature at those altitudes is around minus 70 degrees Farenheit while the atmospheric pressure at that altitude is 4.29 inches... View Article
A Boeing 707 sitting on the tarmac belonging to SABENA Airlines in 1961

A Boeing 707 Death Spiral

John M. White | Feb 23, 2024
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.Specifications:Length: 152 feet, 11 inches;Wing span: 145 feet, 9 inches;Height: 42 feet, 5 inches;Empty weight: 142,600 pounds;Max take off... View Article
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