Wright Brothers

This photograph was taken in 1911. It shows a view of the Wright Brothers' Airplane. It is amazing how far aviation has come in the last 100 years.

The Hindenburg

This picture was taken on January 25, 1937 in New Jersey and shows the German airship "Hindenburg". The Hindenburg was used to carry people, mail, and some freight between Germany and the United States or South America.

It was on this day, May 6, in the year 1937 that the Hindenburg burned and crashed in Manchester Township, New Jersey. Thirty five of the ninety seven people on board died in the tragedy.

Old Monoplane

This photograph shows the Demoisille monoplane, which was small enough to be transported on the back of a car. The photograph was taken in 1909, and captures an early moment in aviation history.

First Air Combat Mission

Today we feature a picture of a biplane that participated in the first aerial combat mission. This occurred on this day, March 19, in the year 1916. You see, Pancho Villa was involved in a revolutionary movement in Mexico. Then in March of 1916 he decided it would be a good idea to invade the United States. He sent about 1,000 Mexican Raiders across the border, and attacked Columbus, New Mexico. Yep, he really wanted to hit us where it would hurt. Anyway, President Woodrow Wilson did not take to kindly to the offense, so he sent General John J. Pershing down south to deal with the situation. Pershing took about 6,000 troops to find Villa. At the same time, the existing Mexican government was using Carranza's army to find Villa. Bottom line is that there were lots of people looking for Villa in 1916.

Pershing used biplanes like the one pictured above to try and locate Villa. Pershing's expedition was eventually called off after he was unable to find Villa. The Mexican Army was also unable to find Villa. I have always been interested in Pancho Villa. I always like underdogs who were able to find success even when facing overwhelming odds.

Harriet Quimby

This is a nice photograph of Harriet Quimby taken in 1911. She was the first woman to receive a pilots license in the United States. This photograph was taken shortly after she became the first woman in the United States to receive a pilots license. In 1912 she became the first woman to fly over the English Channel. Unfortunately, she died in a plane wreck a short time later. Today we take out hats off to another pioneering woman.

First Flight from Navy Ship

This photograph shows the first successful flight from the deck of a US Navy Ship. This historic flight was made on this day, November 14, in the year 1910. The pilot was Eugene Ely, and he is flying a Curtis Pusher aircraft. The ship was at Hampton Roads, Virginia, and shortly after takeoff, the pilot landed at Willoghby Spit.

It is amazing how far things have come over the last hundred years. I would bet the Eugene never dreamed of how far this little thing would go.

Aviators

This picture features two pioneering American Aviators. On the left is Orville Wright. On the right is Charles Lindberg. Lindberg was the first pilot to fly solo over the Atlantic Ocean, and Orville Wright was the first man to fly.

First Helicopter Flight

This is a photograph of Igor Sikorsky at the controls of his VS-300 Helicopter. It was on this day (September 14) in the year 1939 that Sikorsky made this historic first successful helicopter flight.

Wright Brothers Airplane

Today we feature a nice photograph of the Wright Brothers Airplane. Orville and Wilbur were both armature photographers, and they took lots of pictures of the development of their flying machine. You can see a complete collection of their work at Wright Brothers Pictures.

Charles Lindbergh

This is a great portrait of pioneer aviator Charles Lindbergh. It was on this day (May 20th) in 1927 the Lindbergh took off from New York in the Spirit of St. Louis for the first solo transatlantic flight.