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Thirty-seven years ago this month, the first USAF/Rockwell B-1A multi-role strategic bomber was rolled-out at the contractor’s USAF Plant 42 facility in Palmdale, California. The swing-wing, supersonic aircraft was intended to replace the venerable USAF/Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The USAF/Rockwell B-1A Lancer was the product of 1960’s-era Air Force studies calling… Read More
Fifty-six years ago this month, the USAF/Republic YF-105A Thunderchief took to the air for the first time from Edwards Air Force Base. With Republic test pilot Russell M. Roth at the controls, the fabled Thud exceeded the speed of sound during its maiden flight. The USAF/Republic F-105 Thunderchief was a… Read More
Fifty-two years ago this month, the USAF Bold Orion air-launched ballistic missile performed a successful intercept of the Explorer VI satellite. This event marked the first time in history that a endoatmospherically-launched missile intercepted a target vehicle in space. Bold Orion was a 1950’s-era air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) prototype developed… Read More
Fifty-five years ago this month, the first Jupiter-C launch vehicle flew a suborbital mission in which it attained a maximum velocity of 16,000 mph. The successful flight test was a significant step in the development of what would ultimately result in the United States’ first satellite launcher. The Jupiter-C was… Read More
Sixty-three years ago this week, the USAF/Convair XF-92A Dart made its first official flight from Muroc Army Airfield in California. Convair test pilot Ellis D. “Sam” Shannon was at the controls of the experimental delta-winged aircraft. The XF-92A Dart holds the distinction of being the first delta-winged, turbojet-powered aircraft in… Read More
Sixty-years ago this month, a live biological payload consisting of a primate and a colony of mice was lofted to an altitude of 236,000 feet by a two-stage Aerobee X-8 sounding rocket. The mission marked the first recorded instance where a mamallian payload survived the rigors of high altitude rocket… Read More
Fifty-two years ago this week, the United States Air Force successfully conducted an Initial Operational Capability Demonstration (IOC DEMO) of the Atlas D Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). The Atlas Missile System was pronounced operational following the successful launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Named for the superhuman strongman of Greek mythology,… Read More
White Eagle Aerospace recently returned to Dayton, OH where instructor/CEO J. Terry White held back-to-back professional short courses. This represents the company’s third visit to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 2011. Earlier offerings include the Basic Missile Aerodynamics (BMA) short course held 23-26 May 2011 and the Fundamentals of Earth… Read More
Fifty-five years ago this week, the USAF/Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker took to the skies for the first time. The jet-powered aircraft would go on to become the most famous military tanker in the history of aviation. The KC-135A Stratotanker was a derivative of the famous Boeing Model 367-80. The type was… Read More
Fifty-seven years ago this month, USAF Major Arthur W. “Kit” Murray set a new world altitude record of 90,440 feet in the rocket-powered Bell X-1A. In doing so, Murray reported that he could detect the curvature of the Earth from the apex of his trajectory. The USAF/Bell X-1A was designed… Read More
