29 April 1949 – During WWII a need was discovered for a “parasite fighter” – a jet fighter to protect bombers from hostile intercept aircraft. Pilot fatigue from P-41 and P-51 pilots who were protecting Boeing B-17’s, B-24’s, and Boeing B-29’s was a real problem. Aerial refueling hadn’t been perfected and these interceptors couldn’t match
10 September 1968 – D.A. McGrath was assigned to the 355th TFS/37th TFW out of Phu Cat AB, Vietnam. Flying as Icon 9 on a strafing mission over South Vietnam, McGrath’s F-100F was hit by moderate aimed gunfire hitting the engine and causing D.A. to eject. He was rescued by a USAF Helo and suffered […]
9 September 1972: Captain Charles Barbin DeBellevue, United States Air Force, a Weapons System Officer flying on F-4D and F-4E Phantom II fighters, became the high-scoring American Ace of the Vietnam War when he and his pilot, Captain John A. Madden, Jr., shot down two Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG 19¹ fighters of the Không Quân Nhân Dân Việt Nam (Vietnam People’s
8 September 1999 – “EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif –The Helios prototype Unmanned Aerial Vehicle made its first flight. The unmanned flying wing spanned 247 feet and was designed ultimately to reach 100,000 feet and to fly missions lasting four days or more. The first flight of the Helios was cut short when an emergency
Today in History – September 8, 1999 – Helios Prototype UAV flies for the first time. Read More »