Aviation History

June 5, 1944: The Night Before D-Day — Paratroopers and the Airborne Armada
June 5, 1944: The Night Before D-Day — Paratroopers and the Airborne Armada
|Randall Wagnon
In the early hours of June 5-6, 1944, more than 13,000 American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions boarded C-47 Skytrain transports and took off from England, bound... Read more...
June 4, 1942: The Battle of Midway — Aviation Turns the Tide of World War II
June 4, 1942: The Battle of Midway — Aviation Turns the Tide of World War II
|Randall Wagnon
On June 4, 1942, American naval aviators achieved one of the most decisive victories in military history at the Battle of Midway. In a single day, U.S. dive bombers sank... Read more...
June 3, 1948: The Berlin Airlift Begins — Aviation's Greatest Humanitarian Mission
June 3, 1948: The Berlin Airlift Begins — Aviation's Greatest Humanitarian Mission
|Randall Wagnon
In late June 1948, the Soviet Union blockaded all land access to West Berlin, cutting off the city's 2 million residents from food, fuel, and supplies. The Western Allies' response... Read more...
June 2, 1995: Scott O'Grady Shot Down Over Bosnia — A Survival and Rescue Story for the Ages
June 2, 1995: Scott O'Grady Shot Down Over Bosnia — A Survival and Rescue Story for the Ages
|Randall Wagnon
On June 2, 1995, U.S. Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady's F-16C Fighting Falcon was struck by a Serbian SA-6 surface-to-air missile over Bosnia-Herzegovina. What followed — six days of survival... Read more...
June 1, 1939: The USS Squalus Rescue — Aviation's Role in a Legendary Navy Operation
June 1, 1939: The USS Squalus Rescue — Aviation's Role in a Legendary Navy Operation
|Randall Wagnon
On May 23, 1939, the submarine USS Squalus sank in 243 feet of water off New Hampshire — and the race to save her 33 surviving crew members became one... Read more...
May 31: Celebrating a Month of Aviation History — Every Day Is Aviation Day at Cleared4Tees
May 31: Celebrating a Month of Aviation History — Every Day Is Aviation Day at Cleared4Tees
|Randall Wagnon
As May comes to a close, we've spent 31 days celebrating the incredible history of aviation — from the Wright Brothers' patent to Lindbergh's landing, from Concorde's supersonic glory to... Read more...
May 30, 1966: Surveyor 1 Lands on the Moon — Aerospace Engineering at Its Finest
May 30, 1966: Surveyor 1 Lands on the Moon — Aerospace Engineering at Its Finest
|Randall Wagnon
On May 30, 1966, NASA's Surveyor 1 spacecraft successfully soft-landed on the Moon's surface, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to achieve a controlled lunar landing. It was a crucial step... Read more...
May 29, 2003: Concorde's Last Commercial Flight to the United States — End of an Era
May 29, 2003: Concorde's Last Commercial Flight to the United States — End of an Era
|Randall Wagnon
In 2003, the final chapter of Concorde's commercial service was being written. May marks the period of Concorde's farewell tour, as Air France and British Airways began winding down the... Read more...
May 28, 1959: Two Monkeys Survive Space Flight — Aviation and Animal Heroes
May 28, 1959: Two Monkeys Survive Space Flight — Aviation and Animal Heroes
|Randall Wagnon
On May 28, 1959, Able (a rhesus monkey) and Baker (a squirrel monkey) became the first living creatures to survive a space mission and return safely, riding a Jupiter missile... Read more...
May 27, 1931: Auguste Piccard Reaches the Stratosphere — Aviation's Altitude Frontier
May 27, 1931: Auguste Piccard Reaches the Stratosphere — Aviation's Altitude Frontier
|Randall Wagnon
On May 27, 1931, Swiss physicist Auguste Piccard and his assistant Paul Kipfer ascended to 51,775 feet in a pressurized gondola beneath a hydrogen balloon — the first humans to... Read more...
May 26, 1956: The U.S. Navy Test Pilot School Opens — Where Legends Are Made
May 26, 1956: The U.S. Navy Test Pilot School Opens — Where Legends Are Made
|Randall Wagnon
The United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) at Patuxent River, Maryland is one of the most prestigious aviation institutions in the world. May marks key milestones in its history,... Read more...
May 25, 1961: JFK's Moon Speech — 'We Choose to Go to the Moon'
May 25, 1961: JFK's Moon Speech — 'We Choose to Go to the Moon'
|Randall Wagnon
On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress and challenged the nation: 'I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal,... Read more...