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  • 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). The Bleriot monoplane was an important early aircraft because of its inventor's notable exploits and the aircraft's role in early training and reconnaissance. It first achieved fame in 1909 when its designer, Louis

  • 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

  • Eberhart SE-5E

    When the United States entered World War I, plans called for American manufacturers to mass produce aircraft already in use by the Allies. One of the fighters chosen was the British S.E.5A, designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory. The prototype S.E.5 first flew in December 1916, and deliveries of an

  • De Havilland DH 82A Tiger Moth

    This classic British trainer made its first flight on Oct. 26, 1931. It is one of a number of models of light aircraft named for moths, in recognition of designer Geoffrey de Havilland's interest in moths and butterflies. It became popular with air forces throughout the United Kingdom as well as the