Category AIRFORCE

January Headquarters, Strategic Air Command (SAC) determines that the recent fire at a Titan II silo at McConnell Air Force Base could have been avoided with better procedures. Once these changes are in place, deactivation ofthese elderly ICBMs continues as scheduled.

January 1 Lieutenant Colonel David E. Faught, 97th Bombardment Wing, hav­ing spent 13 hours of attempting to lower the nose gear of a KC-135, makes a suc­cessful nose gear-up landing without seri­ously damaging his aircraft; he receives a Mackay Trophy.

January 4 Major Patricia M. Young becomes the first female to lead an Air Force Space Command unit when she is appointed commander of Detachment 1, 20th Missile Warning Squadron.

January 5 An Eastern Airlines Boeing 727 crashes in the Andes Mountains, prompting the Military Airlift Command (MAC) to dispatch a C-141 Starlifter with a Sikorsky S-70 helicopter to look for possible survivors.

January 18-23 Continuing C-141 Starlifter flights to the Sudan are ordered by the Military Airlift Command (MAC) to assist ongoing relief efforts; 62 tons of food are eventually delivered.

January 19-21 The 75th and 312th

Military Airlift Squadrons send two C-5 Galaxies and one C-141 Starlifter with 186 tons relief supplies to Viti Levu, Fiji, after a hard pounding by Typhoon Eric.

January 24-27 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, Colonel Loren J. Shriver pilots the space shuttle Discovery on its first all­military mission; at 73 hours, 33 minutes, this is also one of the shortest shuttle mis­sions.

January 28 At Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, two H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters are dispatched to help rescue 10 shipwrecked Korean fishermen.

FEBRUARY 3 At Howard Air Force Base, Panama, C-141 Starlifters of the Military Airlift Command (MAC) fly to Argentina in the wake of a devastating earthquake that results in 12,000 refugees.

February 4 The practice of gender-

specific missile launch crews (either male or female) is instituted by the Strategic Air Command (SAC) for all Minuteman and Peacekeeper facilities. Women were pre­viously restricted to Titan II launch sites.

MARCH 5—9 In Sudan, Niger, and Mali, Air Force transports complete four famine-relief missions by flying in 123 tons of food to victims.

MARCH 8 In the Bahamas, helicopters provided by the Military Airlift Command help police and U. S. Drug Enforcement Agency officials bust a $320 million cocaine-smuggling effort. This joint drug interception campaign continues through the following month.

MARCH 15 In Chile, a Military Airlift Command C-5 Galaxy delivers 1,000 rolls of plastic sheeting to assist victims of a devastating earthquake.

MARCH 25 The Air Force now allows women to function as forward air con­trollers (FAC) and as crew members on C-130 transports and gunships.

April 4 In Washington, D. C., retired Air Force leader James H. Doolittle is elevated to full (four-star) general; he becomes the first Air Force Reserve offi­cer so honored.

APRIL 5 Over drought-stricken western North Carolina, two C-141 Starlifters and a C-130 Hercules arrive with 10 tons of firefighting equipment, 21,000 gallons of fire retardant, and 190 firefighters to contain a large fire which devastated

7,0 acres across six counties.

April 20 The first B-52 crews com­pletely trained in Harpoon antiship mis­sile operations are graduated and deployed with front-line units.

April 29—May 17 At Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany, Salty Demo, an exercise to gauge the ability to defend bases against an attack and resume combat operations, is sponsored by the United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE).

June 21—July 25 In southern Idaho, three C-123K Providers arrive for aerial spraying purposes. They cover 795,000 acres in 73 sorties to contain a severe locust infestation.

June 29 The first Rockwell B-1B Lancer strategic bomber is accepted by the Air Force; only 100 are scheduled for acquisi­tion owing to their considerable expense.

The 60th Bombardment Squadron becomes the second B-52G unit trained and equipped to fire Harpoon antiship missiles in an interdiction mission at sea.

At Naval Air Station, New Orleans, Louisiana, the 159th Tactical Fighter Group becomes the first Air National Guard (ANG) unit equipped with F-15 Eagles.

June 30 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, the Air Force Space Com­mand completes flight-testing of the new MX (Peacekeeper) intercontinental bal­listic missile (ICBM).

July 1 At Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, the 7th Bombardment Wing becomes the first B-52H unit equipped to operate air – launched cruise missiles (ALCMs).

At Rhein-Main Air Base, West Ger­many, a C-141 Starlifter from the 438th Military Airlift Wing transports 39 passen­gers from TWA Flight 847, which had been hijacked and flown to Lebanon. Vice President George H. W. Bush is on hand to greet them upon arrival.

July 2-10 Over California and Idaho in C-141 Starlifters transport 285 firefighters to staging areas to combat a series of huge forest fires. Meanwhile, C-130s complete 200 sorties by spreading 450 tons of flame retardant across 1.5 million acres.

July 7 At Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, the first operational B-1B Lancers arrive at the 96th Bombardment Wing, Stra­tegic Air Command (SAC).

July 15 Two B-52Gs from the 42nd Bombardment Wing simulate Harpoon missile launches for test and evaluation purposes during the United States Atlantic Command exercise Readex 85-2.

July 30 The Air Force officially termi­nates the Bomarc aerial target drone (CQM-10B) program.

AUGUST 12-15 In response to a request from the State Department, a C-5A Gal­axy of the 436th Military Airlift Wing delivers 35 tons of food and equipment to assist famine victims in western Sudan.

AUGUST 23 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, a Minuteman III missile is “cold launched” out of its silo using compressed air for the first time. Through this procedure, the missile ignites once airborne, resulting in less damage to the silo and quicker reloading.

September 10 The Lockheed C-5B Galaxy flies for the first time; the Air Force intends to acquire 50 ofthese giant transports by April 1989.

September 13 A Vought ASM-135 anti­satellite missile is fired by an F-15 Eagle while 290 miles above the Earth, destroy­ing the orbiting Defense Department sat­ellite P78-1. This constitutes the first – ever satellite interception.

