Aviation History

When World War II ended in August 1945, the U.S. government cancelled most orders for bomber aircraft, which had been a mainstay of the aircraft industry. Total industry production dropped from 96,000 airplanes in 1944 to 1,330 military aircraft in 1946. […]

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) as the U.S. government agency most responsible for advancing flight-related technology. […]

When NASA received three SR-71s from the Air Force in 1990, Bohn-Meyer’s expertise and F-104 experience made her an easy choice for one of two flight engineer slots for the aircraft. […]

Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager embody the very spirit and character of the word “pioneers.” In December 1986, they became the first people to circumnavigate the world, nonstop, without refueling their plane, the Voyager. […]

Jimmy Doolittle excelled at every aspect of aviation. A daredevil pilot, aeronautical engineer, combat leader, and record-holder, Doolittle was a multi-talented pioneer. […]

The Boeing B-9 bomber was the earliest plane based on the Monomail design. […]

Throughout his career, Yeager displayed distinguished courage and performed several extraordinarily brave deeds. […]

Wally Schirra, the only astronaut to fly in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, has died. He was 84 years old. […]

The all-metal, single-wing P-26, popularly known as the “Peashooter,” was an entirely new design for Boeing. […]

The Lockheed Company, one of the giants in the modern aerospace industry, began in 1912 when the Loughead brothers, Allan and Malcolm, formed the Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company in San Francisco. […]