Military Archives - Page 55 of 180

On This Day in Aviation History

1892 – Birth of Giulio Lega, Italian World War I flying ace. 1935 – First flight of the Curtiss SOC Seagull, an American single-engined observation biplane; it is configurable as a seaplane (shown) or with landing gear. 1941 – Alma Heflin, the first American female test pilot for standard production aircraft, makes her first test […]

U.S. Stealth Drone Helped Test Huge Bomb

Two years ago, the U.S. Air Force brought the stealthy Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel drone and the Massive Ordnance Penetrator — two of America’s most secretive weapons — together for a single test. The Pentagon denies that it intends the huge MOP munition — which only the B-2 stealth bomber carries and which can punch […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1923 – Birth of Alfred “Bubi” Schreiber, German World War II flying ace; he later claims the first aerial victory by a jet fighter in aviation history. 1924 – Death of Georges Felix Madon, French World War I fighter ace, air racer and raid pilot. 1929 – Inter-Island Airways – the future Hawaiian Airlines – commences […]

Iraqi Pilots, F-16s to Train Stateside

Iraqi fighter pilots unable to train in their own country because of the Islamic State insurgency will soon be flying brand new Iraqi jets over the American Southwest, the Pentagon announced Monday. Starting next month, the United States will begin delivering eight of 36 Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons that Iraq has on order to […]

Retired Navy Trainer Gets New Life

Thousands of retired sailors have had second careers as teachers. Now a piece of military hardware is going to get the same chance. One of the U.S. Navy’s last two North American T-39 Sabreliner planes was loaded onto a truck Oct. 20 and carted off to be the centerpiece of a new civilian aviation maintenance […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1914 – Birth of Jesús Antonio Villamor, Filipino World War II fighter pilot and intelligence officer. 1942 – A U. S. Army Air Forces bomber discovers that Japanese forces are occupying Attu in the Aleutian Islands; American aircraft soon begin a bombing campaign against Attu. 1947 – Rhulin Albert Thomas complete the first solo coast-to-coast flight […]

Two Die in Idaho ANG Apache Crash

The Defense Department will investigate the crash of an Idaho Army National Guard helicopter during a training mission that killed both people aboard, a military spokesman says. National Guard spokesman Col. Tim Marsano confirmed the deaths of the two male pilots but did not release any details on them pending notification of relatives. The Boeing Apache […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1900 – Birth of Pavel Fedorovich Zhigarev, commander of the Soviet Air Forces (VVS) and later chief marshal of aviation. 1917 – Italian World War I flying ace Giorgio Pessi scores four victories with his SPAD VII (one unconfirmed). 1936 – The German Luftwaffe’s Condor Legion, a force of about 100 aircraft, begins to depart Germany […]

First Female C-17 AC Commander Retires

By U.S. Air Force Capt. Michaela Judge Photo by Sr. Airman Sandra Welch Just over two decades ago, a new chapter in aviation history was written on Charleston soil as the first Boeing C-17 Globemaster III made its official debut in the Air Force’s premier aeronautical inventory in June, 1993. Ushering in this solid airframe was […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1889 – Birth of Bela Macourek, Austro-Hungarian World War I flying ace who flew post-war for the Red Corps. 1941 – The tail section of a Lockheed YP-38 Lightning (shown) separates in flight over Glendale, Calif., and crashes inverted on a house at 1147 Elm Street; Lockheed test pilot Ralph Virden is killed, but the homeowner […]