September 21-30 A devastating earth­quake in Mexico City, Mexico, results in Air Force transports delivering over 360 tons of food and medicine to survivors.

SEPTEMBER 23 First Lady Nancy Reagan is conveyed by a transport from the 89th Military Airlift Wing to Mexico City, Mexico, where she expresses condolences and presents the government with a check for $1 million.

OCTOBER 11 AC-141 Starlifter from the

438th Military Airlift Wing transports 11 American hostages from the Achille Lauro to Newark, New Jersey.

OCTOBER 15 At Edwards Air Force Base the T-46A next generation trainer flies for the first time.

OCTOBER 16 Two Air Force H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters rescue the crew of the shipwrecked Philippine vessel Mar­cos Faberes.

OCTOBER 18 A General Dynamics F – 111A, modified with a mission adaptive wing (MAW) flies for the first time.

November 1 The Dutch government,

ignoring protests from antinuclear groups and KGB-orchestrated peace move­ments, approves deployment of Air Force ground-launched cruise missiles at Woensdrecht, the Netherlands.

November 4 In the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, the Air Force Rescue Co­ordination Center orchestrates helicopter missions that save 47 lives from rapid floodwaters.

November 15—18 In the wake of a severe volcanic eruption, Air Force trans­ports lift 50 tons of food and supplies to Colombia.

December 6 At Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, the 19th KC-10 Extender aircraft arrives, completing the first fully operational tanker squadron to employ that aircraft.

December 12 After a chartered Arrow Air airliner crashes near Gander, New­foundland, Canada, killing 248 members of the 101st Airborne Division, Air Force C-141s and C-130s are required to airlift all the bodies back to the United States, along with 125 tons of cargo necessary for the cleanup; this remains the worst military aviation disaster.

December 18 OffLubang, Philippines, helicopters dispatched by the Western Pacific Rescue Coordination Center res­cue 78 passengers from the sinking ship Asuncion Cinco.

December 31 McDonnell Douglas con­tracts with the Air Force to build the new C-17A long-range, heavy-lift cargo transport. This aircraft will combine the lifting capability of the C-5A Galaxy, with the short field landing abilities of the C-130 Hercules.

JANUARY 10 At Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, the U. S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) is tasked with four new missions, including global strike, inte­grated missile defense, integrated infor­mation operations, and C4ISR (global command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance).

FEBRUARY 1 Two hundred thousand feet above East Texas, the space shuttle Colum­bia breaks up in the atmosphere, disinte­grating only 15 minutes from touchdown. All seven astronauts die, including Navy Captain David M. Brown, Captain Laurel Clark, and Com­mander William C. McCool and Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Anderson and Colonel Rick Husband. This is also the 113th shuttle mission, and the Columbia’s 28th venture into space.

FEBRUARY 8 In Washington, D. C., the Department of Defense begins con­tracting with commercial airlines to deliver troops and supplies to the Persian Gulf region. This is in anticipation of another conflict with Iraq and involves activation of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF).

MARCH 11 Over Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, a C-130 test drops a 21,500- pound Massive Ordnance Air Blast weapon for the first time; this is the larg­est non-nuclear explosive currently in existence.

MARCH 17 Over northern Iraq, the final mission connected to Operation northern watch is conducted.

March 18—19 Just prior to war with Iraq, Air Force planes begin dropping informational leaflets on 20 civilian loca­tions. An EC-130 Commando Solo air­craft also broadcasts messages for alert Iraqi citizens to take cover.

MARCH 19 Operation iraqi freedom commences as Air Force F-117 Nighthawks drop precision-guided munitions on Iraqi communication and command centers. Meanwhile, over southern Iraq, Operation southern watch concludes over the southern no­fly zone.

MARCH 20 Over Iraq, swarms of 500 coalition aircraft, mostly from Great Britain and the United States, attack Iraqi antiaircraft and missile radar defenses, along with command and control centers. These include F-117 Stealth fighters and cruise missiles fired from at least six U. S. warships aimed at “leadership targets of opportunity.” All told, coalition air and sea forces unleash 1,000 Tomahawks and over 3,000 precision-guided munitions against significant targets.

MARCH 21 In the Arabian Gulf, an Iraqi

fast-attack patrol boat is tracked by a Navy P-3 Orion, then destroyed by an Air Force AC-130 Spectre gunship.

MARCH 22 Over Iraq, coalition force aircraft launch over 1,000 sorties and a like number of cruise missiles at military targets.

MARCH 23 Over Kuwait, an American F-16 knocks out a Patriot battery after its radar locks on to it; no casualties occur.

MARCH 24 Over Kirkuk, Iraq, coalition force aircraft bombard military targets near the oil-producing center over a 24- hour period.

MARCH 26 Over northern Iraq, Opera­tion northern delay commences as 15 C-17 Globemaster IIIs insert 990 para­troopers onto Bashur Airfield. This is also the first time that parachutists have dropped from C-17s. The crew of the lead aircraft wins a Mackay Trophy for orchestrating an intricate maneuver.

April 2 Over Iraq, B-52s drop CBU-105 cluster bombs on Iraqi armored units. These are armor-piercing, sensor-fused weapons, and devastate tank formations. Meanwhile, an F-15C fighter-bomber mistakes an MLRS missile launcher from 1st Battalion, 39th Field Artillery, for a Soviet-designed Iraqi vehicle and directs a laser-guided GBU-12 bomb to it; sev­eral soldiers are killed.

April 7 Over Baghdad, Iraq, a B-1B Lancer from the 34th Bomb Squadron drops four GBU-31 satellite-guided joint direct attack munitions (JDAM) on a res­taurant where Iraqi dictator Saddam Hus­sein and his two sons were lodged; Hussein is not there, but the attack kills several senior Iraqi leaders. A C-130 Her­cules also deploys the first Army troops to

Baghdad International Airport under the cover of darkness.

APRIL 8 Over Baghdad, Iraq, ground fire brings down an A-10 Thunderbolt II, although the pilot escapes capture and is secured by coalition forces near the airport. A surface-to-air missile also destroys an F – 15E Strike Eagle, killing both crewmen.

