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  • Cpl. Edward Ward: First Enlisted Airman

    Corporal Edward “Eddie” Ward’s leadership, talent, and technical skills played an essential part in creating American air power. Ward’s service embodies the critical role played by the millions of enlisted Airmen who followed him.In July 1907, the Army sent Ward and PFC Joseph Barrett to learn the

  • Glenn Hammond Curtiss: Aviation Pioneer

    Like his main competitors the Wright brothers, Glenn Curtiss was involved in bicycling before he became interested in aviation, first racing bicycles and later motorcycles. Curtiss developed a successful motorcycle business in Hammondsport, N.Y., for which he designed and built relatively light and

  • Heavier-than-Air Flight

    Heavier-than-air vehicles generally achieve flight with aerodynamic lift created by airflow over a surface (usually a wing). There were three basic types of early heavier-than-air vehicles -- kites, gliders and airplanes. Kites are unpowered, tethered craft. Gliders fly freely. Both kites and

  • Gnome N-9

    The French Gnome engine was one of the most important designs in early aviation, and a main source of aircraft power for the Allies in World War I. First appearing 1909, this engine type was developed into several models and used throughout the war. The 9-cylinder model on display at the museum is

  • Curtiss Four-Cylinder

    Curtiss four-cylinder, water-cooled engine used in the 1908 Signal Corps Dirigible No. 1. Developing about 25 hp, it drove a tubular steel shaft 22 feet long on which was mounted a wooden propeller designed by Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge. In the official speed trial, the Baldwin airship reached 19.61

  • Wright 1909 Military Flyer

    The Wright 1909 Military Flyer became the first military heavier-than-air flying machine. Upon purchase by the Signal Corps for $30,000 on Aug. 2, 1909, the U.S. Army designated the Wright 1909 Military Flyer as Signal Corps Airplane No. 1, and it remained the only Army airplane for nearly two

  • Hmong and other Indigenous People

    The majority of the Vietnamese population is made up of ethnic Vietnamese (84%) and ethnic Chinese (2%) who for the most part tend to live in urban and coastal areas. The remaining population is made up of tribal groups whose ancestors came to Vietnam from other Asian countries and who are referred

  • Story Ideas

    The National Museum of the United States Air Force offers the media a wide range of interesting and unique topics that can serve as the basis for an attractive feature story. Particular possibilities include:NASA Crew Compartment TrainerWork continues on the NASA Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT)

  • Col. John Plating

    "Air Transport and the Politics of War"Feb. 21, 2013 - 7:30 p.m.Col. John Plating is an associate professor of history at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He earned his Ph.D. in military history at The Ohio State University, and is the author of The Hump: America's Strategy for

  • Northrop “Gee-Whizz” Decelerator Sled

    During World War II, the U.S. military became concerned with pilot injuries experienced during aircraft accidents.  To better understand the problem, the U.S. Air Force ran tests launching this sled down a 2,000 ft. long track at up to 200 mph. The sled was then quickly stopped, producing a