Civilian Archives - Page 54 of 175

On This Day in Aviation History

1915 – Birth of Colin Purdie Kelly, Jr. , American World War II bomber pilot (shown); he became one of the first heroes of the war for sacrificing his own life to save the crew of his dying Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. 1939 – First flight of the Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.12 (Høver M.F.12), a Norwegian […]

Red Arrows Star of UK Air Tattoo

The Royal Arrows are proving the star attraction at today’s Royal International Air Tattoo. The traditional highlight of their display calendar is currently taking place at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England. The world’s largest military air show welcomed the squadron today for a full display and flypast. This year, Arrows fans will have the chance to get […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1883 – Birth of Maurice Arthur Benjamin, South African World War I flying ace. 1914 – Reinhold Böhm takes off in his Albatros biplane for a nonstop flight, without refueling, that lasted 24 hours, 12 minutes. 1929 – First flight of the Macchi M.67 (shown), an Italian racing seaplane designed for the Schneider Trophy race. […]

Update: Aussie B-24 Restoration Effort

Most aviation enthusiasts are aware of the role that the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator played in USAAF service during World War II. Many, however, are not aware that seven Royal Australian Air Force squadrons flew the B-24 Liberator in long range strikes against Japanese military targets in South East Asia. During WWII, the RAAF […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1933 – Flying their Lockheed Model 8 Sirius “Tingmissartoq” (shown), built in 1929 and used for the 1931 survey flight of Alaska, the North Pacific and China, Charles Lindbergh and his wife begin a major route-proving tour of the North and South Atlantic. 1943 – Birth of John Howard Casper, U.S. Air Force pilot and […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1892 – Birth of Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov, Soviet aircraft designer who became known as the “King of Fighters.” 1944 – Swordfish aircraft from the British Merchant Aircraft Carrier (or “MAC-ship”) MV Empire MacCallum mistakenly sink the Free French submarine La Perle. It is the only time that MAC-ship-based aircraft sink a submarine. 1961 – Death […]

C-45 Found in New York Lake 62 Years Later

The wreck of a U.S. Air Force Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor aircraft abandoned during flight by its crew in 1952 has been located in Lake Ontario near Oswego, N.Y. On Sept. 11, 1952, the plane, which took off from Bedford, Mass., to Griffis Air Force Base near Rome, N.Y., was crippled by an engine failure. Believing the […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1894 – Birth of Fritz John Jacobsen, German World War I flying ace. 1929 – Dwight S. “Barney” Zimmerley, in a Barling NB-3 bomber, sets a long-distance record, flying from Brownsville, Texas to Winnipeg, in 16 hours. 1962 – First conventional flight of the Lockheed XV-4 Hummingbird (originally designated VZ-10), a U.S. Army project to produce […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1937 – First flight of the Dornier Do 24 (K variant shown), a German three-engine flying boat. 1937 – Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappear over the Pacific Ocean on a flight from Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island, and are never seen again. 1941 – Death of Wilhelm Balthasar, German World War II ace; he is killed in action when his Messerschmitt […]

‘Heavy Bombers’ Return to Wisconsin

In a second annual rare gathering of World War II-era aircraft, the Commemorative Air Force and the Experimental Aircraft Association are joining forces for a “Heavy Bombers Weekend” in Madison, Wis., the weekend before EAA AirVenture. The 3-day event starts Friday, July 25, and will feature an airworthy North American B-25 Mitchell “Miss Mitchell;” the […]