In support of an official event 

The Museum will be closed Sunday, May 25
In addition, the Fourth Hangar will be closed Saturday, May 24

Access to the Presidential Gallery will be limited from May 15 to June 5
 

Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

Fact Sheet Search

  • First Transcontinental Nonstop Flight

    The first nonstop flight across the United States was made by Lts. John A. Macready and Oakley G. Kelly in a Fokker T-2 airplane. Taking off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, N.Y., on May 2, 1923, the heavily loaded T-2 flew westward through both fair and foul weather (much of it at night) without

  • Endurance Flights Propellers

    (From left to right)Propeller used on the DH-4B flown by Lts. Lowell H. Smith and John P. Richter to received fuel during the U.S. Army Air Service's first aerial refueling on June 27, 1923.Propeller used on the DH-4B "tanker" flown by Lts. Virgil Hine and Frank W. Seifert during the refueling

  • First Air-to-Air Refueling

    On Oct. 5, 1922, Lts. John A. Macready and Oakley G. Kelly set a world endurance record of 35 hours, 18 minutes, 30 seconds in their Fokker T-2 airplane over San Diego, Calif., for which they received the Mackay Trophy. Had they not run low on gasoline, they could have remained in the air until

  • Doolittle's Atlantic-to-Pacific Flight

    The first transcontinental flight across the United States within a single day (24-hour period) was made by Lt. Jimmy Doolittle on Sept. 4, 1922. Flying a DH-4B, Lt. Doolittle took off from Pablo Beach, Fla., and landed at Rockwell Field near San Diego, Calif., covering a distance of 2,163 miles in

  • First Alaskan Flight

    The first flight from the continental U.S. to Alaska was made by four DH-4Bs under the command of Capt. St. Clair Streett. The flight departed Mitchel Field, Long Island, N.Y., on July 15, 1920, and arrived at Nome, Alaska, on Aug. 24. The same planes and crews returned to Mitchel Field on Oct. 20,

  • Transcontinental Reliability and Endurance Test

    In 1919 the Air Service initiated a project to test its men and planes to the utmost under various kinds of flying conditions over an extended distance. Two groups of aircraft were to leave New York and San Francisco at the same time on Oct. 8, fly to the opposite coasts of the U.S., and then return

  • Round-the-Rim Flight

    In its desire to test the long-range capabilities of the airplane, the Air Service decided to fly a Glenn Martin bomber completely around the periphery of the U.S. The flight, which began at Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., on July 24, 1919, was made in a counterclockwise direction. Since time and

  • Flights to High Altitude

    Schroeder's Altitude Flights, 1918-1920During World War I, the Air Service began making test flights at high altitude. On Sept. 18, 1918, Capt. Rudolph W. "Shorty" Schroeder set a world record of 28,900 feet in a Bristol airplane from McCook Field. In 1919 he established three more world altitude

  • Air Corps Development, 1919-1935

    Following World War I, many Americans believed the United States should never again become involved in European entanglements. Military appropriations were reduced dramatically and the Air Service was cut to only 10,000 men as of June 30, 1920. This reduction in funds had a paralyzing effect upon

  • Blunder Trophies

    Humor was a virtue not greatly lacking among the test pilots at McCook Field and, later Wright Field. Although the pilots assigned to the Flying Section approached their jobs in a most diligent and professional manner, they still possessed that habit so common among those who fly -- jocularity. A