FLYING IN CIRCLES, LITERALLY
THE LORE of flying saucers is rich, and in fact there have been a few real aircraft with saucer-shape wings. Technically, such a wing is said to have a low … Continue reading
THANKS FOR THE LIFT, GOODYEAR!
THE GOODYEAR blimp Spirit of America is being retired on Friday, August 15, 2015. She and The Spirit of Innovation, her Eastern U.S. sibling, are being replaced by the next … Continue reading
EARLY SEA-GOING AVIATION
SAMUEL PIERPONT Langley demonstrated that his 1896 Aërodrome No. 5, an unpiloted model aircraft, could be spring-catapulted aloft from a boat. Two later attempts with a larger version tossed both … Continue reading
EDSON GALLAUDET’S GLORIOUS FLYING MACHINES
THE NAME Edson Fesseden Gallaudet may not come to mind with the likes of the Wright Brothers or Glenn Curtiss, but it deserves a lot more than a footnote. His … Continue reading
NIKUMARORO PERSON? KENNEWICK MAN?
WITHOUT SCIENCE, the weekly magazine of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, I wouldn’t know the latest in the search for Amelia Earhart. Nor would I know who … Continue reading
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN—75TH ANNIVERSARY
JULY 10 THROUGH October 31, 1940, marked one of the most valiant defenses in the history of human conflict, the Battle of Britain. Hitler sought air superiority in advance of … Continue reading
THE STINSONS—HIGH FAMILY VALUES
BACK IN 1910, Katherine Stinson, age 19, had a great idea for financing lessons toward her career as a concert pianist: She’d learn to fly and earn the money from … Continue reading
SOARING WITH ADMIRAL BYRD
POOR ADMIRAL Byrd! Here’s a guy with a real knack for exploration. He had a chance of beating Lindbergh across the Atlantic in 1927. He may have been the first to … Continue reading
HELLCAT SURVIVES SCORPIONS’ ATTACK OVER SOCAL
MY FAVORITE World War II fighter aircraft is the Grumman F6F Hellcat. Though I certainly respect this carrier-based stalwart’s record number of kills over the Pacific, my favorite tale involves … Continue reading
TRANSPACIFIC AIR LOCALES
INTERESTING ISLAND history lives in the tale of transpacific air travel. In the Golden Years of Aviation, 1919 – 1939, airliners lacked sufficient range for the vastness of the Pacific. … Continue reading
