The National Air and Space Museum has the preeminent collection of aircraft anywhere. A new book – Milestones of Flight – looks at 29 legendary aircraft from the 1903 Wright Flyer to the MQ-1L Predator drone.
While powered flight has a relatively short history, the achievements made are remarkable. Milestones of Flight uses the National Air and Space Museum’s collection to shine the spotlight on those achievements. A few of the 190 photos from the book follow. [Read more…]
Few things capture the aerospace imagination like experimental aircraft. And few went to the edge like the United States Air Force.
Steve Pace’s new book, The Big Book of X-Bombers and X-Fighters, showcases all of the USAF jet-powered X-bombers and X-fighters that have flown since 1942. More than 90 aircraft, including a few “could have been” and a few “what may be.” [Read more…]
What do the 1929 Powder Puff Derby, the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, the adventures of an airplane fanatic, the de Havilland Mosquito, and drones all have in common?
All of these topics — and many more — have recently crossed my desk over the last few weeks. [Read more…]
Spoiler Alert: The final paragraph of The Wright Brothers is my favorite.
“They took off, soaring over Huffman Prairie at about 350 feet for a good six minutes, during which the Bishop’s only words were, “Higher, Orville, higher!”
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – A bill to honor Civil Air Patrol’s World War II veterans with a Congressional Gold Medal passed the U.S. Senate Monday night under unanimous consent after gaining the necessary co-sponsors needed for consideration.
The bill, S. 309, recognizes the contributions of CAP’s pilots and other members who served during the war. Predating the U.S. Air Force, CAP’s services included flying combat and humanitarian missions under hazardous conditions.
John Bradberry from Sulphur Springs, Texas sent me an email recently with a very specific request. I’m hoping someone from our readership can assist him.
“On Thursday, May 19, 1938, Texaco Airplane #21 piloted by Roy Harding landed at six towns in Northeast Texas, picked up mail pouches at each stop, and returned to Dallas Love Field in observance of National Airmail Week. One of those towns was Sulphur Springs. The property on which Texaco Airplane #21 landed in Sulphur Springs eventually became the Sulphur Springs Municipal Airport. [Read more…]
