Military Archives - Page 140 of 180

South American Air Force Chief Dies in Crash

The head of Nicaragua’s air force is among 10 people killed when their helicopter crashed near Lake Managua. The Nicaraguan army said in a statement Friday that air force Chief of Staff Col. Manuel Lopez was traveling with nine other top air force officials, including the chief of intelligence and counter-intelligence, when their helicopter, a […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1890 – Birth of Lewis Hyde Brereton, aviation pioneer and lieutenant general in the U.S. Air Force. A World War I pilot, he was one of the few senior U.S. commanders in World War II who served in combat theaters continuously from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the German surrender; he also saw action in more […]

Museum Goes Extra Miles for Avenger Engine

Bernie Wryn and Mel Guerrera spent a week and drove 3,000 miles to haul a worn-out airplane engine to Missoula, Mont. It’s going to replace an engine in a World War II plane built by Grumman that flew here under its own power. “When we bought the TBM Avenger, they also threw in an extra engine […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1892 – Birth of Charles J. “Charlie” Fern, American World War I pilot, barnstorming Hawaii aviator and newspaper pioneer; he also was the first commercial pilot in Hawaii. 1933 – The “Cuatro Vientos,” a Br.19 TF Super Bidon that just made an historic flight from Spain to Cuba, disappears after departing from Mexico. No trace of the […]

Ohio Air Show Faces Uncertain Weekend Without Thunderbirds

The Vectren Dayton (Ohio) Air Show has pushed ahead without the crowd-drawing act of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and — for the first time ever — no official military support, but the potential attendance and economic impact of the loss isn’t known yet. The air show has a $3.2 million economic impact, filling hotel, […]

Historic Helicopter Dedicated at Home of 101st Airborne

The Fort Campbell Warrior Transition Battalion in Kentucky is now the proud home of a Korean War-era Hiller OH-23 Raven medical evacuation helicopter. The U.S. Army’s Warrior Transition Battalion (WTB) leadership, along with the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (BACH) commander and 101st Airborne Division leaders, dedicated the aircraft display at a ceremony in its new […]

Ontario Pilot First Canadian to Fly D.C. Intercept Missions

It seems unbelievable that a small-town kid from Clinton, Ontario, would end up being the first Royal Canadian Air Force pilot assigned to protect the skies over Washington, D.C. But for Capt. Jeffery M. Powell, a 13-year RCAF aviator, that is exactly what has happened. And as one senior leader from North American Aerospace Defense […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1897 – Birth of Johann “Hans” Baur, a German World War I flying ace who flew airliners and later became Adolf Hitler’s personal pilot. 1912 – Capt. Marcel Dubois and Lt. Albert Peignan of the French Army are killed near Douai in northern France when their planes struck each other; it is the first fatal […]

Russian Fighter Tops Flying Demos at Paris

The Paris Air Show, which opened yesterday at Paris-Le Bourget Airport, is usually a stage for U.S. pilots to demonstrate their amazing flying machines to a world audience. Thanks to the sequester, that’s not the case this year. Instead, Russian aviators and hardware is taking the spotlight and they have not disappointed. Just witness this […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1887 – Birth of Georges Pierre Blanc, French World War I flying ace. 1916 – First American pilot to be shot down, Horace Clyde Balsley of the Lafayette Escadrille, is wounded and survives the engagement. 1928 – A Latham 47 – a French twin-engine biplane flying boat piloted by René Cyprien Guilbaud – carrying Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen and five others […]