Civilian Archives - Page 78 of 175

On This Day in Aviation History

1894 – Birth of Arthur Thomas Drinkwater, Australian World War I flying ace. 1928 – First flight of the Boeing F3B (shown), an American biplane fighter and fighter-bomber. 1943 – Death of Reinhold Knacke, German World War II night fighter ace; while shooting down a British Halifax bomber, Knacke is shot down and killed by one of the Halifax’s gunners. […]

Black Eagles Slated for Singapore Airshow

South Korea’s military aerobatic team will attend Asia’s largest air show in Singapore next week with a squadron of eight T-50B trainer jets, the Air Force said Monday. The Black Eagles aerobatic team departed Jeju International Airport on the southern resort island on Saturday to participate in the Singapore Airshow, slated for Feb. 11-16 at […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1883 – Birth of Jacob Earl “Jake” Fickel, U.S. major general and flying instructor; he also is credited with firing the first recorded gunshot ever from an airplane. 1951 – Pan Am World Airways Capt. Charles Blair flies a North American P-51 Mustang (christened “Excalibur III”) non-stop from New York to London to test the jet stream, […]

Pilot Helps Capture Southern Snowstorm

If it weren’t for Birmingham, Ala.-based helicopter pilot Brian K. Coshatt, you never would have seen Birmingham’s snowpocalypse the way you did. You can thank Coshatt for giving you perspective. Over the past three days, Coshatt piloted the helicopter that AL.com and some local television stations used to get journalists up in the air, above all the […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1885 – Birth of John Henry Towers, U.S. Navy admiral and pioneer naval aviator. 1931 – First flight of the Tupolev ANT-8, a Soviet experimental flying boat. 1942 – Qantas Short Empire G-AEUH is shot down by seven Japanese fighters and crashes near East Timor; 13 of 18 on board die. 1991 – Royal Navy Westland Lynx helicopters, Royal Air Force SEPECAT […]

‘New’ Eastern Air Lines to Return

Eastern Air Lines Group said Tuesday that it had taken an initial step to launching a new airline in Miami, albeit one that carries a lot of history. The old Eastern, which went out of business in 1991, had headquarters in Miami. Although the new company is careful to point out that it is “not […]

Museum to Hold Living History Day

Spend this Saturday on Hawaii’s Ford Island celebrating the adventures of yesterday’s heroes and today’s pioneers. History comes alive at Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor in Honolulu through musical performances, demonstrations and hands-on activities for the entire family. Meet the Nisei Veterans of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regiment as well as Stacey Hayas, author […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1895 – Birth of James “Robbo” Milne Robb, a Scottish World War I flying ace and a high-ranking Royal Air Force officer. 1941 – First flight of the Tupolev Tu-2,, a Soviet twin-engine bomber. 1944 – More than 70 German fighter-bombers attack Allied ships off Anzio with guided bombs, sinking the British light cruiser HMS Spartan and a Liberty […]

B-29 ‘Doc’ Nears First Flight

The volunteers in Wichita, Kans., have been hard at work restoring “Doc,” a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, since the project resumed nearly one year ago. “We have made significant progress recently hanging the first engine on the airplane,” said Jeff Turner, chairman of the board of Doc’s Friends, the non-profit organization set up to restore the Superfortress. As […]

U.S. Customs Grounds Drone Fleet

Drones used to monitor U.S. borders and ports were grounded after an operator ditched one of the unmanned aircraft off the California coast due to a mechanical failure. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection craft went into the Pacific Ocean about 11:15 p.m. local time on Jan. 27 around 20 miles southwest of San Diego, […]