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On This Day in Aviation History

1887 – Birth of Ruth Bancroft Law, pioneer American aviatrix and the first woman to loop the loop in an airplane as well as the first woman to make a night flight. 1927 – Charles A. Lindbergh lands his Ryan NYP monoplane Spirit of St. Louis (shown above) at Le Bourget, France; he is the […]

Aerion Still Pinning Hopes on Supersonic Biz Jet

Aerion, which has been defining and refining its design for a supersonic business jet (SSBJ) for the past 11 years, is at EBACE, a major European business aviation trade show, this week still quietly confident that it will someday be able to add the word “producer” to its résumé. To that end, a NASA McDonnell Douglas F-15 […]

Recalling the Japanese Bomber Attack on Oregon

It was a little after 6 a.m. on Sept. 9, 1942. A tiny seaplane with red balls painted on its wings was making its way through the skies over Brookings, Ore. At the controls was a young man named Nobuo Fujita; behind him, in the observer’s seat, looking intensely at the ground, was another, named […]

Vulcan Bomber to Perform at English Air Show

The last remaining Avro Vulcan V bomber will be taking to the skies at the annual Weston-super-Mare Air Day on England’s Bristol Channel coast this summer. The iconic aircraft, used by the Royal Air Force between 1956 and 1984 and known as XH558, will take to the skies above the resort on June 22. The aircraft […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1883 – Birth of Jan Kašpar, first Czech aviator, aircraft constructor, designer and engineer. 1917 – A Curtiss H-12 Large America flying boat of the Royal Naval Air Service destroys the first hostile submarine to be sunk by an aircraft without any form of assistance. Flight Sub-Lieutenant C.R. Morrish on a patrol from Felixstowe sighted […]

First US 787 Flight Made Today

Would you get on a Boeing 787 today? Or would you remember the pictures of charred batteries and think twice? That’s the problem. Years from now, the Dreamliner may be profitable, even legendary like the 737 model Boeing has been making for almost 50 years. Today, Boeing will clear another hurdle, assuming the first U.S. 787 […]

Afghan Pilots Learn Air Assault from Army’s 101st

With Afghan troops increasingly leading combat operations on the ground, the Afghan Air Force’s fledgling helicopter fleet based in Kabul has learned new techniques to support them from the air. The U.S. Army’s 101st Combat Aviation Brigade started a new training program at Bagram Air Field for Afghan helicopter pilots to learn how to perform […]

V-2 Rocket Added to Flying Heritage Museum Collection

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is selling some of his abstract art, and buying a historic rocket. The eclectic Seattle billionaire has procured a rare Wernher von Braun-designed V-2 rocket, the first human-made object to fly into outer space. Allen’s Flying Heritage Collection — located at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. — is taking possession of the rocket on Monday. The Mittelwerk […]

Dark Clouds Hang Over Air Shows After Budget Cuts

Patty Wagstaff is a Hollywood stunt pilot, three-time U.S. aerobatic champion, inductee to the National Aviation Hall of Fame and favorite on the air show circuit. One of her tricked-out planes is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. But this weekend, she’s grounded. Federal budget cuts that eliminated military flying acts […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1895 – Birth of Georg Wulf, German aviation pioneer, test pilot and aircraft designer. He was a co-founder of the Focke-Wulf aircraft company. 1924 – During its first aerial circumnavigation of the world, the westbound U.S. Army Air Service flight of Douglas World Cruisers arrive in northern Japan, completing the first crossing of the Pacific Ocean by airplane. 1943 – Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress “Memphis Belle” (shown above) of the […]