APRIL 11 Over Iraq, a B-52 employs a Litening II advanced airborne targeting and navigation pod to hit Iraqi facilities on an airfield.

April 12 At Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, a Missile Defense Agency rocket sled reaches 6,416 miles per hour at a high-speed test track; this is also a world’s speed record.

May In Washington, D. C., the Air Force declares it will lease 100 Boeing KC-767 tankers to replace its aging fleet of KC – 135s.

MAY 1 Over northern Iraq, Operation northern watch, begun as a no-fly zone on January 1, 1997, finally ends.

AUGUST 29 The last of 14 Defense Satel­lite Communications System (DSCS III) satellites are placed in orbit, finishing a project that was begun in 1981.

JANUARY 17—18 Over Pyongyang, North Korea, 11 B-29s bomb an underground radio station with special, 2,000-pound bombs. Accuracy is essential as the site is only 1,000 feet from a POW camp; 10 direct hits are scored but the ordnance fails to destroy the station.

JANUARY 23 In South Korea and Japan, the last remaining F-51 Mustangs are retired from combat operations and replaced by F-86 Sabrejets. This marks the end of propellor-driven fighter aircraft in the U. S. Air Force.

JANUARY 24 Over North Korea, sharp­shooting Captain Dolphin D. Overton II sets a record for becoming a fighter ace by downing five MiGs in only four days.

JANUARY 28 Over Sariwon, North Korea, a B-29 explodes over its target, being the fourth heavy bomber downed
since the previous December; it is also the last one lost during hostilities.

JANUARY 30 Over the Yellow Sea, an

F-86 observes a Soviet-built Tu-2 bomber and shoots it down; this is the first Communist bomber claimed since November 1951.

Boeing’s B-47E Stratojet performs its maiden flight; this is the first major pro­duction model, of which 1,300 are con­structed. A further 255 RB-47E reconnaissance aircraft are also acquired by the Air Force.

JANUARY 30—31 Over North Korea, a

B-29 of the 307th Bomb Wing is badly mauled by Communist MiGs and is forced to make an emergency landing in South Korea.

FEBRUARY 4 In Washington, D. C., Har­old E. Talbott gains appointment as secre­tary of the Air Force.

FEBRUARY 8 The American Medical Association finally recognizes aviation medicine as a medical specialty, the first to have evolved from strictly military practices.

February 14 The new Bell X-1A makes its first successful test glide; this variant is longer and has greater fuel capacity than the original X-1.

FEBRUARY 15 Over North Korea, 22 F-84s strike the Shi-ho hydroelectric power plant with 1,000-pound bombs while 82 F-86 escorts tangle with 30 MiG-15s. The facility is heavily damaged and offline for several months.

FEBRUARY 16 Over North Korea, Captain Joseph C. McConnell, Jr., bags his fifth MiG-15, becoming the latest all-jet ace.

FEBRUARY 18 Over the Sui-ho reser­voir, North Korea, 4 F-86 Sabrejets attack a formation of 48 MiG-15s, down­ing 2. Two other Communist craft enter uncontrolled spins and crash while turn­ing with the Americans. Captain Manuel J. Fernandez also becomes an ace by claiming his fifth and sixth MiGs.

FEBRUARY 18—19 Southwest of Pyong­yang, North Korea, 500 Air Force aircraft attack a Communist tank and infantry school, destroying 243 buildings in the process.

MARCH 5 Over North Korea, Fifth Air Force aircraft run 70 sorties, destroying 56 bunkers, gun positions, and various storage shacks. One flight of F-84s drops bombs on an industrial facility only 60 miles from the Siberian border.

MARCH 10 Near the border between West Germany and Czechoslovakia, two Communist MiG-15s attack two F-84

Thunderjets, downing one. The pilot ejects safely.

MARCH 14 Over North Korea, Air Force aircraft drop propaganda leaflets demand­ing to know where the Communist air force is after they bomb a target. It is hoped such taunting will provoke an aer­ial engagement.

MARCH 21—22 Over North Korea, Operation spring thaw unfolds as Fifth Air Force medium bombers knock down the two main bridges at Yongmi-dong and heavily damage a third.

MARCH 27 In a surprise move, two MiG-15s attack two RF-80 Shooting Stars and two Australian Meteors only 38 miles north of UN lines.

MARCH 31 In Korea, the final F-80C Shooting Star is retired from front-line service after a distinguished two-and-a – half years in combat.

April 12 Over the Red Sea, an H-19 helicopter rescues Captain Joseph C. McConnell after he and his eighth victory apparently downed each other.

April 7 In Washington, D. C., the Atomic Energy Commission declares that it employs Lockheed QF-80 drones to study radioactive clouds during atomic testing. These remote-controlled craft are flown directly into mushroom clouds under the direction of nearby aircraft.

April 13 Over South Korea, the F-86 Sabrejet performs its first close support ground sortie.

April 26—27 Over North Korea, Project MOOLA unfolds as B-29 bombers drop leaf­lets offering $100,000 to any Communist pilot who defects with his MiG-15.

MAY 13 North of Pyongyang, North Korea, 50 F-84Gs, attacking in four waves, bomb several irrigation dams that had heretofore been off limits. The ensu­ing floodwaters destroy six square miles of rice crop, the Sunan airfield, and two miles of a nearby highway.

May 16 Over North Korea, 90 F-84Gs bomb the Chasan irrigation dam, and the floodwaters destroy three railroad bridges and several acres of rice crop.

May 18 Over Edwards Air Force Base, California, aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran flies a Canadair F-86E to a new world’s speed record of 652.3 miles per hour over a 100-kilometer course. This day she also becomes the first woman to exceed the speed of sound.

Over North Korea, Captain Joseph C. McConnell, Jr., bags 3 more MiG-15s, becoming the war’s first triple jet ace and, with 16 kills, also the highest-scoring UN pilot.

May 25 Over Edwards Air Force Base,

California, the North American YF-100 Super Sabre flies for the first time and easily exceeds the sound barrier. This is the first of 2,300 F-100s that pass into Air Force service.

