Civilian Archives - Page 51 of 175

On This Day in Aviation History

1897 – Birth of Oliver Campbell Bryson, British World War I flying ace; he was one of the British aviators ordered to Russia in 1919 to support the White Army in its counter-revolution against the Bolsheviks. Bryson served in the Royal Air Force until 1943. 1930 – Eddie August Henry Schneider, flying a Scarab-powered Cessna, […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1935 – First flight of the Seversky P-35 (shown), a U.S. single-seat, all-metal fighter. 1937 – Lufthansa begins seaplane services between the Azores and New York with the assistance of seaplane tenders stationed along the route. 1945 – Birth of Charles Barbin “Chuck” DeBellevue, U.S. Air Force officer; he became the first USAF weapon systems officer (WSO) to […]

England Hosts Avro Lancaster Reunion

It is a sight to bring a lump to the throat of even the most battle-hardened veteran. The world’s only two airworthy Avro Lancaster bombers are united on a windswept airfield for what will probably be the last time. For Vera – an Avro Lancaster Mk X bomber with the registration VR-A – it is part […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1909 – Birth of Leonid Illarionovich Ivanov, Soviet World War II flying ace who also served during the Finnish-Soviet Winter War. 1934 – James Ayling and Leonard Reid takes off for the first non-stop flight from Canada to England in a de Havilland DH.84. 1941 – More than a dozen Ilyushin DB-3T torpedo bombers of […]

PT-13D Trainer Goes on Display in Ohio

By Sarah Swan, National Museum of the U.S. Air Force A highly-accurate, pristine example of one of the most used trainers during World War II is now on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Ohio. The Stearman PT-13D Kaydet was a standard primary trainer flown by the U.S. and several […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1894 – Birth of Austin Lloyd Fleming, Canadian World War I flying ace who also served in World War II. 1919 – French Air Force officer Charles Godefroy makes the first flight through the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (shown) with a Nieuport 11 “Bébé.” The flight was made three weeks after the victory parade on […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1918 – Death of Peter Strasser, chief commander of German Imperial Navy Zeppelins during World War I; he is killed while flying the war’s last airship raid over Great Britain in Zeppelin L-70. The airship is shot down by an Airco DH.4 reconnaissance biplane. 1945 – A U.S. Boeing B-29 Superfortress “Enola Gay” drops “Little Boy,” the […]

Pilatus Rolls Out First Biz Jet

To great fanfare, Pilatus rolled out its new PC-24 “Super Versatile” jet on Friday at its home airfield of Buochs, near the town of Stans in central Switzerland. The prototype of the twin-engine business and utility jet was pulled across the runway by 24 horses before coming to rest on a giant Swiss flag painted on […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1935 – Wiley Post, the first pilot to fly solo around the world, and his passenger Will Rogers are killed in a crash in Alaska. 1959 – Birth of Scott Douglas “Scooter” Altman, U.S. Navy test pilot and NASA astronaut; he also “flipped off” a Soviet pilot in the movie “Top Gun.” 1976 – Death of Norman MacMillan, Scottish World […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1840 – A hot air balloon took to the air for the first time in Canada when the “Star of the East,” piloted by American aeronaut Louis Anselm Lauriat, rose into the sky over Saint John, New Brunswick. 1914 – The United Kingdom enters World War I, declaring war on Germany. 1943 – Death of Augustus […]