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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
A Pioneering American Aviator As one of America's Early aviators, Katherine Stinson set numerous flying records, including ones for distance, endurance, and aerobatic maneuvers. In July 1912, she became the fourth woman in the United States to obtain a pilot’s certificate. Katherine Stinson was born in Fort Payne, Alabama, on February 14, 1891. It would be twelve [...]
Papua New Guinea has seen its share of plane crashes, as well as its share of war buffs hunting for “warbird” wrecks. But of all the downed planes scattered throughout the mountainous rainforests and jungle terrain, the fabled “Swamp Ghost” remains the most legendary. For 64 years, this downed B-17 Flying Fortress rested intact among [...]
Between 1942 and 1945, the U.S. Navy received more than 150 airships for the war effort. The military used these blimps, produced by the Goodyear Corporation, as convoy escort vessels. The Navy used them to spot enemy submarines and drop depth charges on those they encountered. But of all the airships utilized during World War [...]
Designed by Lockheed Aircraft, this Vega monoplane holds a special place in the hearts of many. The record-setting plane was capable of long-ranges and was used in the discovery of jet streams. Design, Development, Operation John Knudsen Northrop, of Northrop Corporation, and Gerard Vultee, of Vultee Aircraft Corporation, designed the Vega in the earlier days [...]
On September 19, 1783, a duck, a sheep, and a rooster all made history as the first passengers to ever travel through the air in a balloon. While their names didn’t go down in the history books, the names of the balloon’s inventors certainly did. The Montgolfier Brothers Beginning in France during the late 18th [...]
In reality, though, Lilian Bland was truly anything BUT bland. It’s true that Lilian Bland was the first woman to fly a plane in Ireland. But it’s also true that she was so much more than just a pilot. She was the first woman in the world to both design and build her very own [...]
Did a killer unintentionally change the course of aviation history as we know it? In 2015, famed historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough released a new book, “The Wright Brothers.” Early in his text, he recounts an event that ultimately changed the course of Wilbur’s life—and arguably the history of aviation as we know [...]
