Archives: Today in History

The third prototype of three Vought XF7U-1 Cutlass twin-tailed fighters, BuNo 122474, suffered an engine explosion during flight exhibition at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. Vought test pilot, W. Paul Thayer, ejected and parachuted into two feet of water in the Patuxent as the airframe impacted on a small island nearby. Thayer was returned safely to […]

6 July 1951 Aerial refueling is used under combat conditions for the first time, with a KB-29 Superfortress refueling four RF-80 Shooting Stars over North Korea. n January 1948, General Carl Spaatz, then the first Chief of Staff of the new United States Air Force, made aerial refueling a top priority of the service. In March 1948, the USAF purchased two sets of FRL’s

5 July 1968 – P.B. Hardy “Misty 3” is serving with the 614TFS out of Phan Rang. On this day, he and co-pilot Capt David W. Jenny (SSS member) are on a mission over NVN, when their F-100 #581226 is hit in the tail by Heavy 37mm AAA. They eject and are recovered by a