May 27 In Washington, D. C., the Air Force Historical Foundation (AFHF) is established to preserve and perpetuate the history and heritage of U. S. aviation.

May 31 In Tokyo, Japan, command of

the Fifth Air Force passes to Lieutenant General Samuel E. Anderson.

June 8 At Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, F-84 Thunderjets of the 3600th Air Demonstration Team make its first unof­ficial public appearance in red, white, and blue painted aircraft. They become better known as the USAF Thunderbirds.

June 11 Along the Manchurian border, 13 F-84s commit the deepest penetration of Communist territory by bombing an enemy airfield. No opposition is encountered.

June 13-18 Over Toksan and Kusong, North Korea, Fifth Air Force F-84s and B-29s, assisted by Marine Corps F4U Corsairs, blast several irrigation dams to flood nearby airfields. However, the Communists anticipated the move, because they had lowered the water level beforehand, thereby decreasing the impact of the strikes.

June 15 In Tokyo, Japan, leadership of

Bomber Command passes to Brigadier General Richard H. Carmichael.

June 16 This day the Fifth Air Force completes 1,834 combat sorties, with half aimed at enemy troops contesting UN forces in the Pukhan Valley region.

June 18 Over Japan, a C-124 Globemas- ter II crashes after takeoff, killing all 129 passengers on board. For many years this was the worst aviation disaster on record.

June 21 Over Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Air Force Thunderbirds make their first official demonstration for the public.

June 30 In Washington, D. C., General Nathan F. Twining gains appointment as the new Air Force chief of staff.

Over North Korea, Fifth Air Force F-86 Sabrejets have a field day by downing 16 MiG-15s without loss, a new single-day record.

July 15 Over North Korea, Major James Jabara downs his 15th MiG, becoming the second triple jet ace in aviation history.

July 16 An F-86D piloted by Lieutenant William Barnes sets a new world speed record of 715.7 miles per hour. To do so he broke an earlier record established by another F-86D.

July 20 At Middle River, Maryland, the first Martin B-57A, the American-built version of the English Electric Canberra, performs its maiden flight. This is also the first foreign-designed aircraft accepted into the U. S. Air Force.

July 21—22 Over North Korea, 18 Bomber Command B-29s fly the final sortie for that type of airplane by bomb­ing the Uiju airfield.

July 22 Over North Korea, the final dog­fight of the Korean War unfolds as three F-86 Sabrejets tangle with four MiG-15s, whereby Lieutenant Sam P. Young makes the final MiG kill of the war.

July 27 Just hours before the armistice ends the Korean War, Captain Ralph S.

Parr, Jr., downs a Soviet-built IL-2 transport, becoming a double ace. This is also the final aerial victory of the Korean War.

Over North Korea, a B-26 drops its bombs during a radar-directed, close sup­port mission only 24 minutes before the armistice becomes official. Ironically, the squadron to which this aircraft belongs also flew the first bombing mission of the war in 1950.

Over North Korea, an RB-26 from the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing performs that last photo mission of the Korean War.

July 28 At Fairford, England, a Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-47 Stratojet completes a record-making flight from Limestone, Maine, by crossing the Atlan­tic in only 4 hours and 43 minutes at a speed of 618 miles per hour.

July 29 Off the coast of Vladivostok, Soviet Union, an RB-50 operating from Yokota, Japan, is attacked by MiG-15s and shot down; 16 men perish and only 1 survives.

This day the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) releases its official tally of wins and losses for the Korean War. They claim 839 MiG-15 jets shot down with 154 listed as probable, and a further 919 damaged. Over the past 37 months, the Air Force lost 110 aircraft to hostile air activity, 677 to ground fire, and 213 in various accidents. Since that time, the number of Communist aircraft claimed has been revised downwards to roughly half this total.

AUGUST 3 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Air Force Missile Test Center fires a Redstone missile for the first time.

AUGUST 12 In an ominous development, the Soviet Union detonates its first thermo­nuclear weapon.

AUGUST 20 In Western Europe, Operation longstride unfolds as F-84 Thunderjets of the 40th Air Division, Strategic Air Com­mand (SAC) deploy from the United States in the first mass deployment of fighter air­craft during a transatlantic flight. It is a vivid demonstration of SAC’s ability to shift men and resources to distant points, and wins the Mackay Trophy.

AUGUST 25 The Air Force reveals the exis­tence of its Fighter Conveyor (FICON) project, whereby a giant B-36 bomber has been modified to carry, launch, and re­cover an RF-84 in flight. However, the concept of a “flying aircraft carrier” does not catch on.

SEPTEMBER Aviation history is made this month when a B-47 Stratojet is refueled in midair by a KB-47B tanker aircraft. This represents the first time that one jet aircraft has passed fuel to another.

SEPTEMBER 11 Over China Lake, Cali­fornia, the new AIM-9 Sidewinder air – to-air missile destroys an airborne target for the first time. Updated versions of this weapon are still in production.

September 21 Over Kimpo Airfield, South Korea, a MiG-15 flown by Lieu­tenant Noh Kum Suk arrives as he defects to the West. He receives the $100,000 bounty and his aircraft is thoroughly tested and examined by Air Force author­ities before being put on display at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

OCTOBER This month the Air Defense Command is bolstered by the addition of 10 Lockheed RC-121 Super Constella­tions, which serve as early warning radar platforms.

OCTOBER 1 At McClellan Air Force Base, California, the 4701st Airborne

Early Warning and Control squadron is formally activated, being the first organi­zation of its kind in the Air Force.

October 14 The X-10 (B-64 Navaho prototype) is test launched for the first time. This impressively sleek missile is intended as a ground-to-ground weapon capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

October 23 The twin-rotor Piasecki YH-16 transport helicopter makes its maiden flight.

OCTOBER 24 Over Edwards Air Force Base, the delta-winged Convair XF-102 is flown for the first time. Overall perfor­mance is poor and it is not until a major redesign incorporating the use of “area rule” (a pinched-in fuselage) that it enters service as the F-102 Delta Dagger.

