The B-fifty-two Stratofortress and the bomber that refused to die
The B-52 Stratofortress has survived 15 retirement proposals and will fly past 2040 thanks to cost, versatility, and a massive upgrade program.
Toweraviation history
Amelia Earhart lands in Ireland and becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic on May twenty-first, nineteen thirty-two
On May 21, 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, landing in Ireland after nearly 15 harrowing hours.
TaildraggerCharles Lindbergh and the Spirit of Saint Louis lifting off from Roosevelt Field on May twentieth, nineteen twenty-seven
On May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh departed Roosevelt Field in the Spirit of Saint Louis for the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.
TaildraggerHarry Hawker and Mackenzie-Grieve and the transatlantic attempt that ended in the North Atlantic on May nineteenth, nineteen nineteen
On May 19, 1919, Harry Hawker and Kenneth Mackenzie-Grieve ditched in the North Atlantic, failing to cross but proving it could be done.
TaildraggerWrong Way Corrigan and the nine-dollar airplane that accidentally crossed the Atlantic
Douglas Corrigan 'accidentally' flew from New York to Ireland in 1938 after being denied permission three times.
TaildraggerThe Mount Saint Helens eruption of May eighteenth nineteen eighty and the volcanic ash cloud that grounded the Northwest and changed aviation forever
The 1980 Mount Saint Helens eruption exposed aviation's vulnerability to volcanic ash and sparked the global warning systems pilots rely on today.
TaildraggerAlcock and Brown and the sixteen hours that crossed the Atlantic for the very first time
Alcock and Brown completed the first nonstop transatlantic flight in June 1919, eight years before Lindbergh, in an open-cockpit biplane.
TaildraggerThe Bermuda Sky Queen and the flying boat that landed in the middle of the Atlantic
The Bermuda Sky Queen's 1947 emergency ocean landing saved 69 lives but was overshadowed by Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier the same day.
TaildraggerMax Conrad the Flying Grandfather who crossed oceans alone in a Piper Comanche
Max Conrad made over 200 solo ocean crossings in single-engine Pipers, earning the title Flying Grandfather.
TaildraggerThe Schneider Trophy and the seaplane races that gave birth to the Spitfire
How the Schneider Trophy seaplane races of the 1920s and 1930s directly produced the Spitfire and its Merlin engine.
TaildraggerCharlie Furnas and the first airplane passenger who climbed aboard at Kill Devil Hills on May fourteenth, nineteen oh eight
On May 14, 1908, mechanic Charlie Furnas became the first airplane passenger in America at Kill Devil Hills, NC.
TaildraggerKee Bird the B-twenty-nine Superfortress that burned on a frozen Greenland lake after a fifty-year rescue mission
The Kee Bird B-29 survived 48 years on a frozen Greenland lake only to burn during its rescue attempt moments before takeoff.
TaildraggerIgor Sikorsky and the four-engine giant that nobody believed could fly on May thirteenth, nineteen thirteen
On May 13, 1913, Igor Sikorsky flew the first four-engine airplane, defying experts who called multi-engine flight impossible.
TaildraggerJimmy Stewart and the movie star who flew twenty combat missions over Nazi Germany in a B-twenty-four Liberator
Jimmy Stewart flew twenty combat missions over Nazi Germany in a B-24 Liberator, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross twice.
TaildraggerThe Ramstein airshow disaster of nineteen eighty-eight and the pierced heart maneuver that changed airshow safety forever
The 1988 Ramstein airshow disaster killed 67 spectators and three pilots, fundamentally rewriting airshow safety rules worldwide.
TaildraggerThe Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk found in the Egyptian Sahara seventy years after its pilot walked away and vanished
A Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk sat untouched in the Egyptian Sahara for 70 years after its pilot vanished, sparking a fierce restoration debate.
TaildraggerThe Berlin Blockade lifts on May twelfth nineteen forty-nine and the airlift that moved two million tons on three-minute intervals
The Berlin Airlift delivered 2.3 million tons of supplies over 277,000 flights, ending when the Soviet blockade lifted on May 12, 1949.
TaildraggerBessie Coleman and the woman who crossed an ocean just to learn how to fly
Bessie Coleman crossed the Atlantic to earn her pilot's license after every U.S. flight school refused to teach a Black woman to fly.
TaildraggerThe Vickers Wellington pulled from Loch Ness and the bomber that spent forty-five years at the bottom of Scotland's most famous lake
The story of Wellington bomber N2980, ditched in Loch Ness in 1940 and recovered 45 years later as the best surviving example of its type.
TaildraggerThe airship Norge and the first verified flight across the North Pole on May eleventh, nineteen twenty-six
On May 11, 1926, the airship Norge completed the first verified flight across the North Pole, crossing from Europe to Alaska.
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