May 19, 1908
Lt. Thomas E. Seldridge, the first U.S. Army officer to fly an airplane, flew the 'White Wing' at Hammondsport. It was Dr. Alexander Graham Bell's second Aerial Experiment Association plane, and had hinged ailerons.
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May 19, 1919
MSgt. R.W. Bottriell made the first free back-type parachute jump.
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May 19, 1961
The first Titan I arrived at Lowry AFB, Colo.
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May 19, 1963
On a nonstop from Washington, D.C. to a Moscow flight , the U. S. presidential aircraft, a Boeing 707-320B, with Col. James B. Swindal at the controls, set 15 nonstop FAI records in flying the 5,004-mile route in eight hours 39 minutes 2 seconds. On the return flight, Colonel Swindal and his crew set another 15 FAI records on the Moscow to Washington trip, flying an average speed of 490.96 mph.
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May 19, 1965
The U.S. Air Force used a single Thor-Agena rocket to launch simultaneously eight separate satellite vehicles from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. This was the greatest number of satellites the U.S. had ever launched on a single vehicle.
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May 19, 1970
Apollo XI crew (Astronauts Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr) received the Harmon Trophy for outstanding scientific and technological accomplishments in achieving the first landing of man on the moon.
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May 19, 1977
Capt. James W. Yule, a B-52 instructor pilot, received the Mackay Trophy for gallantry and unusual presence of mind during an in-flight emergency.
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May 19, 1980
The Air Force launched its first Tomahawk ground-launched cruise missile at the Utah Test and Training Range.
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May 19, 1987
The U. S. Air Forces in Europe units participated in the largest multiwing, multinational, composite force exercise Hammer 87-1 in Europe since World War II.
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May 20, 1926
President Calvin Coolidge signed the Air Commerce Act. It was the first federal law regulating civil aviation.
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May 20, 1951
In a F-86 Sabre, Capt James Jabara from the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron became the world's first jet ace. He shot down his fifth and sixth MiG-15s in the Korean War.
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May 20, 1954
The first Matador surface-to-surface guided missile arrived in the European theater.
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May 20, 1960
From Cape Canaveral, Fla., the U.S. Air Force launched a Convair HGM-16 Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile with a 1.5-ton payload to a target 9, 040 miles away in the Indian Ocean. This feat represented the greatest distance traveled by an ICBM to date
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May 20, 1966
The North American Aerospace Defense Command Attack Warning System became operational.
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May 20, 1970
An FB-111 launched a short range attack missile successfully for the first time at the White Sands Missile Range, N. M.
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May 20, 1978
McDonnell Douglas delivered its 5,000th F-4 Phantom to the services.
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May 20, 1983
The 18th Military Airlift Squadron at McGuire AFB, N.J., sent a C-141 with an all-female crew on a round-trip flight across the Atlantic. They became the first all-woman crew to make that flight.
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May 20, 2003
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron's "Hurricane Hunters," from Keesler AFB, Miss., flew their first WC-130J operational mission into a storm to gather data about Hurricane Adrian off the coast of El Salvador. Prior to this event, the 53rd crews had flown the WC-130J into storms for training and evaluation, but not to fulfill a National Hurricane Center tasking.
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May 21, 1927
Charles A. Lindbergh, a captain in the Missouri National Guard's 110th Observation Squadron, landed his Ryan Monoplane, the "Spirit of St. Louis," in Paris after the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic. He set a 3,609-mile FAI record for straight-line distance in his 33-hour 39-minute flight. For this feat, President Calvin Coolidge presented Capt. Lindbergh with a Medal of Honor.
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May 21, 1929
Assistant Secretary of War for Aviation Turbee Division directed the U.S. Army Air Corps to hold a public demonstration of the usefulness of air refueling in military operations. The round-trip, nonstop bomber mission from Dayton, Ohio to New York on May 21-22 failed to reach fruition when weather grounded the tanker. The Keystone bomber, continued on to New York and Wash., D.C. On the return leg, the bomber and tanker successfully connected over New York.
