Civilian Archives - Page 148 of 175

Museum of Flight Adds Replica of Earhart’s Plane

Seattle’s Museum of Flight already owns the only known piece of the Lockheed Model 10-E Electra that Amelia Earhart was flying on her ill-fated attempt to fly around the world in 1937. Now, it’s getting a whole Electra. The aircraft is scheduled to arrive in September from Reno and become the centerpiece of a new exhibit […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1915 – The first British tactical bombing raids in support of ground troops made in Menin and Courtai, Belgium. 1932 – First flight of the Junkers Ju 52/3m, a tri-motor transport that flew into the 1980s. 1956 – Dan Perkins, engineer at Britain’s Royal Aircraft Establishment, makes his first flight in an inflatable airplane in Bedfordshire, England. It takes 25 minutes to inflate […]

Norton AFB Museum to Open Next Week

Glass cases are polished and shining. Walls are hung with photos and memorabilia. The Norton Air Force Base Museum in San Bernadino, Calif., is nearly ready for its big day on Wednesday. The occasion is the grand opening of the museum. “The base closed in 1994, so this is something that is long overdue,” said Bob Edwards, […]

B-17 ‘Texas Raiders’ Headed to Air Fiesta

For the first time in a decade, the B-17 Flying Fortress will cast its fearsome shadow over Brownsville, Texas. “Texas Raiders,” a 67-year-old, four-engine heavy bomber flown and maintained by the Commemorative Air Force’s Gulf Coast Wing in Houston, will be the biggest star at this weekend’s Air Fiesta 2013, which celebrates 50 years of CAF […]

Museum Celebrates Silver Anniversary

The Millville, N.J., Army Air Field Museum will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2013 with a commemorative fundraising event, “WWII Day in Millville,” from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at The Levoy Theatre, 126-130 N. High St. The event will include film presentations and an hors d’oeuvres reception with beer, wine and desserts. It and […]

Famed Aerobatic Pilot Thrills Academy Students

Cheyenne Matthews wants to be a pilot. So, naturally, the 16-year-old junior at St. Augustine High School in Florida was thrilled to be part of a group of 31 girls from her school’s Aerospace Academy who got to meet acclaimed aerobatic pilot Patty Wagstaff on Tuesday at Northeast Florida Regional Airport. “She’s definitely a huge inspiration,” […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1923 – Aeronautical pioneer Igor Sikorsky sets up the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corp. in the U.S. Sikorsky left Russia in 1917 when revolution threatened his work and his life. 1936 – First flight of the Supermarine Spitfire (shown above). The single-seat fighter would play a major role in World War II, with more than 20,300 being built over the following […]

Rhode Island Teacher Makes History Flying Biodiesel Plane

A Lincoln, R.I., teacher made history Saturday, flying the first ever biodiesel-fueled airplane in U.S. history. Ross McCurdy, a local teacher and pilot pioneered the flight to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the destination of the Wright Brothers historic flight back in 1903. “I think this is the shape of the future,” he said. McCurdy has taken […]

Fundraising Taking Flight at N.Y. Aircraft Museum

Despite the winter weather, activity at the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum in Geneseo, N.Y., is in full swing with a pair of fundraising campaign, including one that seeks to raise $2 million for a new hanger. The museum is also developing a second campaign to help get one of its planes to France for the […]

Thunderbirds Air Show Season Cancelled

As the Air Force braces for potential sequester, leadership has cancelled all aviation support to public events for at least the remainder of the fiscal year and is standing down the Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team beginning April 1 to save flying hours to support readiness needs. Active-duty, Reserve and Guard units ceased all aviation support […]