Early Dreams & Gliders
This Greek mythological figure flew too close to the sun after being warned by his father, Daedalus.
Who is Icarus?
Known in 1907 as the "Fastest Man Alive," this former motorcycle racer went on to become an aircraft manufacturer and opened flying schools alongside the Wright brothers.
Who is Glenn Curtiss?
This famous flying boat, the NC-4, was the first aircraft to make a Trans-Atlantic crossing in 1919.
What is the Curtiss Flying Boat?
Germany’s "lightning war," a combination of army and air forces, was known by this term.
What is Blitzkrieg?
This first plane to exceed Mach 1 on October 14, 1947, was piloted by Chuck Yeager.
What is the Bell X-1?
This Italian artist and inventor, born in 1452 AD, foresaw the parachute, helicopter, and aircraft.
Who is Leonardo Da Vinci?
The birth of Naval Aviation is traced to November 14, 1910, when this aviator made the first flight from the deck of a ship.
Who is Eugene Ely?
The Curtiss JN-4 Jenny was used by these pilots who flew at air shows in fields and charged $3 to $5 for a ride after WWI.
Who are Barnstormers?
During the Battle of Britain in 1940, the British used this new technology that proved crucial for their defensive warfare with fighters.
What is Radar?
The National Security Act of 1947 led to the formation of this new branch of the US military, separate from the Army.
What is the USAF (United States Air Force)?
These two brothers, Joseph and Jacques Etienne, made the first manned hot air balloon flight in November 1783 in France.
Who are the Montgolfier brothers?
This aviator, known as the French Ace of Aces, achieved 75 victories in World War I.
Who is Rene Fonck?
This first African-American female stunt pilot had to travel to France to get her pilot's license.
Who is Bessie Coleman?
The Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in 1942 used this specific type of American medium bomber aircraft.
What is the B-25 Medium Bomber?
The Korean War featured the first all-jet battle, in which the US F-80 shot down this Russian-built jet fighter.
What is the MIG-15?
In the Chinese legend, this official attempted a flight to the moon in a large wicker chair powered by 47 rockets.
Who is Wan Hoo?
Robert Esnault-Pelterie’s 1904 glider used these control surfaces to replace the wing warping technique used by the Wrights.
What are Ailerons?
The sinking of the captured German battleship Ostfriesland by Billy Mitchell’s bombers proved airpower’s dominance over this naval vessel.
What is the Battleship?
The 1942 naval battles of Coral Sea and this other battle were fought entirely by airpower with no surface ship engagement.
What is the Battle of Midway?
The primary mission of the newly formed Strategic Air Command (SAC) in the early Cold War years was deterrence using this type of weaponry.
What are Atomic Bombs (or Nuclear Weapons)?
The first airplane pioneer of the nineteenth century, who is credited with the concept of a fixed-wing aircraft, was this Englishman.
Who is George Cayley?
This Russian designer flew the world’s first four-engine aircraft and later pioneered early designs of the rotary-wing aircraft in the US.
Who is Igor Sikorsky?
United Airlines operated this Boeing aircraft, which could carry 10 passengers and 400 pounds of mail, before the DC-3.
What is the Boeing 247?
The US Eighth Air Force’s strategy during WWII was precision daytime bombing, while the RAF focused on this type of nighttime operation.
What are Night blanket operations (or Night Bombing)?
This was the name of President Nixon’s bombing campaign that was the only true strategic bombing campaign of the Vietnam War.
What is Operation Linebacker II?