OCTOBER 29 Over the Salton Sea, Cali­fornia, the YF-100 prototype flown by Colonel Frank K. Everest sets a world speed record of 755.125 miles per hour over a nine-mile course.

OCTOBER 31 Trevor Gardner, special assistant to the secretary of the Air Force, is tasked with forming the new Strategic Missile Evaluation Committee under mathematician John von Neu­mann.

NOVEMBER 6 At RAF Brize Norton, England, a B-47 Stratojet makes a new transatlantic speed record by flying in from Limestone Air Force Base, Maine, in 4 hours and 57 minutes.

NOVEMBER 20 Over Edwards Air Force Base, California, A. Scott Crossfield flies the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket to twice the speed of sound. This represents the first time such stellar velocity has been reached.

DECEMBER 12 Over Edwards Air Force Base, the Bell X-1A flown by Major Charles E. Yeager reaches a speed of 1,650 miles per hour at an altitude of

70,000 feet. Yeager loses control of his aircraft and spirals down to 25,000 feet before righting it and making a safe landing. He wins the Harmon Trophy for his effort.

January 16 At Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana, the last few remaining B-58 Hustlers still in Air Force inventory are flown to their final resting place at the “bone yard,” Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

February 17 In northern Laos, B-52 bombers drop bombs on Com­munist targets for the final time. These actions are not made public until March 6.

February 18 The HL-10 experimental lifting body piloted by Major Peter C. Hoag reaches Mach 1.86 at 65,000 feet. This is an unpowered glide test.

FEBRUARY 27 In Washington, D. C., the Defense Department selects Pratt and Whitney to build a new gener­ation jet engine to power the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the Grum – man F-14 Tomcat then under develop­ment.

MARCH 15 A new telephone network called the “AUTOVON” is completed; this device is an automatic voice network linking all U. S. military bases.

MARCH 18 Over Cambodia, B-52s begin pounding suspected Communist posi­tions as U. S. forces also make a limited incursion into the border region. The aerial blitz lasts two months, involves 4,300 sorties, and drops over 120,000 tons of bombs.

April 11—17 The crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft makes a heroic return to Earth after being damaged while coasting to the moon; among the three-man crew is John L. Swigert, Jr., a former Air Force officer.

April 14 At Hill Air Force Base, Utah, a C-141 Starlifter transports a Minuteman III missile to Minot AFB, North Dakota. This is also the first operational example of the new variant.

April 17 At Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, the first Minuteman III missile is handed off to the 741st Strategic Missile Squadron and declared opera­tional.

May 4 At Kent, Ohio, rioting students are fired upon by the Ohio National Guard; four students are killed.

May 5 Across the nation, the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is opened to women for the first time.

May 8 Over Southeast Asia, an AC-119K Shadow gunship under Captain Alan D. Milacek loses 15 feet of the left wing to ground fire as it att­acks heavily defended truck convoys along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The air­crew successfully struggle to bring their plane back to base, winning a Mackay Trophy.

June 2 In Peru, a disastrous earthquake compels the Air Force Southern Com­mand to begin a major aerial relief effort. This entails delivering 750 tins of supplies and 3,000 medical personnel, and the evacuation of500 patients.

June 6 The first Lockheed C-51 Galaxy is delivered to the Military Airlift Com­mand (MAC); this is the world’s largest aircraft at the time.

July 31 At Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, the first class of South Viet­namese pilots graduates as part of the Vietnamization program.

August 24 At Da Nang Airport, South Vietnam, 2 HH-53 Sea Stallions arrive on the first nonstop transpacific helicopter crossing; they departed from Elgin Air Force Base, Florida.

SEPTEMBER 1 In South Vietnam, General Lucius D. Clay, Jr., gains appointment as commander of the Seventh Air Force.

SEPTEMBER 6 At Incirlik, Turkey, Oper­ation flat pass unfolds as USAFE deploys C-130s and F-4 Phantoms for the pos­sible rescue of passengers from three air­liners hijacked by Palestinian militants. The hostages are eventually released, but the three aircraft are blown up.

September 28-October 31 In

Jordan, Operation fig hill commences as Air Force transports deliver 180 tons of supplies and equipment, along with Army and Air Force medical perso­nnel to that beleaguered kingdom as it battles an uprising by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

OCTOBER 3 At Hurlburt Field, Florida, the Special Operations Center receives the first 2 Bell UH-1N Twin Hueys, the first of 79 such machines acquired. This is also the first Air Force unit to operate this twin-engined machine.

NOVEMBER 21 In North Vietnam, the American raid of Son Tay Prison com­mences with Air Force helicopters delivering Army Colonel Arthur D. “Bull” Simons to the camp. They are escorted by C-130E Combat Talon aircraft to recover the released priso­ners. However, these had been relo­cated to another location previously and the raiders return empty-handed. The raid was also covered by F-4 Phan­toms while F-105s flew diversionary raids elsewhere.

January 8 At Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, the Military Airlift Command (MAC) receives the first improved C-5B Galaxy transport aircraft.

At Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, the first overseas meteorological data system circuit is installed by the Air Force to replace the obsolete weather teletype sys­tem already in place.

January 28 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, tragedy strikes when the space shuttle

Challenger explodes after liftoff. Among those killed are Air Force pilots Francis R. Scobee, Gregory B. Jarvis, Ellison S. Onizuka.

FEBRUARY 18—22 In Northern Califor­

nia, Air Force H-3s, HH-53s, and C – 130s of the 49th and 129th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Groups evacuate 500 civilians from along the Russian and Yuba Rivers after they were stranded by severe flooding. Three thousand sandbags are also delivered to Army troops on the ground.

FEBRUARY 25—26 In the Philippines, five H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters from the 31st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS) convey President Ferdinand Marcos and 51 peo­ple from his palace to Clark Air Base for ultimate removal to Hawaii.

MARCH 3 At Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, the reconnaissance Cessna O-2 aircraft is replaced by the OT-38 Talon.

