Aviation World, History & Legends
At 10:35 on the morning of December 17, 1903, on a cold, windswept beach in North Carolina, a 32-year-old bicycle mechanic from Dayton, Ohio climbed onto a wooden biplane, opened the throttle of a 12-horsepower engine, and flew. Orville Wright stayed aloft for 12...
History & Legends, Military Aviation
Quick Facts PilotColonel Chuck Yeager, USAF — the first human to break the sound barrier (1947) AircraftLockheed NF-104A Aerospace Trainer — an F-104 Starfighter modified with a 6,000-lb thrust Rocketdyne AR2-3 rocket motor DateDecember 10, 1963 Peak Altitude108,700...
History & Legends, Military Aviation
Quick Facts AircraftMesserschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (“Swallow”) — the world’s first operational jet fighter First FlightJuly 18, 1942 (jet-only power); entered service April 1944 Top Speed870 km/h (540 mph) — roughly 150 km/h faster than any Allied...
History & Legends, Military Aviation
Quick FactsNationalityBritish 🇬🇧Aerial Victories61 (official); estimated 73Aircraft FlownNieuport 17, SE.5aWarsWorld War IBorn / Died24 May 1880 – 26 Jul 1918 (age 38)UnitNo. 40 Sqn RFC, No. 74 Sqn RFC Royal Aircraft Factory SE5a ‘F904’ (G-EBIA)...
Aviation World, History & Legends
On the afternoon of August 9, 1896, Otto Lilienthal took off from a hillside near Stölln, Germany, in his standard monoplane glider — the same machine he had flown hundreds of times before. A sudden gust caught him wrong. The glider stalled. He fell from about 15...
History & Legends, Military Aviation
Quick Facts Pilot Sub-Lieutenant Ian “Soapy” Watson, Royal Navy Aircraft British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS.1 (serial ZA176) Date June 1, 1983 Ship MV Alraigo — a Spanish container vessel Location Atlantic Ocean, approximately 50 miles south of the Canary...
History & Legends, Military Aviation
Quick Facts Operation Black Buck 1 (first of seven missions, April 30 – May 1, 1982) Aircraft Avro Vulcan B.2 (XM607, 101 Squadron RAF) Crew Captain Flight Lieutenant Martin Withers Distance ~8,000 miles round trip (Ascension Island to Port Stanley and back) Flight...
History & Legends, Military Aviation
Quick FactsNationalityFrench 🇫🇷Aerial Victories75 (official) — possibly 127 totalAircraft FlownSPAD VII, SPAD XIIIWarsWorld War IBorn / Died27 Mar 1894 – 18 Jun 1953 (age 59)UnitEscadrille N103 “Les Cigognes” René Fonck 02 — via Wikimedia Commons The...
Aviation World, History & Legends
In 1799, a 26-year-old Yorkshire baronet engraved a small silver disc with two drawings — one on each side. On one face: a diagram of the forces acting on a wing in flight, showing lift, drag, and thrust as separate vectors. On the other: a sketch of a fixed-wing...
History & Legends, Military Aviation
Quick FactsOfficial NameUnited States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor (SFTI) programFoundedMarch 3, 1969, NAS Miramar, CaliforniaFounderLt. Cdr. Dan “Yank” Pedersen — the “Godfather of TOPGUN”Why It Was CreatedThe Ault Report revealed Navy kill ratios had...
Aviation World, History & Legends
Quick FactsConcorde’s SpeedMach 2.04 (2,180 km/h) — London to New York in 3.5 hoursConcorde Service1976–2003 (27 years, British Airways and Air France)Modern Cruise SpeedMach 0.78–0.85 — slower than the Boeing 707 cruised in 1958Why We Slowed DownEconomics (fuel...
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