Flight Journal - Page 33 of 286 - Aviation History | History of Flight | Aviation History Articles, Warbirds, Bombers, Trainers, Pilots

D-DAY INVASION: JUNE 2024

1930'S FIGHTER FLIES AGAIN: APRIL 2024

The Legend of Maj. Paul "Pappy" Gunn

Their Finest Hour

Butcher Bird Hellcat & Corsair: A test pilot recalls

Stinson’s Big-Guy L-Bird

Stalin’s Flying Hammer

LATEST

On this Day in Aviation History: November 20

1963: The U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Command accepted its first two production McDonnell F-4C Phantom II jet fighters, F-4C-15-MC 63-7415¹ and F-4C-15-MC 63-7416. These aircraft were the ninth and tenth production F-4Cs. They were flown to MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida, by Brigadier General Gilbert Louis Meyers, commanding the 836th Air Division, and […]

100th Anniversary of the World War I Armistice

100 Years Ago Today It has been called “The War to End All Wars.” We know it as World War I. The conflict began in 1914 and ended with an armistice at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. The costs were staggering—an estimated 40 million military and civilian […]

On this Day in Aviation History: November 9

November 9 1949 (USA) — President certifies the $10.5-million USAF funds for five projects, the major one being over $7.5-million for modifications of 700 North American T-6 trainers. 1932 (Germany) — Wolfgang von Gronau and crew in a Dornier Wal complete the first flight around the world by a seaplane. Their flight takes 111 days. […]

HA(L)-3 Seawolves – Attack of the Navy’s Little-Known Helicopter Squadron

“Riders on the storm. Riders on the storm. Into this house we’re born. Into this world we’re thrown.” —The Doors, 1971 Seawolf Formation In 1967, the U.S. Navy established Helicopter Attack (Light) Squadron Three, commonly known as HA(L)-3, unclassified call sign: “Seawolf.” The in-country formation and disestablishment in 1972 was a historic first. The Navy […]

On this Day in Aviation History

On November 7, 1945, the Gloster Meteor set a speed record of 606.26 miles per hour — the first world speed record with a jet aircraft. Wing Commander Hugh Joseph Wilson, AFC and Two Bars, Royal Air Force, Commandant of the Empire Test Pilots’ School at RAF Cranfield, flew the 8 mile straightaway at an altitude […]

On this Day in Aviation History

1 November 1954: The United States Air Force begins to retire the Boeing B-29 Superfortress from service. In the above photograph, B-29A-20-BN 42-94012 is at the aircraft storage facility, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona, “The Boneyard.” The dry desert climate and hard, alkaline soil make the base ideal for long-term aircraft storage. The Santa […]

Pearl Harbor – Civilian Pilots Caught in History’s Path

Civilian Pilots Caught in History’s Path Six civilian aircraft were airborne during the Pearl Harbor attack. Three were students with their instructors, and three were rented by sightseeing pilots and passengers. All but one came under attack by Japanese aircraft. Two planes were shot down, and those three airmen are still missing. In Hawaii, the […]

On this Day in Aviation History

October 29, 1917. An American-built Airco / de Havilland DH-4 flies for the first time. The DH.4 entered service with the RFC in January 1917, first being used by Squadron 55. More squadrons were equipped with the type to increase the bombing capacity of the RFC, with two squadrons re-equipping in May, and a total […]

Focke-Wulf FW-190D: The Luftwaffe’s Long Nosed “Butcher Bird”

When Grumman engineering pilots climbed out of a captured FW-190A in England after their first flight, they were astounded: it made their beloved Hellcat look like a plow horse. It was light, rolled like lightning and climbed like an artillery shell. It represented a whole new world of performance that was only just beginning to […]

B-52s Put on a Show of Force in the South China Sea

Two US bombers tore through the hotly-contested South China Sea on Oct. 16, 2018, an apparent power play signaling US determination to continue to fly and sail wherever international law allows ahead of a key meeting between US and Chinese defense chiefs Oct. 18, 2018. A pair of Guam-based US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress heavy […]