MARCH 4 In Egypt, operation bright STAR unfolds as aircraft from the United States and Egypt conduct their first joint exercise; this also marks the first time that foreign aircraft are refueled by Air Force tankers.

MARCH 5 Once over the Atlantic, a KC – 10 aircraft, piloted by Captain Marc C. Felman, refuels another KC-10 and three Navy A-4 Skyhawks that were nearly our of fuel. For relieving this emergency sit­uation by launched in zero visibility weather; Felman and his crew win a Mackay Trophy.

In Pakistan, the Air Force beings trans­porting Afghan refugees and patients to the United States in accordance with the 1986 McCollum Amendment. Afghani­stan is then in the throes of a violent Soviet occupation.

MARCH 25 At Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, the first all-woman Minuteman missile crew, belonging to the 351st Strategic Missile Wing, is placed on active alert.

April 5—6 At Osan Air Base, South Korea, a large jet fuel tank fire results in four C-141 Starlifters and one H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopter from the 63rd

Airlift Wing transporting fire-suppressant foam; burn victims are also conveyed to medical facilities in Seoul for treatment.

APRIL 14—15 Over Libya, Operation el dorado canyon unfolds as 24 F-111F bombers from the Statue of Liberty Squadron, 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, launch from Great Britain and perform a retaliatory strike against Tripoli, Libya. Lacking overflight permission from Spain and France, they fly a 5,500-mile round trip around Continental Europe, and inflict heavy damage on the Jamahiriya Military Barracks and Benina Military Airfield. They are also carrier aircraft launched from the America and Saratoga; one F-111 is lost in action. Equally significant, 28 KC-10 Extenders and KC-135 Stratotankers are employed during the attack, and they refuel the strike force six times in complete radio silence.

April 18 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, a Titan IIID rocket booster explodes after launching; Space Launch Complex Four sustains damage and can­not operate again until August 15.

April 28—May 7 The Air Weather Ser­vice launches several WC-130s to track and analyze the radioactive fallout in the wake of a nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl, Soviet Union.

June 17 The last remaining UC-133K Provider is retired from spraying activities by the Air Force.

July The Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard receive their first C-141 Starlifter transports.

July 19 The United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE) declares Rapier surface-to-air missile units operational.

July 19-28 Operation SOUTHERN HAYLIFT unfolds once severe drought conditions across the southwestern United States result in 24 C-141s and 8 C-130s carrying

19,0 bales (536 tons) of hay to livestock farmers in afflicted areas.

July 27 At Rhein-Main Air Base, West Germany, an Air Force C-9 Nightingale transports Father Lawrence Jenco, recently released by Muslim extremists, to medical facilities.

AUGUST 27-29 In Cameroon, West Africa, a C-130 Hercules is dispatched from 50th Tactical Airlift Squadron with 250 tents for villagers fleeing volcanic fumes escaping from Lake Nyos.

SEPTEMBER 1 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the last operational Cessna O-2 Bird Dog arrives for disposal in the “bone yard.”

SEPTEMBER 5 In Frankfurt, West Ger­many, a C-141 Starflifter transports Americans injured during a hijacking attempt to medical facilities. The flight originates in Karachi, Pakistan.

September 18-20 At Luzon, Philip­pines, two C-5 Galaxies are dispatched by the 436th Military Airlift Wing with 93 tons of food and medical supplies as per the Foreign Assistance Act of 1985.

October 10 The new LGM-118A (MX), or Peacekeeper, intercontinental ballistic missile achieves operational status for the first time. This weapon is capable of attacking up to 10 different targets with its multiple independent reentry vehicle (MIRV) warhead.

October 11-16 After San Salvador, El Salvador, is destroyed by an earthquake,

Air Force transports begin delivering food and relief supplies to survivors.

December 7 A WC-130 Hercules of the 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron lands on Saipan, Mariana Islands, in the wake of Typhoon Kim, and delivers seven tons of relief supplies, food, and toys for children.

December 10 Air Force helicopters res­cue 19 members of the Norwegian research ship Geco Alpha several miles off the coast ofDestin, Florida, after it caught fire; casualties are subsequently flown to Eglin Air Force base for medical treat­ment.

December 14-23 From Edwards Air

Force Base, California, the experimental Voyager aircraft, piloted by Richard G. Rutan and Jeana L. Yeager, flies

25,0 miles, nonstop and unrefueled, around the world; they win a Collier Trophy for this record, nine-day venture.

December 18 In the South China Sea, the 31st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS) dispatches two H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters that rescue 13 survivors from a sinking Filipino ves­sel. The injured are then delivered to medical facilities at Cubi Air Station, Philippines.

December 22 At F. E. Warren Air Base, Wyoming, a tenth Peacekeeper intercon­tinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is deployed, leading to all weapons being placed on operational status.

DECEMBER 31 In San Juan, Puerto Rico, 75 people stranded on the roof of the Dupont Plaza Hotel during a fire are res­cued by H-3 Sea King helicopters of Composite Squadron 8 (VC-8).

FEBRUARY Over Edwards Air Force Base, California, an F/A-22 aircraft undergoes an icing test at altitude by being sprayed with water from a modified KC-135 tanker.

FEBRUARY 14 At Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, F-15 fighters and 150 ground support crews transfer to Gwalior Air Force Station, India, to train with the Indian Air Force. This constitutes the first joint venture between the two services since the 1960s.

June 23 At Cape Canaveral, a three-stage Delta II launch vehicle hurls a replacement

satellite into orbit as part of the Air Force Global Positioning System (GPS).

July 23 In the Caribbean, a HC-130 from the 38th Rescue Squadron airdrops two pararescue men into the water. These deploy a rubber boat and paddle to a Chinese fishing vessel to assist a crew­man who had a life-threatening chest injury.

September 4—8 Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, is struck by a hurricane, and members of the 45th Space Wing response team are called in to survey the damage.

SEPTEMBER 14 Over Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, an F-16 suddenly bursts into flame during a Thunderbird exhibition, and the pilot is forced to eject. None of the 60,000 spectators are hurt.