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May 21, 1931
Brig. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois, Assistant to the Chief of the Air Corps, led a provisional division in the largest maneuvers to date. The exercise involved 667 airplanes and 1,400 men in flights over northeastern and Midwestern states. This lasted through May 30.
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May 21, 1937
Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan left San Francisco on a West-to-East around-the-world flight. Their trip ended on July 2 when they disappeared near Howland Island in the Pacific.
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May 21, 1949
Capt. Hubert D. Gaddis, flying a Sikorsky S-52-1 helicopter, set an international and U. S. altitude record of 21,220 feet at Bridgeport, Conn.
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May 21, 1955
In his F-86 Sabre, Lt. John M. Conroy, of the Air National Guard made the first dawn-to-dusk round trip transcontinental flight from Los Angeles to New York and back in 11 hours 18 minutes 27 seconds by averaging a FAI record 432.6 mph. Returning, he also set a New York to Los Angeles record of four hours 24 minutes for the 2,446-mile flight.
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May 21, 1956
On Bikini Atoll in the Pacific, Maj. David Crichlow flew a B-52 bomber to nearly 50,000 feet and dropped an H-bomb during Operation Redwing. This was the first known air-borne-dropped H-bomb to explode.
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May 21, 1957
Maj. Robinson Risner flew Lindbergh's transatlantic route with a F-100 in six hours 40 minutes (as compared to 33.5 hours).
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May 21, 1958
The U.S. Air Force announced the first site for the Titan I intercontinental ballistic missile would be at Lowry Range near Denver, Colo.
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May 21, 1959
The Air Force recovered a Thor-Able nose cone after a 6,000-mile flight over the Atlantic from Cape Canaveral.
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May 21, 1959
Test pilot Maj. Robert C. Ferry flew Bell Aircraft's XV-3 Converti- plane on its first flight for the U.S. Air Force.
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May 21, 1960
At Eglin AFB, Fla., the Air Force retired the last World War II B-25 Mitchell medium bomber from its active inventory. It was a VB-25J model that flew staff support missions.
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May 21, 1966
The 1370th Photo Mapping Wing retired the U.S. Air Force's last RB-50.
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May 21, 1969
The C-5A Galaxy became the heaviest aircraft flown to date in a flight from Dobbins AFB, Ga., with a 728,100-pound takeoff weight. This exceeded the C-5s designed gross weight takeoff load by 100 pounds.
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May 21, 1973
Maj. Herbert K. Fisher was the first U.S. Air Force officer to enter a Pilot Requalification Program for former prisoners of war.
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May 21, 1984
The 390th Strategic Missile Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., took its last Titan II site off alert.
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May 22, 1934
Mackay Trophy awarded to Capt. W.T. Larson for developing instrument takeoff and landing procedures.
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May 22, 1941
The Curtiss Hawk 87A Warhawk first flew.
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May 22, 1952
An Air Force Aerobee rocket carried two monkeys and two mice to a height of about 38 miles. These astronauts returned to Earth safely.
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May 22, 1964
To combat the effects of the volcanic eruptions of Mount Irazu in Costa Rica, eight C-133s and five C-124s airlifted flood control equipment and personnel lasting through June 5.
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May 22, 1967
Two F-111As showed their long-range capabilities by flying from the U.S. to Europe without refueling or external tanks.
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May 22, 1976
After Typhoon Pamela struck Guam, Military Airlift Command airlifted engineering repair teams and 2,650 tons of cargo, including generators, vans, utility vehicles, and communications equipment to Andersen AFB, Guam, in 24 C-5, 83 C-141, three C-130 and one commercial missions.
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May 22, 1990
McDonnell Douglas pilot Larry Walker and Maj. Erwin Jenschke landed the NF-15B STOL Maneuvering Technology Demonstrator in 1,650 feet at Edwards AFB, Calif. The Pratt and Whitney two-dimensional, thrust-reversing engine nozzles were used to stop the aircraft.
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May 22, 2002
The X-45A unmanned combat air vehicle flew for the first time at Edwards AFB, Calif. It was the first unmanned aircraft designed for combat operations.
