Military

1907 – The sole Blériot VII, a French expemimental monoplane and the first modern configurated airplane in which Louis Blériot made successful turns, is destroyed on landing. 1922 – Birth of Mariâ Ivanovna Dolina, Soviet World WarII bomber pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union. 1939 – The Royal Air Force abandons daylight raids on Germany after a raid […]

Restoration crews at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force moved the Lockheed C-141C Starlifter “Hanoi Taxi” into the museum’s new fourth building on Dec. 16. The aircraft, which airlifted the first American prisoners of war out of North Vietnam in February 1973, will be displayed in the Global Reach Gallery. The 224,000 square foot […]

1878 – Birth of George Edward Maurice Kelly, an American aviator who later becomes the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. 1914 – The British roundel is adopted for aircraft identification. 1933 – First flight of the Bernard 82, French single-engined, long-range bomber prototype. 1941 – U. […]

1889 – Birth of Andre René Celestin Herbelin, French World War I flying ace. 1932 – Wolfgang von Gronau and crew in a Dornier Wal complete the first flight around the world by a seaplane. The flight takes a 111 days. 1951 – First flight of the Fiat G.80 (-3 shown), a military single-engine trainer and Italy’s first […]

1920 – Birth of Walter “Nowi” Nowotny, Austrian-born German World War II fighter ace. 1926 – A Stinson Detroiter being delivered to Canadian Air Express is the first airplane inspected (and passed) by the U.S. government. 1941 – Death of Gordon Metcalfe Duncan, Scottish World War I flying ace. 1942 – First flight of the Bell […]