September 15 In Washington, D. C., ground-breaking ceremonies unfold for the site of the new Air Force Memorial, located near the Potomac River, and directly across from the Pentagon.

DECEMBER 3 Over Edwards Air Force Base, California, the Airborne Laser (ABL) aircraft goes airborne for the first time with an integrated battle manage­ment and Beam Control/Fire Control (BC/FC) systems onboard.

December 12 At Edwards Air Force Base, California, the Airborne Laser (ABL) team concludes a successful round oftests with its high-energy beam weapon.

January 7 At San Diego, California, the 1st Aero Squadron is formally structured by the chief of signals at 8 airplanes, 20 officers, and 90 men.

January 15 In Washington, D. C., the War Department issues new safety

regulations for pilots governing dress. Henceforth, all pilots are to be clad in helmets and leather coats while flying overland, and waterproof coats for over­water flying.

FEBRUARY 5 Lieutenant Joseph C. Mor­row, Jr., is the last “Military Aviator” to be qualified under the original rules first established for the rating.

FEBRUARY 9 Tragedy strikes after Lieu­tenant Henry B. Post exceeds his old alti­tude record by reaching 12,140 feet, then his aircraft falls apart during its descent, killing him.

February 14 A Burgess H tractor air­craft flown by Lieutenant Townsend F. Todd and Sergeant Herbert Marcus sets an American duration and distance record of 244.18 kilometers in 4 hours and 43 minutes.

FEBRUARY 16 Over San Diego, California, Lieutenants Joseph E. Carberry and Walter R. Taliaferro set a new Army altitude record of 8,700 feet in a Curtiss aircraft.

FEBRUARY 24 At San Diego, California, a staff meeting at the Signal Corps Avia­tion School concludes that pusher-type aircraft are too dangerous to fly and are to be replaced with tractor-type machines such as the Curtiss Model J.

June 24 At San Diego, California, the Signal Corps Aviation School accepts delivery of the first Curtiss J, a precursor of the famous JN-2 “Jenny.” This is a tractor design with the engine mounted in front.

July 7-14 At Worcester, Massachusetts, Dr. Robert H. Goddard receives a government patent for his multistage rocket concept. He soon after receives another covering his liquid-fuel rocket design.

July 18 In Washington, D. C., Congress creates the new Aviation Section to replace the former Aeronautical Division within the Army Signal Corps; it has an assigned strength of 6 aircraft, 67 officers, and 260 enlisted personnel under Lieu­tenant Colonel Samuel Reber. More­over, all pilot candidates are to be unmarried lieutenants under 30 years of age.

July 28 At the Indian Head Proving Grounds, Stumpneck, Maryland, some early bombing tests are conducted by Lieutenant Victor D. Herbster and Ensign Bernard L. Smith. They drop both dummy and live bombs over the side of their craft from 1,000 feet and monitor the results.

On this fateful day, World War I com­mences after Austria-Hungary declares war against Serbia and a continent-wide mobilization commences.

AUGUST 17 At the Signal Corps Aviation School, North Island, California, Captain Lewis E. Goodier begins official testing of the Scott bomb-dropping device while flying a new Martin T aircraft.

SEPTEMBER 1 At San Diego, California, the 1st Aero Squadron is organized with 16 officers, 77 enlisted men, and 8 aircraft.

NOVEMBER 19 In a historic first, an air­plane belonging to the U. S. Air Service completes a 429-mile cross-country flight from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

DECEMBER 11 Over Fort William McKinley, the Philippines, Army Lieu­tenants Herbert A. Dargue and Joseph O. Mauborgne successfully demonstrate two-way radio communication with ground stations 10 miles distant from their Burgess-Wright biplane.

December 23 A reconnaissance contest won by Captain T. F. Dodd and

Lieutenant S. W. Fitzgerald results in receipt of a Mackay Trophy. They were the only competitors, as accidents and mishaps grounded all other aircraft during the event.

December 30 The Signal Corps receives its first Burgess-Dunne armored aircraft; it does not go into production.

January 8—29 At Selfridge Field, Mich­igan, a flight of Curtiss P-1C Hawks under Major Ralph Royce departs for Spokane, Washington, to train under sub-zero flying conditions; he receives the Mackay Trophy.

APRIL 6 Army captain Frank Hawks flies 2,860 miles from San Diego, California, to New York City while piloting a glider that is towed by another aircraft.

APRIL 12 At Mather Field, California, Captain Hugh M. Elmendorf guides a flight of 19 Boeing P-19 fighters, 95th Pursuit Squadron, as they climb in forma­tion to 30,000 feet, a new altitude record.

APRIL 21 Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh, accompanied by wife Anne Morrow, fly a Lockheed Sirius from Glendale, Cali­fornia, to Roosevelt Field, New York, covering 2,530 miles in a record in 14 hours and 45 minutes.

June 20 At San Antonio, Texas, Randolph Field is inaugurated as the Army’s newest flight training center for primary and basic pilot instruction. In this capacity it becomes a cradle of a generation of airmen who fight and win World War II, and subsequently serves as headquarters of the Air Educa­tion and Training Command. For this reason is regarded as the “West Point of the Air.”

July 28 At Kelly Field, Texas, instrument flying is added to the regular curriculum at the U. S. Air Corps Advanced Flying School.

NOVEMBER 6 In Washington, D. C., President Herbert Hoover awards Cap­tain Edward V. Rickenbacker the Congressional Medal of Honor he should have received in 1918, had the paper­work not become lost.

NOVEMBER 9—16 From New York, Captain Roy W. Ammel pilots a Lockheed Sirius Blue Flash 2,700 miles to the Panama Canal Zone in 24 hours and 35 minutes.

NOVEMBER 16 In Washington, D. C., Major General James E. Fechet, chief of the Army Air Corps, releases his annual report, which reveals the strength of the corps at 12,032, including 1,226 officers and 378 cadets.

December 30 At Roswell, New Mexico, Dr. Robert H. Goddard’s fifth liquid-fuel rocket rises to 2,000 feet at a speed of500 miles per hour.

