Military Archives - Page 64 of 180

USAF Aggressor Squadron Going Away

The next time fighter jets take off from Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, Nev., for a U.S. Air Force Red Flag air combat exercise, there will be fewer would-be “bad guys” to battle. Up-and-coming pilots who will be flying their first 10 simulated combat missions will face an adversary force that has fewer […]

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 […]

P-8A Poseidon Makes Successful Missile Strike

U.S. Navy Patrol Squadron (VP)-45 Combat Aircrew Four (CAC)-4 recently completed the first Boeing P-8A Poseidon Coordinated Time on Top (CTOT) AGM-84D live missile shot with a Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) P-3C crew during RIMPAC 2014. The missile shot was comprised of a P-8A-launched AGM-84D Harpoon missile and a JMSDF P-3C- launched ATM-84D […]

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 […]

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 […]

Marines to Retire Huey Novembers

The U.S. Marine Corps will say goodbye to a long-serving utility helicopter type in September as it retires its last UN-1N Iroquois, almost universally known as the “Huey,” after 43 years of service. The UH-1N is being replaced by the UH-1Y Venom, a highly upgraded version of the UH-1N. The last UH-1Ns, built by Bell […]

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 […]