Aviation History

May 12, 1926: Roald Amundsen Crosses the North Pole in the Norge Airship — The Dirigible Age
May 12, 1926: Roald Amundsen Crosses the North Pole in the Norge Airship — The Dirigible Age
|Randall Wagnon
On May 12, 1926, the airship Norge — carrying explorer Roald Amundsen, engineer Umberto Nobile, and American explorer Lincoln Ellsworth — became the first confirmed aircraft to fly over the... Read more...
May 11, 1996: ValuJet Flight 592 — Remembering the Importance of Aviation Safety
May 11, 1996: ValuJet Flight 592 — Remembering the Importance of Aviation Safety
|Randall Wagnon
On May 11, 1996, ValuJet Flight 592 crashed into the Florida Everglades shortly after takeoff from Miami International Airport, tragically killing all 110 people on board. This somber anniversary in... Read more...
May 10, 1994: The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit Makes Its Public Debut — Stealth Technology and Aviation's Future
May 10, 1994: The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit Makes Its Public Debut — Stealth Technology and Aviation's Future
|Randall Wagnon
The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is one of the most technologically advanced aircraft ever built, and May marks key milestones in its operational history. With its distinctive flying... Read more...
May 9, 1926: The Race to the North Pole by Air — Byrd and Bennett's Historic Arctic Flight
May 9, 1926: The Race to the North Pole by Air — Byrd and Bennett's Historic Arctic Flight
|Randall Wagnon
On May 9, 1926, Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd and pilot Floyd Bennett claimed to have completed the first flight over the North Pole in a Fokker Trimotor named Josephine... Read more...
May 8, 1945: V-E Day and the Warbirds That Won the War — Honoring WWII Aviation
May 8, 1945: V-E Day and the Warbirds That Won the War — Honoring WWII Aviation
|Randall Wagnon
May 8, 1945 — Victory in Europe Day. As the guns fell silent across Europe, the world celebrated the end of World War II in the European theater. For aviation... Read more...
May 7, 1946: Pan American Launches Global Commercial Air Service — Flying the World in Style
May 7, 1946: Pan American Launches Global Commercial Air Service — Flying the World in Style
|Randall Wagnon
In the postwar spring of 1946, Pan American World Airways was aggressively expanding global commercial routes, cementing its status as the world's most iconic airline. May marks a key period... Read more...
May 6, 1937: The Hindenburg Disaster — A Somber Chapter in Aviation History
May 6, 1937: The Hindenburg Disaster — A Somber Chapter in Aviation History
|Randall Wagnon
On May 6, 1937, the German airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed while attempting to dock at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in New Jersey, killing 36 people.... Read more...
May 5, 1961: Alan Shepard Becomes the First American in Space — Freedom 7 and the Dawn of a New Era
May 5, 1961: Alan Shepard Becomes the First American in Space — Freedom 7 and the Dawn of a New Era
|Randall Wagnon
On May 5, 1961, Navy pilot and astronaut Alan Shepard climbed aboard the Freedom 7 Mercury capsule and became the first American to travel to space. For aviation and aerospace... Read more...
May 4, 1927: Charles Lindbergh Prepares for the Atlantic — The Flight That Changed Everything
May 4, 1927: Charles Lindbergh Prepares for the Atlantic — The Flight That Changed Everything
|Randall Wagnon
On May 4, 1927, Charles Lindbergh and his famous aircraft, the Spirit of St. Louis, arrived in New York to prepare for what would become the most celebrated solo flight... Read more...
May 2, 1952: The Jet Age Begins — BOAC Launches the World's First Commercial Jet Service
May 2, 1952: The Jet Age Begins — BOAC Launches the World's First Commercial Jet Service
|Randall Wagnon
On May 2, 1952, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) launched the world's first scheduled commercial jet service, flying a de Havilland Comet from London to Johannesburg. Aviation would never be... Read more...
May 1, 1923: The First Nonstop Transcontinental Flight — Aviation History Worth Wearing
May 1, 1923: The First Nonstop Transcontinental Flight — Aviation History Worth Wearing
|Randall Wagnon
On this day in 1923, U.S. Army Air Service pilots Lt. John Macready and Lt. Oakley Kelly completed the first nonstop transcontinental flight across the United States, flying from New... Read more...
This Day in Aviation History — April 30
This Day in Aviation History — April 30
|Randall Wagnon
On April 30, 1939, the New York World's Fair opened with aviation at its heart — a vision of tomorrow that pilots and engineers would spend the next century making... Read more...