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  • Birth of Strategic Bombing

    Strategic bombing had its beginning during World War I when German Zeppelins began raiding London. Small attacks against England were carried out early in the war, but by October 1915, "squadron-size" raids by numerous Zeppelins had begun, always at night and in the dark of the moon.Early in

  • Wright Brothers 1916 Wind Tunnel

    This wind tunnel was designed by Orville Wright in 1916 and installed in his laboratory at 15 N. Broadway in Dayton, Ohio. He used this tunnel to conduct various aerodynamic experiments during the World War I period. In July 1918, Orville wrote to a friend, "I have lately put up a small tunnel in my

  • Pancho Villa Attacks New Mexico

    On March 9, 1916, the Mexican revolutionary, Pancho Villa, crossed the international border with more than 500 men and raided Columbus, N.M., killing 17 Americans. The next day, Brig. Gen. John J. Pershing was directed to organize a force to protect the border and the 1st Aero Squadron, commanded by

  • World War I Begins

    World War I began in August 1914. In contrast to the United States, which had fewer than a dozen military airplanes at that time, Germany, France and England had 180, 136 and 48 aircraft, respectively. These nations soon discovered the immense value of aerial reconnaissance to their armies and a

  • Halberstadt CL IV

    Introduced into combat during the last great German offensive of World War I, the CL IV supported German troops by attacking Allied ground positions. Equipped with both fixed and flexible machine guns, hand-dropped grenades and small bombs, the CL IV proved very effective in this role, but it lacked

  • Kettering Aerial Torpedo “Bug”

    In 1917 Charles F. Kettering of Dayton, Ohio, invented the unmanned Kettering Aerial Torpedo, nicknamed the "Bug." Launched from a four-wheeled dolly that ran down a portable track, the Bug's system of internal pre-set pneumatic and electrical controls stabilized and guided it toward a target. After

  • Bleriot Monoplane

    The Bleriot monoplane is currently off public display and in restoration(Feb. 2023). Restoration update March 2026 - New fabric has been applied to the tail section.The Bleriot monoplane was an important early aircraft because of its inventor's notable exploits and the aircraft's role in early

  • Curtiss O-52 Owl

    In 1940 the U.S. Army Air Corps ordered 203 Curtiss O-52s for observation duties -- signified by the designation "O" -- and used them for military maneuvers within the continental United States. Upon America's entry into World War II, however, the U.S. Army Air Forces realized that the airplane

  • Ryan YPT-16

    A military version of the civilian Ryan STA, the YPT-16 became the first monoplane acquired by the U.S. Army Air Corps as a primary trainer. The Air Corps ordered 15 YPT-16s after purchasing a single Ryan STA-1 in 1939 for testing as the XPT-16. From 1940-1942, the Air Corps bought nearly 1,200 more

  • Consolidated PT-1 Trusty

    By 1924 the U.S. Army Air Service needed a new primary training aircraft, and the Army chose the PT-1 designed by Consolidated Aircraft Corp. of Buffalo, N.Y. Deliveries began in 1925, and the PT-1 became the first training airplane purchased by the Army Air Service in substantial quantity following