Some people do little. But this Doolittle did a lot. James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle was born on December 14, 1896, in Alameda, California. However, he spent much of his childhood in Nome, Alaska, where his father was a gold prospector and carpenter. While living in Alaska, Jimmy learned how to fight and pilot a [...]
Both football and airplanes are deeply ingrained in the American psyche. But I don’t have to tell you this—look at the Super Bowl that took place just a couple of weeks ago. While the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots drew the smallest crowd since 2009, there were still about 103.4 [...]
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress was—and continues to be—a major contributor to the United States military, as well as allied forces. Introduced in February 1955, this heavy bomber has since undergone six decades of operational service and continuous upgrades, including upgrades to payload and offensive avionics system. Despite 60 years’ worth of changes, one thing has [...]
Designed as a successor to the Grumman F4F Wildcat, the F6F Hellcat became America’s dominant fighter during the second half of the Pacific War. The highly successful Grumman F4F Wildcat had its first flight in September 1937 and began its service with the US Navy and British Royal Navy in December 1940. As early as [...]
According to the Aviation Safety Network, 2017 was the safest year ever for commercial aviation. Airliner accident statistics released on December 30, 2017, show that only a total of 10 fatal airliner accidents occurred. Those 10 accidents resulted in a total of 44 occupant fatalities and 35 persons on the ground. This data bears stark [...]
Have you forgotten about the “Real ID” Act of 2004? Well, the Federal Government hasn’t and a hard deadline is coming this year. In 2005, this controversial program passed into federal laws as a national set of standards ensuring all states' licenses verify identity documents the same way. On December 20, 2013, the Department of [...]
Not every fighter pilot was considered an ace during World War I, let alone the ace of aces. But for Eddie Rickenbacker, that’s precisely what he was. An Early Life (With a Purpose) Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was born on October 8, 1890 in Columbus, Ohio. His parents were German-speaking Swiss immigrants and he was the [...]
We are incredibly lucky to presently live in a world with advanced medical technology. It wasn’t all that long ago, really, when commonplace surgeries today would have been nothing more than a pipe dream. World War II changed the world in many ways. During this time, aircraft advanced, weapons advanced, and numerous technologies advanced—because they [...]
Nearing the end of the year always brings a certain type of nostalgia. As we look towards the future, it's always good to reflect on past accomplishments, too. By doing so, we can measure our growth. It's kinda like time travel that way--a blast from the past! We've grown a lot over the past year [...]
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is one of the largest military aircraft in the world--and probably out of this world, too. The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is the United States Air Force's largest and only strategic airlifter. This gargantuan aircraft can carry more cargo farther than any other aircraft in the world. Additionally, with its payload of six [...]
