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Early mid-air refueling

EARLY YEARS -- Refueling in mid-air by Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter, at Rockwell Field, Calif., June 1923. They stayed in the air four days using DeHaviland airplanes. (U.S. Air Force photo)
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Capt. Lowell Smith and Lt. John P. Richter

EARLY YEARS -- Capt. Lowell Smith and Lt. John P. Richter, made the first mid-air refueling, June 1923, at Rockwell Field. (U.S. Air Force photo)
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Orville and Wilbur Wright

EARLY YEARS -- Orville and Wilbur Wright pose for the camera, 1909. (U.S. Air Force photo)
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Captain Eddie Rickenbacker

EARLY YEARS -- Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was the American "Ace of Aces" in World War I. Born in Columbus, Ohio, 1890, he gained fame as a race car driver before joining the service. He started in the U. S. Army as a chauffeur to Army Gen. John J. Pershing.
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Captain Eddie Rickenbacker

EARLY YEARS -- Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was the American "Ace of Aces" in World War I. Born in Columbus, Ohio, 1890, he gained fame as a race car driver before joining the service. He started in the U. S. Army as a chauffeur to Army Gen. John J. Pershing.
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Sopwith Camel

Long before the Sopwith Camel was featured in the comic strip "Peanuts," it was the most successful fighter plane of World War I. The Camel shot down more enemy aircraft than any other fighter of any of the warring nations.
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Curtiss P-6E Hawk

Curtiss P-6E Hawk assigned to the 17th Pursuit Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group based at Selfridge Field, Mount Clemens, Mich. around 1932-34. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jack McKillop)
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O-38

One of the best-known Air Corps observation planes of the 1930s was the O-38. Between 1931 and 1934, Douglas built 156 O-38s for the Air Corps, eight of which were O-38Fs. Some were still in service at the time of the Pearl Harbor Attack in 1941.
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DeHavilland DH-4

The DH-4 was an ever-present element of the US Army Air Service both during and following World War I. When the US entered World War I in April 1917, the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps only had 132 aircraft, all obsolete. Modeled from a combat tested British De Havilland design, the DH-4 was the only US built aircraft to see combat during World War I.
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Curtis JN-4

The Curtiss "Jenny" America's most famous World War I airplane, was developed by combining the best features of the Curtiss "J" and "N" models. (courtesy photo)
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PT-13

The PT-13 was typical of the biplane primary trainer used during the late 1930s and WW II. Whereas it was powered by a Lycoming engine, the same airplane with a Continental engine was designated the PT-17, and with a Jacobs engine, the PT-18. A later version which featured a cockpit canopy was designated the PT-27.
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Standard J-1

The Standard J-1 is a two-seat primary trainer developed from the earlier Sloan and Standard H-series aircraft designed by Charles Healey Day. When the U.S. entered WW I, the Army ordered the aircraft (then known as the SJ) produced as a supplement to the Curtiss Jenny then in production. At about the same time, Standard introduced an advanced version of the SJ called the JR. The Army bought only six of the JR-series aircraft, but some of the JR's features were incorporated into SJ production aircraft; the resulting version became known as the J-1. (courtesy photo)
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Wright 1909 Military Flyer

Upon being purchased by the Signal Corps for $30,000 on August 2, 1909, the original airplane was redesignated Signal Corps Airplane No. 1, the world's first military heavier-than-air flying machine. It was used in October 1909 for giving flight instructions to Lts. Frank P. Lahm and Frederic E. Humphreys, and in 1910 it was used by Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois to teach himself how to fly. By March 1911, the airplane was no longer fit for use and was retired. It is now on exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. (courtesy photo)
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Boeing Model 299

The 299 was the prototype of the B-17 Flying Fortress, probably the most significant air weapon of its time. (courtesy photo)
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Colonel John A. Macready

EARLY YEARS -- John A. Macready, a Stanford University graduate who enlisted in the Air Service Branch of the Signal Corps in 1917, packed a pile of "firsts" in his relatively short initial career.
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Colonel John A. Macready

EARLY YEARS -- John A. Macready, a Stanford University graduate who enlisted in the Air Service Branch of the Signal Corps in 1917, packed a pile of "firsts" in his relatively short initial career.
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Major Raoul G. Lufbery

EARLY YEARS -- Raoul Gervais Lufbery, the third highest scoring American ace for World War I, was the first American to reach ace status. He was member of the famed Lafayette Escadrille before transferring to the U.S. Air Service following the nation's entry into the war. He had 17 confirmed victories with the French.
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Major Raoul G. Lufbery

EARLY YEARS -- Raoul Gervais Lufbery, the third highest scoring American ace for World War I, was the first American to reach ace status. He was member of the famed Lafayette Escadrille before transferring to the U.S. Air Service following the nation's entry into the war. He had 17 confirmed victories with the French.
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Samuel Pierpont Langley

Samuel P. Langley assumed leadership of the Smithsonian Institution in the 1890s, but continued his experiments with aerodynamics. Langley Air Force Base, Va., is named in his honor.
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Samuel Pierpont Langley

Samuel P. Langley never held a military rank, nor piloted even a civilian airplane. Even though he was one of the pioneers of flight in America, Langley never saw his dreams fulfilled. He's remembered as one of the most unlucky trail blazers in flight history.
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