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May 23, 1940
During Third Army maneuvers at Barksdale Field, La., 320 Army aircraft demonstrated complete military maneuvers that simulated European combat operations.
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May 23, 1948
At Aberdeen, Md., the Army announced the dedication of the first continuous wind tunnel capable of 3,000 mph winds.
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May 23, 1960
The U.S. Air Force initiated a large humanitarian airlift to aid earthquake victims in Chile during Operation Amigos. In the next month, airlifters carried 1,000 tons of relief supplies and equipment to the stricken area.
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May 23, 1968
An 8th Tactical Fighter Wing Squadron used a Paveway Laser Guided Bomb in combat for the first time. Modified F-4Ds, fitted with laser illuminators, designated target for the strike.
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May 23, 1969
In its final research and development test launch from Cape Kennedy, Fla., a Titan IIIC placed two Vela nuclear detection satellites in orbit. The Titan also put three Orbiting Vehicle Program satellites in orbit to gather environmental data in deep space.
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May 23, 1997
The 509th Bomb Wing completed the longest B-2 global power mission to date. The 29.9-hour, record-setting flight started from and returned to Whiteman AFB, Mo. It featured a stop at Royal Air Force Mildenhall and simulated bomb runs over mid-America.
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May 23, 1999
NATO began a bombing campaign of the Yugoslav electricity grid, creating a major disruption of power affecting many military related activities and water supplies.
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May 23, 2000
Randolph AFB, Texas, received the first production-model T-6A Texan II. The U.S. Air Force's new primary trainer would replace the T-37 and the Navy's T-34 training aircraft.
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May 23, 2003
Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge, the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, approved an Air Force initiative to lease 100 KC-767A tankers for six years beginning in 2006.
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May 24, 1948
Jacqueline Cochran set a world speed record of 432 mph for propeller-driven planes over a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) closed circuit course.
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May 24, 1963
The Air Force decided to phaseout Atlas E, Atlas F and Titan I missiles between 1965 and 1968.
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May 24, 1963
From Vandenberg AFB, Calif., the first successful Minuteman IB launch occurred.
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May 24, 1972
President Richard M. Nixon and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Premier Aleksei N. Kosygin in Moscow signed an Agreement Concerning Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes.
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May 24, 1994
The C-17 Globemaster flew across the Atlantic for the first time.
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May 24, 1996
The Air Force decided to upgrade the original B-2 flight test vehicle to operational status and thus bring the operational B-2 fleet to 21 aircraft. The upgrade included new landing gear, a new avionics suite and modifications to the aircraft structure, fuel system and weapons bay doors.
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May 25, 1927
Lt. James H. Doolittle performed the first known successful outside loop.
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May 25, 1948
Using a modified B-29 as the tanker aircraft, the Air Force completed its first in-flight refueling. Prior to this event, Boeing conducted the refueling demonstration program.
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May 25, 1959
The Air Defense Command received its first F-106 Delta Dart. It was designed to replace the F-102 Delta Dagger.
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May 25, 1960
After a series of earthquakes and a tidal wave hit Chile, the Military Air Transportation Service sent C-118 and C-124 aircraft to transport 851 tons of cargo and 1,020 passengers for relief operations through June 21.
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May 25, 1962
Strategic Air Command turned over the last Jupiter intermediate range ballistic squadron to Turkey.
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May 25, 1984
A Military Airlift Command C-141 Starlifter transported the body of the Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War for interment at Arlington National Cemetery.
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May 25, 1993
NASA demonstrated through Aug. 3, aerobraking, which used atmospheric drag to slow a spacecraft and to place the Magellan Venus probe into a lower orbit.
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May 25, 1995
The U.S. Air Force aircraft joined in on NATO attacks against Serbian military bunkers to halt Serb artillery attacks on Sarajevo.
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May 25, 1996
During Air Fete "96", an annual air show at Royal Air Force Station Mildenhall, the first joint MiG 29, F-15C and F-15E formation flyby in aviation history occurred as a featured display lasting through May 26. The F-15s came from nearby Royal Air Force Lakenheath, while the MiG-29 came from the Slovak Republic for the airshow.
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