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
5 March 1966 – The D-21 Tagboard drone “was first launched from an M-21 on 5 March 1966.[8] The drone was released but stayed close to the M-21’s back for a few seconds, which seemed like “two hours” to the M-21 crew.[9] A second launch took place on 27 April 1966; the D-21 reached its […]
“After a series of interviews with Korean War fighter pilots in 1951, Kelly Johnson then lead designer at Lockheed, opted to reverse the trend of ever-larger and more complex fighters and produce a simple, lightweight aircraft with maximum altitude and climb performance. On 4 March 1954, Lockheed test pilot Anthony W. LeVier took the prototype
Today in History – March 4, 1954 – First F-104 Starfighter takes flight. Read More »
3 March 1959 – Harold O’Neal Rogers attended Andrews High School in Williamsburg, SC, graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, SC, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant USAF. In 1959 he was assigned to Aviano Airbase in Italy. On a training flight flying F-100 #56-3430 the aircraft’s engine caught fire and Rogers ejected from