May 21, 1957
1957: Maj Robinson Risner flies Lindbergh’s transatlantic route in an F-100 named Spirit of St. Louis II in 6 hours 40 minutes (as compared to the original 33 1/2 hours 30 years earlier).
1957: Maj Robinson Risner flies Lindbergh’s transatlantic route in an F-100 named Spirit of St. Louis II in 6 hours 40 minutes (as compared to the original 33 1/2 hours 30 years earlier).
1980: MOUNT ST. HELENS Eruption. The USAF Rescue Coordination Center at Scott AFB manages 568 sorties thru 5 June that save 101 lives.
1919: The Director of the Air Service orders the use of the national star insignia on all service planes; This order is implemented in August.
1947: Over New York, 101 B-29s “theoretically” drop bombs in SAC’s first maximum effort mission.
1918: Pilots in the Army Aviation Section (Signal Corps) start the government’s first permanent airmail route from Washington to New York.
1973: From Kennedy Space Center, a two-stage Saturn V launches Skylab 1 into orbit, where its two Solar Array System wings fail to deploy. These were partially repaired on subsequent missions. Skylab was America’s first
1942: President Roosevelt orders the Air Medal to be established for any military person who accomplishes meritorious achievement in aerial flight.
1972: LINEBACKER I: 8th Tactical Fighter Wing F-4s drop precision-guided munitions on the Paul Doumer Bridge in Hanoi, closing it to traffic. For a recap on this and other bridge attacks during the Vietnam
1961: The 379th Bomb Wing at Wurtsmith AFB, MI., receives SAC’s first B-52H (number 60-0001, shown here later at Barksdale AFB). It was known as Memphis Belle IV.
1970: MACKAY TROPHY. An AC-119K gunship attacks a heavily defended road section in SEA. Despite losing 15 feet of the aircraft’s right wing and an aileron, the crew destroys three enemy supply trucks and then