The Syrian airfield prepare for reception of military aircraft of China
The latest news about fast emergence in borders of Syria of navy of China encouraged Syrians and res[...]
1976
JANUARY 9 At Langley Air Force Base, virginia, the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing accepts delivery of the first operational F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter.
JANUARY 31 In Thailand, the Air Force returns control of udorn Air Base back to the Royal Thai Air Force; the Americans subsequently withdraw from Korat a month later.
February 5-March 3 In Guatemala, Operation earthquake unfolds as Air Force transports deliver 1,000 tons of relief supplies and 700 personnel to assist victims of a recent disaster there.
MARCH 1 At Taipei Air Station, Taiwan, the Air Force concludes operations following two decades of active service there.
MARCH 15 The Air Force communica
tion satellites Les-8 and Les-9 are placed in orbit by an Atlas IIIC launch vehicle.
MARCH 21-June 9 In the Philippines, a series of violent typhoons results in Air Force transports delivering help and medical supplies from bases on Guam. Air Rescue and Recovery helicopters are instrumental in saving 700 flood victims.
MARCH 22 At Davis-Monthan Air Base, Arizona, operational and evaluation testing of the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II commences.
In Thailand, the last Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-52 leaves U-Tapao Airfield after operating there for several years.
MARCH 26 At Edwards Air Force Base, California, the NASA Flight Research Center is renamed in honor of Hugh L. Dryden, a former deputy administrator.
APRIL 2 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the last Douglas C-118 Liftmaster flies to its final resting place in the “bone yard.”
May 6 —June 5 At Aviano Air Base, Italy, local Air Force personnel assist victims of a recent earthquake in the northeastern portion of the country.
June 28 At Colorado Springs, Colorado, the U. S. Air Force Academy admits the first women, eligible to graduate in the Class of 1980.
July 1 In Washington, D. C., the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, is opened to the public; it draws 20 million visitors in only two years and remains the most visited museum in the world.
July 15 At Mather Air Force Base, California, all military navigation begins training at one facility once Navy and Marine Corps navigators arrive for instruction.
July 27-28 Three flight records are established by three SR-71 Blackbirds: the first sets an absolute world speed record of 2,092 miles per hour with a 2,200 payload; the second does the same over a 15/25 kilometer course at 2,193 miles per hour; and the third reaches a record 85,069 feet for sustained high-altitude flight.
AUGUST 1-2 Over Big Thompson Can
yon, Colorado, two UH-1 Huey helicopters rescue 81 tourists stranded by a flood.
September 9 At the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, the first fully guided test launch of an air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) is conducted; the missile in question carefully follows a flight path established by preset coordinates.
September 29 At Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, 10 female students enter undergraduate flight training, being the first women admitted since World War II.
November 29-December At Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, C-130s and C-141s of the Military Airlift Command (MAC) arrive with relief supplies to assist victims of recent earthquakes.
December 10 In the Atlantic, a U. S. balloonist crashes at sea and floats until he is discovered by Air Force search and rescue teams, which direct a nearby West German tanker to his locale.