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Onboard a Navy Ship

Monday, August 3 Shortly after settling in on the Essex, I learned it was movie night! As the sky darkened from the

August 23, 2020

Let the Loading Begin

Sunday, August 2, continued There was much to do and a great deal of uncertainty. The runway was a significant distance from

August 20, 2020

Today is the Day!

Saturday, August 1 • Today is the Day! I packed up my room Saturday in anticipation Sunday morning’s events – a COVID

August 14, 2020

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Today we celebrate Andres' one year anniversary wi

Today we celebrate Andres' one year anniversary with Warbird Factory, as
well as his first day back from the devastating B-25 Old Glory crash.

Welcome back Andres!

On April 26 1939, the largest production order for

On April 26 1939, the largest production order for any U.S.-built fighter since World War I was made. The United States Army Air Corps placed an order for 524 Curtiss-Wright P-40 Warhawks, costing $12,872,398.

The P-40 was powered by a liquid-cooled, supercharged, Allison Engineering Co. V-1710-33 V-12 aircraft engine. The fighter was also armed with two air-cooled Browning AN-M2 .50-caliber machine guns on the engine cowl, synchronized to fire through the propeller, with 380 rounds of ammunition per gun.

The 8th Pursuit Group at Langley Field, Virginia, was the first Army Air Corps unit to be equipped with the P-40 and made its first flight April 4th, 1940!

To read more on the P-40 visit: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/2021/04/26/

Warbird Wednesday! On April 7, 1945 U.S. Navy SB

Warbird Wednesday!

On April 7, 1945 U.S. Navy SB2C Helldiver dive bombers attacked the Japanese battleship Yamato.

Yamato was the worlds largest battleship ever constructed, weighing 80248 tons with nine 18.1 inch guns.

The battleship was hit by at least eight torpedoes and as many as fifteen bombs and around 2:20 p.m. on April 7th, 1945 the battleship began to sink before being torn open by a massive explosion. Four of the Japanese destroyers were also sunk during the battle!

We were honored to host the 100th Birthday Celebra

We were honored to host the 100th Birthday Celebration for WWII Veteran Edmund Steffler. 💯🎉🎂🇺🇸

WOMAN FLIER BREAKS RECORD • March 17, 1929 Oakla

WOMAN FLIER BREAKS RECORD • March 17, 1929
Oakland Aviatrix Sets World Mark for Endurance Flight

“Well, I made it. But, gosh, I’m tired,” exclaimed Louise Thaden after setting a new Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Record for Duration.

For 22 hours, 3 minutes and 25 seconds, Mrs. Thaden kept her plane in the air over Oakland airport yesterday, fighting against drowsiness and night cold to beat the former women’s sustained flight record of 17 hours, 5 minutes, 37 seconds, recently established by Miss Bobby Trout of Los Angeles.

Thousands who had waited at the Oakland airport since early morning cheered Mrs. Thaden, and police were busy keeping them from crushing her in their desire to see the flier and her record plane. As friends helped her out of the cockpit where she had sat in a cramped position without sleep, she smiled and said: “Well, I made it. But, gosh, I’m tired.”

~ Oakland Tribune, Monday, 18 March 1929

pictured: Louise Thaden at Oakland Municipal Airport with a Beech Travel Air, 1929. ~ NASM-SI-83-2145
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#WomeninAviationWednesday #aviation #pilot #wings #history #flight #flying #vintage #aviator #vintage #womeninhistory #womenshistorymonth #womenshistory

When the country entered World War II in December

When the country entered World War II in December 1941, the American Kennel Association and a group called Dogs for Defense began a movement to mobilize dog owners to donate healthy and capable animals to the be trained for the military’s K-9 Corps.

Chips, a German shepherd, collie, husky mix, was the most famous and decorated sentry dog in World War II, one of 10,425 dogs that saw service in the K-9 Corps.

In the predawn hours of July 10, 1943, the 3rd Infantry Division landed on the shore of southern Sicily. Among the troops that hit the beach was Pvt. John R. Rowell and his sentry dog, Chips.

Chips broke away from his handler and attacked an enemy machine gun nest in Italy, forcing the entire crew to surrender. The wounded Chips was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star and the Purple Heart—all of which were later revoked due to an Army policy preventing official commendation of animals.
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#WWII #WorldWarII #veterans #airforce #armyairforce #usarmyairforce #greatestgeneration #thegreatestgeneration #k9corps

Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) played an in

Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) played an integral role during World War II, and proved that women belong in the cockpit.

