Eyes in the air

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Robert Michel
  • 55th Wing historian
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AFPN) --  One hundred years has brought aviation to a place its early pioneers may have never dreamed of. The earliest pioneers, though, were born centuries before the Wright brothers built their first bicycle.

According to legend, the Chinese were the first to use aerial reconnaissance, sending men aloft in kites sometime before the year 1,000 A.D. The French used observation balloons in the 18th century. The United States logged its first airtime in balloons for reconnaissance in the Civil War, birthing the now-proud tradition of military aviation.

The United States first used the airplane in combat during the Mexican Punitive Expedition in 1916. Although the airplanes were underpowered and forced to withdraw from service in Mexico, this failure was responsible for increased funding to the fledgling Signal Corps and the development of new aircraft. The expanding corps would be needed in the skies of Europe less than two years later.

World War I showed advancements in the design and durability of aircraft, but the primary mission remained reconnaissance. Military leaders eventually realized that aviation was valuable for combat and transportation missions, but reconnaissance remained a very important part of aviation over the battlefield. The evolution from the simple biplane and handheld camera to current systems such as the U-2 Dragonlady, RC-135 Rivet Joint, and satellites has led to some of the most important tools in the United States military.

The invention of the airplane changed history. Aviation redefined the way wars are fought, revolutionized travel and commerce, fueled technological changes and helped to shape a world where a nation survives on its scientific and technological prowess. Flight's original mission of reconnaissance continues to provide the platform on which current and future missions will succeed. (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News Service)