Wing Flutter on a 747

Considered one of the most appealing fighters ever built, Lockheeds XF-90 enjoys a first-rate reputation with aviation enthusiasts something of a surprise, given that only two were ever built. While researching and writing Lockheeds Missing Link for our June/July 2008 issue, authors Jorge and Karen Escalona compiled rare footage of the XF-90 at Muroc (now Edwards) Air Force Base in California in 1949. The footage, which has no sound, includes scenes of the first XF-90 prototype being trucked to Muroc, and a brief glimpse of engineers attaching ribbonlike strips to the wing to gauge airflow patterns during preflight tests. Also seen are ground crews affixing Jet-Assisted Takeoff (JATO) canisters to the aircraft (to provide additional thrust) before Tony LeVier, Lockheeds chief test pilot, takes it for a spin. The Escalonas write: The XF-90s dashing good looks earned it movie-star status throughout the 1950sfar beyond its operational lifeattracting readers and advertisers to prominent aviation periodicals and comic books of the time. Video: Courtesy Jorge and Karen Escalona

Test Flying the XF-90 (3:45)

If the spinning 38-foot tiltrotors of the V-22 Osprey look odd, theyll soon become more familiar. The U.S. Marine Corps begins operational use of the aircraft in September 2007. The Osprey can transport 24 combat troops or up to 20,000 pounds of cargo. With its vertical/short takeoff and landing capabilities, it can fit in tight spots like a helicopter, but can fly twice as fast. In this video, distributed by V-22 manufacturer Boeing during the 2007 Paris Airshow at Le Bourget, the Osprey is seen doing its thingflying like an airplane, taking off like a helicopter, and dropping commandos like Pez. Variants of the V-22 will be ready for use by the Air Force and Special Operations Command in 2009. Video: Boeing

Osprey in Flight (4:26)

The Convair XFY-1 Pogo, the first airplane to accomplish a vertical takeoff, transition to forward flight, and change back to a vertical landing. Video: airspacemag.com

The Pogo Landing (0:12)

In the spring of 1952, the U.S. Defense Nuclear Agency conducted a series of atomic bomb drops and tower shots at the Nevada Proving Ground, code-named Operation Tumbler Snapper. One of Tumbler-Snappers objectives was to see how soldiers and military equipmentincluding one of only two Lockheed XF-90 fighters ever builtreacted to the detonation. Jet aircraft (including the XF-90 and some F-47s) were seen to be less damaged by the atomic blast than were the bombers (a B-45, a B-29, and some B-17s). This excerpt from a contemporary U.S. Air Force documentary about the Tumbler-Snapper program focuses on the airplane testing. Source: Internet Archive/ US Dept. of Energy

Operation Tumbler-Snapper (5:15)

The Wright exhibition team was performing at an air meet in St. Louis when pilot Arch Hoxsey crossed paths with Teddy Roosevelt on October 11, 1910. At the time, Roosevelt was campaigning for Missouris state Republican party. In this silent clip, Roosevelt initially refuses Hoxseys invitation to fly, but changes his mind. One can only imagine what Roosevelt was thinking as Hoxsey put the biplane into three steep dives, pulling up sharply each time. Video: Library of Congress

Teddy Roosevelt Goes Flying (3:36)

Climb into the cockpit of a Grumman EA-6B Prowler in this silent video produced by VAQ-209-the "Star Warriors"-a squadron based at Naval Air Facility Washington, D.C., Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. The two-seat Grumman A-6 Intruder, an all-weather, Vietnam-era attack airplane for the U.S. Navy, later became the four-seat, advanced electronic warfare Prowler, which added two electronic countermeasures officers behind the pilot and bombardier/navigator. The arm extending from the front of the aircraft and visible through the windscreen is a probe to take on fuel in flight.Today, in addition to the Star Warriors, the EA-6B operates out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. These Prowlers periodically operate aboard the Navy's aircraft carriers, one of which, the USS George Washington, has a squadron forward-deployed at Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan.Roughly half a century after the first A-6 Intruder flew, the Prowler's days are numbered as the Boeing EA-18G "Growler," a variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, gradually assumes its job. Video: U.S. Navy/VAQ-209

On the Prowl (5:12)

Barnstorming captures their annual gathering: the visceral exhilaration of flight, the anticipation of the barnstormers arrival, and celebration of the reunion. (Produced and written by Bryan Reichhardt and Paul Glenshaw; Copyright 2009, Barnstorming Productions, LLC)

Barnstorming (3:56)

Crash course: Millions of Americans were glued to their TV sets on March 24, 1965 to watch Ranger 9 transmit video of the final 17 minutes (shown here speeded up) of its dive into the moons crater Alphonsus. The video begins with Ranger 9 at a distance of about 1,477 miles from the moon and ends with impact inside the 67-mile-wide crater. Video: NASA

Ranger 9's Last Moments (0:15)

Grumman engineer Lynn Radcliffe talks about the sacrifices made by the people who built the world's first moonships. Video: Mike Marcucci

The Human Price of Apollo (2:33)