WASP Elizabeth L. Gardner of Rockford, Illinois takes a look around before sending her plane streaking down the runway at the Harlingen Army Air Field in Texas.
~ US Department of the Air Force photo
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#WASP #WWII #historyoninstagram #femaleempowerment #beinspired #todayinwomenshistory #vintage #inspirationalwomen #historical #womenintech

"Just watch, all of you men. I’ll show you what

"Just watch, all of you men. I’ll show you what a woman can do… I’ll go across the country, I’ll race to the Moon… I’ll never look back."

~ Edna Gardner Whyte, regarding her first solo flight, New Year’s Day, 1931
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#WWII #womenshistory #InternationalWomensDay

The Warbirds got some sunshine & fresh air while w

The Warbirds got some sunshine & fresh air while we prepped for a photo shoot today. ☀️😍😍

A Very Special Mission is Planned to Honor and Cel

A Very Special Mission is Planned to Honor and Celebrate the 100th Birthday of D-Day Veteran Jim “Pee Wee” Martin

This April, in Xenia, Ohio, a very special mission is planned to honor and celebrate the centennial birthday of Jim “Pee Wee” Martin. The Inland Empire Wing of the Commemorative Air Force in Riverside, CA will fly its C-53D, “D-Day Doll,” to Xenia for the event planned for April 23 to 25, 2021. “That’s All Brother!” from the CAF Central Texas Wing based in San Marcos, Texas will join in.

Pee Wee’s 100th Birthday Jump Fest is a tribute to one of the hailed 101st Airborne Division “Screaming Eagles,” who are among those credited with the liberation of Europe during World War II. “Pee Wee,” nicknamed for his small stature during training, parachuted into Normandy on June 6, 1944—known as D-Day—and Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, and he survived the Battle of the Bulge.

~ Warrick Page Photography
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#WWII #WW2 #WorldWarTwo #WorldWarII #SecondWorldWar #WorldWar2 #vintage #greatestgeneration #thegreatestgeneration #DDay #CAF #instaaviation #instagramaviation

Women in World War II An extraordinary number of

Women in World War II

An extraordinary number of women entered the work force when the United States entered World War II. American women began to serve in factories, helping to meet the wartime production demands for aircraft, tanks, ships, and weapons. Rosie the Riveter is perhaps the most iconic image of female patriotism however, countless others took on unprecedented roles in industries filling in the gaps to support the men at war. As a result, an estimated six million women started working in fields previously closed to them.
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Irma Lee McElroy, formerly an office worker, took a position at the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas during the war, and is seen here painting the American insignia on airplane wings. ~ Library of Congress photo.
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#womenshistorymonth #WWII #WW2 #WorldWarTwo #WorldWarII #SecondWorldWar #WorldWar2 #girlpower #instaaviation #instagramaviation

https://www.history.com/news/women-world-war-ii-factories-photos

On February 23, 1945, only days after invading the

On February 23, 1945, only days after invading the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, U.S. Marines raised the American flag at the top of Mount Suribachi. Deemed too small to see easily from the northern side of peak, where heavy fighting would go on for several more days, the flag was replaced with a larger one. The flags were lowered and raised simultaneously.

Pictured is photographer Joe Rosenthal capturing the now-famous photo of six marines struggling to hoist the Stars and Stripes atop the mountain. Marine Sgt. William Genaust, who was a motion picture photographer is on his left. Photo taken by MSgt. Lou Lowery, a Marine Corps photographer.

February 19, 1945 - U.S. Marines land on Iwo Jima,

February 19, 1945 - U.S. Marines land on Iwo Jima, a battle that lasted for five weeks with some of the bloodiest fighting of World War II.

This Helldiver with Bombing Squadron VB-80 returns to the USS Hancock after flying close ground support strikes in support.

Warbird Wednesday . US Navy F6F Hellcat fighters o

Warbird Wednesday
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US Navy F6F Hellcat fighters of VF-10 ‘Grim Reapers’ land on carrier Enterprise after attack on Truk, in February of 1944.
~United States National Archives Photo
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F6F Hellcat fighters were initially designed to be an improved version of the F4F Wildcat, but by the time they took flight in mid-1942, they had very little in common with their predecessor. The new design featured heavy armor and self-sealing fuel tanks to provide additional safety to the pilots.

