Aviation History

Aviation History

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Aviation History
  • The Rocket-Powered C-130

    Over the years the C-130 Hercules has been the subject of many experiments. From landing on aircraft carriers to retrieving falling film cannisters from spy satellites. However, one of the more prominent experiments was around a rocket powered concept, which was to be used in a hostage rescue ope...

  • Desert Storm: First Strike

    It is the morning of January 16th 1991. Within the next 24 hours, coalition forces will undertake a precision aerial campaign against Iraqi forces, in what will be known as Operation Desert Storm. Desert Storm will see almost 4000 aircraft mobilized by both sides, with coalition forces taking par...

  • Battle of the Aces: Hartmann vs. Marseille

    During World War II, two ace pilots emerged and were considered unmatched for their skill and combat record. They were Erich Hartmann - highest scoring ace of all time - and Hans-Joachim Marseille - the top ace in the North African campaign. A common debate is whether Marseille - despite having h...

  • The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress

    The story of a Flying Fortress is a 1944 documentary film which provides an account of the final mission of the crew of the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In May 1943 it became the third U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to complete 25 missions over Europe, but the first to return ...

  • Operation Gomorrah - The Bombing of Hamburg

    In 1943, the heart of the German air defense system was the early-warning and flak-predictor radar systems. It had proved to be a good system, as was the British radar chain that had been set up since 1935. The Germans knew, however, that strips of metal foil could blind the radar sets and they w...

  • Operation Orchard - First Strike

    Today, it seems the Middle East is on the brink of another regional conflict, and it is possible that western militaries may be forced to intervene in some way. Given the relevance to us all, in the near future we will take a look at a number of middle eastern air operations, from Australian forc...

  • Top Aces of The Vietnam War

    During the Vietnam War, pilots would square off using many new technologies. For the first time, air-to-air missiles would be used, allowing for longer range combat and more intense dogfights.

  • The Best Nose Art of WW2 - Episode 1

    In this series Nose Art Stories (Episode 1), we will be looking at some of the best aircraft nose art from World War II and telling their incredible stories. In this first episode, we will cover "The Blond Angel", "Little Lady", "Big Dick", "In the Mood", and "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby".

  • Top Fighter Squadrons of WWII

    Materiel losses during World War 2 were massive. According to one source, Germany produced a staggering 119,907 aircraft of all types and most were destroyed or damaged during the war. The United States lost 52,951 of their 95,000 aircraft in operations over Europe and the Pacific. The Soviet Uni...

  • WW2 Veteran - SBD Dauntless Gunner Dick Miralles

    This is the story of SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber Gunner Dick Miralles and his incredible trip to fly again in his plane at the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Georgia.

  • Rockwell B-1A

    The B-1B Lancer has long been one of the most capable bomber aircraft ever produced. Able to fly supersonic (and at extremely low altitudes), deliver large quantities of weapons with pinpoint precision, the Lancer has been proven in several conflicts. However, the B-1 bomber we know today was nev...

  • A Story of Devotion

    This is the story of F4U Corsair pilots Jesse Brown and Medal of Honor winner Thomas Hudner in the Korean War - the tragic tale from the movie "Devotion".

  • The Rear Gunner

    "The Rear Gunner" is a propaganda and training films produced under the auspices of the Office of War Information during World War II. It stars Burgess Meredith and Ronald Reagan. Enjoy this piece of history here - upscaled to HD with audio improved and Close Captions provided for HistoryFix.

  • Ace in a Day - The True Story of Chuck Yeager

    Chuck Yeager, the famous pilot broke the sound barrier, also was a hero in the second World War. Flying his P-51 Mustang, Glamorous Glenn, he downed an astounding five German Bf-109s in a single mission in October of 1944, making him an ace in a single day.

  • FB-22 The Raptor Stealth Bomber

    Many years ago, the US Military had plans for a F-22 upgrade. This would have been a strike fighter, with an emphasis on bombing. Details surrounding the project remain a mystery, with some suggesting that the project was never really cancelled, but rather postponed for possible future implementa...

  • Supermarine Spitfire

    Supermarine's Spitfire is undoubtedly one of the iconic fighters of WWII, and continues to garner support from warbird enthusiasts worldwide. 22 distinct major versions of the Spitfire were developed to meet the operational demands of the war. Australia's involvement with the Spitfire began in th...

  • Eddie the Ace Killer

    This is the story of James Francis Edwards, the Canadian RAF Ace that flew the P-40 Kittyhawk in North Africa during World War II.

  • Famous Banned WWII US Navy Nose Art

  • Wings for this Man

    Wings for this Man is a propaganda film produced in 1945 by the U.S. Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first unit of African-American pilots in the US military formed during World War II.

  • The Wright Brothers: Innovators in Flight

    The Henry Ford’s master presenter, Ray Pisani, shares the history of the Wright brothers' journey to build the world's first controlled, powered aircraft.

  • The History of Air Force One

    Teddy Roosevelt was the first president to fly in a plane and FDR would receive the first presidential airliner in 1933. In this program, we will explore the history of the Air Force One aircraft.

  • Phantoms in Vietnam

    On the 5th of August 1964, the US Navy begins operations of a new aircraft over Vietnam. This new multirole aircraft - the F4 Phantom - will come to define Vietnam War era jet combat, but during these early missions the aircraft was still a work in progress. Today we look at the story of the firs...

  • The Evolution of Aircraft Camouflage

    Within the span of 120 years, military aviation has evolved from a niche experimental weapon, an important observation tool, to now a fundamental battlefield element. The history is well documented. One of the lesser discussed topics within this evolution is that of aircraft camouflage. Let’s tak...

  • Shot Down: Howard Snyder, his Crew and the Susan Ruth

    This award winning documentary short is based on the award winning book SHOT DOWN: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth written by Steve Snyder. After being shot down by German fighters over occupied Belgium on February 8, 1944, Steve's father Howard was missi...