Aviation Eras
Periods of innovation in the history of aviation from early flight to the modern age
Lockheed’s Mom
Flora Haines Loughead was a journalist, farmer, miner, and mother to two pioneers of the aviation history.
May 10, 2013 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Kamikaze Bats
The plan: Strap napalm bombs onto bats, and drop them over World War II Japan.
April 29, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Sex and the Airlines
The evolution of the stewardess, from airborne homemaker to aerial sex kitten.
April 25, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Lost, Not Forgotten
Wrecked aircraft from around the world are showcased in Dietmar Eckell's forthcoming book.
April 23, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Did Harriet Quimby’s Blériot End Up in New York?
Or maybe it's just another aviation urban legend.
April 15, 2013 |
By Pat Trenner
A Brief Tour of Time (and Navigation)
A new exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum tells us where we are, and how to get where we're going next.
April 11, 2013 |
By Heather Goss
Docking on the Empire State Building
Despite plans for a mooring station, only one airship ever docked at the Empire State Building.
April 01, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
The Titanium Gambit
During the Cold War, Boeing execs got a strange call from the State Department: Would you guys mind trading secrets with the Russians?
April 01, 2013 |
By Joe Sutter
Area 51: Origins
America’s once-secret air base had humble beginnings.
March 26, 2013 |
By Peter Merlin
Shenzhou’s Pigs In Space
As far as we know, Captain Link Hogthrob remains the first porcine astronaut.
March 25, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Free to Good Homes
The National Air and Space Museum holds its version of a yard sale.
March 20, 2013 |
By Pat Trenner
Not the First?
It’s not the first time someone has claimed that Gustave Whitehead flew before the Wright brothers. But solid evidence is still lacking.
March 18, 2013 |
By Linda Shiner
Parkour Among the Planes
Ever wanted to play in an airplane graveyard? Watch how the pros do it.
March 12, 2013 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Rescue, James Bond Style
Some of 007's imaginative toys were based on actual inventions.
March 01, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Who Inspects the Navy’s Aircraft Carriers?
It takes a (uniformed) village.
February 04, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
Even Lindbergh Got Lost
In the 1920’s, only one man held the key to aerial navigation.
February 2013 |
By Roger Connor
Tennis, Anyone?
When she wasn't playing tennis on the wing of a biplane in flight, Gladys Roy was dancing the Charleston.
January 29, 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
The First Presidential Flight
Nowadays the U.S. President has his own airplane. But for Franklin Roosevelt in 1943, flying was still a big deal.
January 18, 2013 |
By Tony Reichhardt
Rotary Rescue
The Sikorsky HO5S-1 made its name flying medevac missions in Korea.
January 2013 |
By Rebecca Maksel
