Featured News Archives - Page 92 of 286

“Doc” Nearing First Flight

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress known as “Doc” is in the final days of her restoration. There are just a few minor details to finish with the avionics installation, and setting the limits for the flaps and gear doors, but other than that the old girl is ready to go. The restoration team in Wichita, Kan., […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1911 – Frenchman Henri Jullerot demonstrates the Bristol Boxkite, a pusher biplane based on the successful Farman III, in Calcutta before a crowd of 100,000. 1942 – Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to schedule a flight around the world. 1944 – First flight of the McDonnell XP-67 Bat (shown), a twin-engine bomber destroyer. 1963 – Birth of Philippe Perrin, French Air Force pilot, test pilot and former […]

Spielberg, Hanks Team Up for 8th AF Tales

In the thin air above 20,000 feet, with Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters bearing down from all directions, the inside of an unpressurized American bomber in World War II was an altogether foreign world. Freezing cold, oxygen-deprived and hundreds of miles from the nearest friendly fighter escort, the bombers faced desperate odds with each mission deep […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1891 – Birth of Carl “Charly” Degelow, German World War I fighter ace; he is the last German pilot and final German serviceman to be awarded the Blue Max, the German Kingdom of Prussia’s highest order of merit. 1930 – During the British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE), Royal Australian Air Force pilot Stuart Campbell […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1913 – Joseph Eugene Carberry and Fred Seydel win the Mackay Trophy flying a Curtiss Model E made by U.S. Army aviators entirely from spare parts. 1940 – The Luftwaffe begins a devastating two-day-long bombing attack on London, making extensive use of incendiary weapons. 1948 – First flight of the Supermarine Swift (F.1 shown), a British single-seat […]

Red Baron Stearman Returns to the Air

The Red Baron is back in the skies. Brothers Paul and Jarrod Lindemann have restored a 1941 Stearman biplane that was part of the Red Baron Squadron, an aerobatic team that barnstormed air shows across the U.S. from 1979 to 2007. The plane started as a U.S. Army Air Corps trainer in World War II, then […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1905 – Birth of Armando François, Spanish War and World War II Italian flying ace. 1937 – French aviatrix Maryse Hilsz sets a speed record between Paris and Saigon in less than 4 days. 1966 – First flight of the Dassault Mirage F1, a French air-superiority fighter and attack aircraft; it is the successor of […]

USAF to Inactivate Two C-17 Squadrons

The U.S. Air Force will inactivate two C-17 squadrons over the next two years in a budget-saving move, according to new details released by Air Mobility Command Monday. Sixteen Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs — eight from the 17th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Charleston, S.C., and eight from the 10th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1910 – British aviation pioneer Cecil Grace vanishes over the English Channel during a flight from Calais, France, to Dover, England. 1916 – First flight of the Sopwith Camel (shown), a British World War I biplane fighter. 1934 – The first night bombing in South America is done by a Macchi M.18, an Italian flying boat operated by […]

Russians Get Updated Bombers

Russia’s air force on Friday received the first examples of a number of modernized strategic bombers – a Tu-160M and Tu-95MSs – following upgrade work performed by manufacturer Tupolev. Enhancement activity on the supersonic Tu-160 includes “partial replacement” of the aircraft’s avionics and weapons systems, says Tupolev. First flight of the initial example took place on Nov. 16. A […]