F6F Hellcat fighters engaged Japanese Zero fighters scoring repeated victories signaling the United States had finally produced a fighter that exceeded the capabilities of the feared Zero. By the end of WWII, F6F Hellcats participated in nearly every engagement in the Pacific since their introduction in 1943 and had a staggering 9:1 kill to loss ratio.
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“The Hellcat was a terrific airplane and very effective fighter. It was positively a piece of cake to fly; just a dream.... The difference between the F4F [Wildcat] and the F6F was night and day. We had more range, more speed, more power... more everything.”
US Navy Ensign George Orner, F6F Hellcat fighter pilot aboard USS Franklin.
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#WarbirdWednesday #instaaviation #history #ww2

We're excited to share this rendering by artist Mi

We're excited to share this rendering by artist Mike Lynch of our FG-1D Corsair. The aircraft is currently undergoing restoration at Airpower Unlimited in Jerome, ID under the careful watch of John Lane.

Accepted into service in May of 1945, serial # 92095 first flew with VBF‐80 (Fighter Bomber Squadron 80) and was later assigned to Marine fighter squadrons. By September of 1947, it was flying with reserve outfits as more modern fighters began to appear. Used primarily in training by 1951, the plane was stricken from Navy records in January of 1957.

Football + Fighter Pilot = Tom Landry Tom Landry

Football + Fighter Pilot = Tom Landry

Tom Landry, long-time NFL coach of “America’s Team,” the Dallas Cowboys, fought bravely as a member of the original “America’s Team.” Landry served as a co-pilot of a B-17 during World War II. Stationed in England, he flew 30 missions and survived a crash in Belgium after a bombing run over Czechoslovakia.

#FighterPilotFriday #FootballFriday #instagramaviation #history #worldwar2 #NFL #B-17

Black History Month, also known as African America

Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their principal role in U.S. history, including WWII.

The story of the Tuskegee Airmen reinforces the importance of African American service in WWII.

Civil rights groups advocated for the military to add black pilots to the ranks. Eventually the all-black 99th Fighter Squadron was created. Housed at a newly constructed airbase in Tuskegee, AL, 992 pilots were trained and flew hundreds of missions in southern Europe. Nicknamed the "Redtails," the Airmen lost 66 men and flew more than 15,000 sorties from 1943 to 1945.

“The Tuskegee Airmen” and “Redtails” are feature films showcasing this legendary first all-black squadron of fighter pilots.
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#MovieMonday #blackhistorymonth #instaaviation #ww2

On this day in 1919 WWII Ace pilot Colonel Francis

On this day in 1919 WWII Ace pilot Colonel Francis Stanley “Gabby” Gabreski, was born in Oil City, Pennsylvania.

Gabreski was a fighter pilot stationed at Wheeler Field in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. He took off in his P-36 Hawk after he heard the Japanese attack but was unable to engage the enemy.

One of this country's most successful combat fighter pilots, Gabreski is credited with 28 aerial victories and became the top-scoring American ace in Europe in World War II. He added 6.5 victories in Korea. Gabreski was enshrined in The National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1978.
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#instaaviation #history #worldwar2

Fighter Pilot Friday Captain Joe Foss USMC, known

Fighter Pilot Friday

Captain Joe Foss USMC, known as the "Ace of Aces," is credited with shooting down 26 enemy aircraft during WWII. He was one of three Medal of Honor recipients featured on the cover of "Life" magazine. After his war service Foss joined the South Dakota National Guard and eventually retired as a U.S. Air Force Brigadier General.

Elected to the South Dakota State House of Representatives from 1948 - 1953, he later served as Governor from 1955-59. Commissioner of the early American Football League, he was a key figure in the initiation of the SUPER BOWL. He also served as President of the National Rifle Association.
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#FighterPilotFriday #instaaviation #history #worldwar2

Amelia Earhart pictured as she dons her flight sui

Amelia Earhart pictured as she dons her flight suit at Wheeler Field before departing for her record breaking flight. (Hawaii Aviation)

On this day in 1935, Earhart departed Wheeler Field on the island of Oahu in Hawaii in her Lockheed Vega 5C Special, NR965Y. She arrived at her destination of Oakland, California 18 hours, 15 minutes later. Earhart was the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the Mainland.

Published by The Literary Digest on January 19, 1935:

"'All well', Amelia Earhart (1897 – 1937) radioed repeatedly during her 2,400-mile flight from Hawaii to California last week. 'Alls well that ends well,' she might have said as she set her monoplane down at Oakland Airport Saturday afternoon, eighteen hours and sixteen minutes after she took off from Wheeler Field, Honolulu. What she actually said was, 'I'm tired'"

"Thus she has become the first woman to fly the Pacific from Hawaii to California, and the first person of either sex to fly it alone. Her record has been studded with 'firsts' ever since she learned to fly in 1918." ~ © Old Magazine Articles
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#womeninaviation #flight #instaaviation

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