Oct. 20, 2023 Flashback: Puff the Magic Dragon: Development of the AC-47 Gunship The AC-47 goes by many names, originally the FC-47, more famously “Puff the Magic Dragon” or “Spooky” but, was the first in a line of aircraft to be called a Gunship.
March 18, 2022 Female Fitment Program: a 75-year journey The Air Force Materiel Command History Office takes a look at the 75-year journey of the Female Fitment program and efforts to better meet uniform needs of women warfighters.
Sept. 2, 2021 The Summer Before 9/11 This September marks 20 years since our nation came under attack. Most people can vividly remember where they were on 9/11 and repeat that event in full detail; however, when you ask them what the nation, or the Air Force, looked like in the summer before 9/11, they struggle to find a memory.
Aug. 18, 2021 A Look Back at…Northrop Flying Wings - Part 1 This is the first in a series of articles that will take a historical look back to the early days of aviation and traces the birth of John Northrop’s dreams for an all-wing design for aircraft.
June 21, 2021 History in Two: Manned Nuclear Aircraft Program A nuclear powered aircraft: today it sounds like a crazy concept, but was it really?
Jan. 22, 2021 FLASHBACK: 30th Anniversary of Wright-Patterson’s Support to Operation DESERT STORM Desert Storm marked a beginning rather than an end to military operations in the 1990s. Contingency operations continued throughout the decade as the United States responded to a continuing Iraqi threat, as well as new dangers in the Balkans and other areas of the world. Wright-Patterson Air Force
Jan. 5, 2021 A Look Back....at the development of parachutes to 1945 As aviation began to play an important role in military tactics and methods of aerial warfare changed rapidly, a “vital need for the development and availability of suitable parachutes” arose with major changes and developments between World War I and the end of World War II.
Aug. 6, 2020 Flashback: The 1924 International Air Races In Rheims, France, six years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight, the world’s first air meet took place where prizes were awarded for various events such as highest altitude reached, longest flight, most passengers carried, and the fastest one, two, and three laps over a set 10-kilometer course.
June 30, 2020 History in Two: Early Beginnings to Privatized Housing Prior to the Military Housing Privatization Initiative that took place in Fiscal Year 1996, several privatization efforts were undertaken by the DoD – Wherry and Capehart acts in the late 1940s through to the 1950s – to provide family housing for our military members. Following World War II,
April 6, 2020 Flashback: The Navaho Missile: Part 1 During the 1950’s and 60’s the United States pushed the limits of aerospace vehicle evolution attempting to go faster and higher while exploring the edge of the unknown. As contractors hoped to clutch a big production contract, new designs jumped off the drawing boards at a rapid pace with many