Civilian Archives - Page 26 of 175

‘Precious Metal’ Air Racer Damaged

A well-known unlimited air racer, the North American P-51 Mustang named “Precious Metal,” caught fire Tuesday during a fuel stop at Marianna Municipal Airport in Florida’s Panhandle. According to AllThingsAero.com, owner-pilot Thom Richard was leaving the fuel pad when the aircraft, powered by a 3,200-horsepower Rolls Royce Griffon that sits behind unique, contra-rotating propellers, caught fire. […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1909 – British Army Aeroplane No. 1 (1A replica shown), with builder Samuel Franklin Cody at the controls, makes a sustained flight of more than an hour around Laffan’s Plain (Farnborough), travelling about 46 miles in 1 hour, 3 minutes; it is the first recorded cross-country flight in the UK. 1912 – Birth of James […]

Stearman Fly-In Begins

As brightly colored airplanes navigated the skies over Galesburg’s Municipal Airport in Illinois during the 44th National Stearman Fly-in, visitors on the ground were treated to up-close views of the planes during tram tours along the flight line. Commander of Illinois AMVETS Post 8 Rich Vannatta volunteered his time to lead several of Monday’s tours, […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1904 – Birth of Florence Gunderson Klingensmith, American aviator of the golden age of air racing, founding member of the Ninety-Nines (a women’s pilot group) and one of the first women to participate in air races with men. 1922 – Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman (shown) makes her first appearance in an American airshow at Curtiss Field […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1937 – First flight of the Bell YFM-1 Airacuda, an American heavy fighter and the first such airplane built by Bell Aircraft Corp. 1961 – Birth of Christopher J. Ferguson, U.S. Navy fighter and test pilot as well as NASA astronaut. 1967 – The U. S. Navy’s first dedicated search-and-rescue squadron, Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 7 (HC-7), is commissioned at Atsugi, Japan; it operates […]

Students, Profs Build Record-Setting Plane

The Anequim Project Team, a group of students and professors from Brazil’s Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), recently brought their slick new plane to Rio de Janeiro to put it through its paces. When they were done with the high-speed flights out of the Santa Cruz Air Force Base this past weekend, they’d set […]

Saving a Burning Jet

On April 30, 2015, a Boeing RC-135V Rivet Joint belonging to the 343rd Reconnaissance Squadron, 55th Wing, suffered a major incident at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. As the aircraft, using radio call sign “Snoop 71,” began the takeoff roll to start its mission in support of a special-operations training exercise, fire erupted behind the galley. Described […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1883 – Birth of Otto Splitgerber, German World War I flying ace. 1939 – The Messerschmitt Me 209 sets a new world speed record of 469 mph. 1952 – The prototype English Electric Canberra B5 makes the first double transatlantic crossing by a jet, with a total time of just over 10 hours. 1975 – First flight of the McDonnell […]

USS Macon Crash Site Explored

Off the California coast lies the sunken wreckage of the U.S. Navy’s last flying aircraft carrier. The idea that the Navy had flying aircraft carriers is probably new to a lot of people. Imagine a nearly 800-foot “blimp” where five military airplanes can land and take off in midair. Last week, a team of oceanographers got […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1912 – Royal Navy aviator Wilfred Parke becomes the first pilot ever to recover from a spin when he regains control of his Avro Type G biplane 50 feet from the ground at Larkhill, England. 1916 – Birth of Saburo Sakai, Japanese naval aviator and World War II fighter ace. 1929 – First flight of […]