The Circuit de l’Est — Part 2 of 2
Published on August 9, 2013 By Thomas Van Hare As it happened, of the ten pilots who made a showing to start the Circuit de l’Est from Issy, near Paris,
Category: Flight Stories
The Circuit de l’Est — Part 1 of 2
Published on August 8, 2013 By Thomas Van Hare The year 1910 was an auspicious one for aviation. Many new aeroplane designs were in the works and the early models
Blériot’s Naval System
Published on August 7, 2013 By Thomas Van Hare The news bulletin began innocently enough with the heading: “Bleriot’s New Launching Device.” What it described, however, was something that in
In the Event of Moon Disaster
Published on July 20, 2013 By Thomas Van Hare On July 20, 1969, as Neil Armstrong and “Buzz” Aldrin descended toward the surface of the Moon at a location that
The Disappearance
Published on July 15, 2013 The Reading Eagle carried word of the mystery in its Sunday edition, on November 12, 1899, fully twenty-four years after a balloon accident that took
Meacon and the Dawn of Electronic Warfare
Published on July 9, 2013 By Thomas C. Van Hare During the night hours of July 9 and early morning of July 10, 1941 — today in aviation history —
Make Mud, Not War
Published on July 5, 2013 By Thomas C. Van Hare On July 5, 1972, a five-year-long program in Vietnam culminated with a final flight by the 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
Operation A-Go — Part 3 of 3
Published on June 27, 2013 by Thomas C. Van Hare As the day ended, Vice-Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa left the stricken aircraft carrier Taiho for the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Wakatsuki.
Operation A-Go — Part 2 of 3
Published on June 25, 2013 By Thomas C. Van Hare By dawn on June 19, 1944, the two opposing carrier groups were positioned with the Japanese to the west and
Operation A-Go — Part 1 of 3
Published on June 19, 2013 By Thomas C. Van Hare Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo had gathered his forces in secret, creating the largest naval fleet Japan had yet assembled in
First Arc Light
Published on June 18, 2013 By Thomas C. Van Hare By 1965, the Vietnam War was rapidly expanding. US Military and South Vietnamese forces were deeply involved in a mix
Intercepted!
Published on June 16, 2013 By Thomas C. Van Hare The day had begun normally with a morning preflight of the Martin P4M-1Q Mercator aircraft. The mission was a standard
The Kaleva Shootdown
Published on June 14, 2013 By Thomas C. Van Hare In the early stages of World War II, before the United States entered the conflict, Nazi Germany was on the
The Great Aeroplane Raid
Published on June 13, 2013 By Thomas C. Van Hare During daylight hours on June 13, 1917, at the height of the Great War and 96 years ago today in
Black Buck 7
Published on June 12, 2013 by Thomas C. Van Hare Operation Black Buck 7 was the last of the series flown. Each of the flights had been extraordinarily difficult, logistically
Operation CORKSCREW
Published on June 11, 2013 In 1943, at the height of World War II, the Allies embarked on a new offensive plan to pressure the Axis powers of Italy and
Sucked Out!
Published on June 10, 2013 By Thomas C. Van Hare It was supposed to have been a beautiful day on June 10, 1990 (today in aviation history). Vacationers filed onto
De la Cierva
Published on June 9, 2013 By Thomas C. Van Hare Juan de la Cierva was the son of a wealthy Spaniard who, by age 17 in 1912, was already designing
Missile Mail
Published on June 8, 2013 By Thomas C. Van Hare Have you ever heard of “Missile Mail”? Yes, our Government in Washington had the rather harebrained idea of loading US
Fortitude South
Published on June 6, 2013 By Thomas Van Hare In the early morning hours of D-Day, on June 6, 1944, a huge Allied invasion force was moving toward Normandy Beach
The Flying Keys — Part 2 of 2
Published on June 5, 2013 When Al and Fred Key took off in their Curtiss Robin “Ole Miss” on June 4, 1935, they were supported by a committed, if small
The Flying Keys — Part 1 of 2
Published on June 4, 2013 In 1935, after two failed attempts. two brothers took off on a third try, hoping to set a record and save their local airport. Their
The Pommery Cup — Part 2 of 2
Published on June 1, 2013 Pierre Daucourt’s flight from Paris to Berlin, having spanned 895 kilometers in a single day from sunrise to sunset, was the leading candidate for the
Flight to Red Square
Published on May 28, 2013 The year was 1987. Mathias Rust was just 19 years old. He was a private pilot from Germany with 50 hours of total flight time,
A Memorial Day Tribute
Published on May 27, 2013 On this Memorial Day, we salute all veterans who have made sacrifices in the causes of freedom and liberty and also thank those who have
The Red Tent — Part 2 of 2
Published on May 26, 2013 Stranded on the icepack in the cold Arctic north, the survivors from the crash of the airship Italia carefully collected what supplies they could find.
The Red Tent — Part 1 of 2
Published on May 25, 2013 Umberto Nobile had already been to the North Pole once by airship, having piloted the Norge, a semi-rigid dirigible of his own design, on a
The Tong-Mei Biplane
Published on May 24, 2013 Mr. Tsoe. K. Wong, a Chinese living in England, saw an opportunity to design and build a biplane which, once tested and proven, could be
Lufbery’s Final Flight
Published on May 19, 2013 The German Rumpler reconnaissance plane made a low altitude pass over the American aerodrome at Gengault Aerodrome near Toul, France. There, the 94th Aero Squadron,
Myth Too
Published on May 18, 2013 In 1966, Sheila Scott, a British actress who had learned to fly a few years earlier, decided to pursue her passion in aviation by setting
The Memphis Belle
Published on May 17, 2013 The Memphis Belle, a B-17 with the 324th Bomb Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group, flew its 25 mission at this time in history —
Accident Report No. 1
Published on May 13, 2013 One hundred and one years ago today in aviation history, on Monday, May 13, 1912, there was a terrible accident at Brooklands. Two men, the
Eject! Eject!
Published on May 12, 2013 It was clear day, VFR and with smooth seas when LTJG Robert “Rocket” Rabuse and his B/N, ENS Al Hux, USN, circled the USS Lexington
A Swiss First
Published on May 10, 2013 When Ernest Failloubaz climbed into the aeroplane, he had never flown before in his life. Further, he had no flight instructor, nor was one available
Fonck’s Struggle
Published on May 9, 2013 By Thomas Van Hare “I achieved my greatest victory on May 9, 1918. For some time, I longed for a triumph in a single 24
The White Bird
Published on May 8, 2013 The plane was purpose-built for the flight, extensively modified from a proven design of the Levasseur PL4 reconnaissance seaplane and redesignated as the Levasseur PL.8.
An Engagement for King George — Part 2 of 2
Published on May 7, 2013 By Guy Ellis, Guest Contributor The radar operator on the Bristol Beaufighter, Sergeant Rawnsley, focused on the AI — his only picture of the surrounding
An Engagement for King George — Part 1 of 2
Published on May 6, 2013 By Guy Ellis, Guest Contributor King George VI stood in the darkened “Starlights” caravan behind Squadron Leader Brown. Together, they peered down at what seemed
The Short Crusader
Published on May 4, 2013 The key challenges of air racing are ones of weight, profile, horsepower and aerodynamic streamlining. In 1927, at the height of the international competition in
Operation Oil Drum
Published on May 3, 2013 The commanding general of the Alaskan Air Command, Major General William D. Old, USAF, squared off in front of his new Special Projects Officer, Lt.