111 Years Ago Today: Man’s First Powered Flight.
By Tom Demerly for Alert 5. It is equipped with side stick controls like an F-16 Fighting Falcon. It uses an advanced, “mission adaptive” wing that has no seams at the [read more...]
Aviation Milestones
Crash of The Valkyrie.
09:26, 8 June 1966. General Electric Aerial Publicity Photo Shoot. Flight Level 320, 17 Miles northeast of Barstow, California. “MIDAIR! MIDAIR!” Air Force T-38 pilot, [read more...]
68 Years Ago Today: Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier.
By Tom Demerly for ALERT 5. When a manned aircraft approaches the speed of the sound it is thought to reach an invisible barrier. A barrier defined by physics. An [read more...]
47 Years Ago Today: The Fastest Manned Aircraft Flight Ever.
By Tom Demerly for ALERT 5. It flew at nearly Mach 7, seven times the speed of sound and twice the speed of a rifle bullet. The speed record it set 47 years ago today still [read more...]
The First Flight Of The A-4 Skyhawk
On this day in 1954, the A-4 Skyhawk had its first flight. The A-4 was a light-attack aircraft designed by Douglas Aircraft Company (and later McDonnel Douglas). It had a top [read more...]
The First Flight Of The Bell X-5
On this day in 1951 the Bell X-5 had its first flight. Inspired by the untested P.1101 design of the German Messerschmitt, the Bell X-5 was the first variable-geometry design [read more...]
The First Flight Of The YF-17
On this day in 1974 the Northrop YF-17 had its maiden flight. The YF-17 “Cobra”, as it was nicknamed, was a prototype lightweight fighter designed for the US Air [read more...]
The Hornet Comes To The Blue Angels
On this day in 1986 the US Navy selected the F/A-18 Hornet as the official aircraft of The Blue Angels. The Blue Angels had been flying the A-4 Skyhawk since 1974. During the [read more...]
The Harrier II has its maiden flight
On this day in 1985 the British Aerospace Harrier II had its maiden flight. The Harrier II is a second-generation V/STOL aircraft used by both the Royal Air Force and the [read more...]
First full-throttle flight of the X-15
On this day in 1961 Major Robert White piloted the X-15 on its first full-throttle flight, reaching a speed of 3,074 miles per hours at an altitude of 79,000 feet before [read more...]