JANUARY 15 Army Lieutenants Joseph E. Carberry and Arthur C. Christie set a two-man altitude record by reaching 11,690 feet in a Curtiss 100 tractor biplane; they remain aloft an hour and 13 minutes doing so.

Over San Diego, California, Army Lieutenant B. Q. Jones sets a one-man endurance record by flying 8 hours, 53 minutes in a Martin T biplane. He consequently receives a Mackay Trophy for the effort.

FEBRUARY 19 Dr. Robert H. Goddard begins experimenting with Coston signal rockets, which are propelled by solid fuel, in order to measure their thrust and efficiency.

MARCH 3 In Washington, D. C., Congress creates the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA). This is the first government organization dedicated to advancing the state of avia­tion research and technology.

MARCH 4 In Washington, D. C., Congress allocates $300,000 for Army aviation during fiscal year 1916.

MARCH 12 Flying a Burgess-Renault biplane, Lieutenant Byron Q. Jones and Corporals Carl T. Hale and Robert H. Houser set a three-man endurance record of seven hours and five minutes.

April 13 Lieutenants Thomas D. Milling and B. Q. Jones are detached from the 1st Aero Squadron and ordered to deploy along the Mexican border with a single airplane to find the location of bandit leader Francisco “Pancho” Villa.

APRIL 20 Along the Mexican border, a single plane piloted by Lieutenants Thomas D. Milling and B. Q. Jones of the 1st Aero Squadron fly the army’s first combat reconnaissance mission.

April 23 In Washington, D. C., Brigadier

General George P. Scriven gains ap­pointment as chairman of the National Advisory Council for Aeronautics (NACA).

MAY 20 The Curtiss JN-2 is selected by Army Aviation Service as the first mass – produced aircraft in the United States. It will also outfit the embryonic 1st Aero Squadron.

July 3 Above San Diego, California, Lieutenant Byron Q. Jones is the first army pilot to successfully loop and stall his aircraft without crashing.

July 6 At North Island, California, Cap­tain V. E. Clark arrives for duty; he is the first air officer to receive a doctorate in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

July 12 Aviation mechanic examination requirements are adopted by the Signal Corps.

July 26 At San Diego, California, the 1st Aero Squadron under Captain Benjamin F. Foulois begins transferring its eight Curtiss JN-2 airplanes by rail to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to participate in observations experiments with the Field Artillery School there.

July 29 At Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the 1st Aero Squadron transfers from August, Georgia, under Captain Benjamin D. Foulois. A crew and aircraft are sub­sequently flown to Brownsville, Texas, to support the Army’s border patrol efforts.

October 13 At Selfridge Field, Michigan, Lieutenant T. J. Koenig flies a LePere-Liberty 400 to victory in the Lib­erty Engine Builder’s Trophy Race with a top speed of 128.8 miles per hour.

NOVEMBER 1 In Mineola, New York, the 1st Aero Company, New York

National Guard, organizes under Captain Raynal C. Bolling. This is the first National Guard aviation unit and consists of four officers, forty enlisted men, and seven aircraft. The latter have been loaned by the New York City Aero Club.

November 18-19 At Fort Sill,

Oklahoma, six Curtiss JN-3s of the Army Air Service begin the first squadron-level cross-country flight, which ends at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 429 miles distant.

December 11 At San Diego, California, the Signal Corps Aviation School hosts four Portuguese Army officers; these are the first foreign pilots trained in the United States.

December 19 At Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the 1st Aero Squadron flies six Curtiss JN-3s in from Fort Sill, Oklahoma; this is also the first cross-country flight by an entire aviation unit.

JANUARY 9 In Washington, D. C., Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur and Chief of Naval Operations William V. Pratt agree to allow the Army Air Corps to monopolize coastal defenses, while the Navy remains free to concentrate on carrier aviation and mobile air operations at sea.

FEBRUARY 15 At Selfridge Field, Michi­gan, the first nighttime deployment of aircraft unfolds when 19 planes take off, navigate nocturnally, then land safely at Bolling Field, Washington, D. C.

May 9 The War Department approves

reproduction of the A-2 leather flying jacket as stand issue for aviators.

May 21—30 Brigadier General Benjamin D. Foulois directs a massive aerial training exercise, involving 667 aircraft and 1,400 crew members, as it commences across the nation. Every manner of aerial opera­tion, including pursuit, bombardment, and observation, is successfully con­ducted; Foulois receives the Mackay Tro­phy for directing these ambitious maneuvers.

MAY 27 At Langley Field, Virginia, Army and NACA personnel construct the nation’s first full-scale wind tunnel for testing full-size aircraft.

July 15-31 Maxwell Field, Montgom­ery, Alabama, becomes the new site of the Air Corps Tactical School. It becomes a hotbed of new air power theories throughout the ensuing decade. Foremost among them is the notion oflong-range, daylight strategic missions employing

precision bombing techniques. This becomes the backbone of American aerial strategy during World War II.

July 29 At Tokyo, Japan, Colonel Charles Lindbergh, accompanied by his wife, flies a Lockheed Sirius in from New York in one of the earliest transpa­cific flights.

AUGUST 11 At Maxwell Field, Alabama, Major John Curry gains appointment as commander of the Air Corps Tactical School.

September 4 A Laird Racer flown by Lieutenant James H. Doolittle wins the first Bendix Transcontinental Race by flying from Los Angeles, California, to Cleveland, Ohio, in 9 hours and 10 minutes. He then refuels and contin­ues on to Newark, New Jersey,
completing a coast-to-coast flight in only 11 hours and 16 minutes. Doolittle refuels again, returns to Cleveland to claim his trophy, then flies into St. Louis, Missouri, and home.

NOVEMBER 1 At Randolph Field, Texas, the aviation school enrolls its first class of 198 students, which includes members from West Point, the enlisted ranks, and civilian candidates.

DECEMBER 18 Over Hawaii, a glider flown by Lieutenant William A. Cooke sets an airborne record of 21 hours, 34 minutes, and 15 seconds.

December 19 In Washington, D. C., Major General Benjamin D. Foulois gains appointment as commander of the Army Air Corps.