Brigadier General (ret.) Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier and went on to become one of the most legendary figures in aeronautical history. Born in 1923 in Myra, West Virginia, Yeager joined the US Army Air Corps at...
Battle of Britain Spitfire ace and Distinguished Flying Cross winner Paul Webb, a Scotsman, was born in Greenock and educated at Kevinside Academy in Glasgow. As war clouds loomed in 1937, he joined 602 Squadron. Upon graduation from flight school at Abbotsinch (now...
Paul W. Tibbets is a World War II bomber pilot of unparalleled fame. Born in 1915 in Quincy, Illinois, he had his first bombing experience at age 12 by dropping candy bars by parachute out of the back seat of a Waco 9 biplane over the Hialeah racetrack. He joined the...
Dora Dougherty Strother’s career in aviation has spanned more than 50 years and is unmatched for wide-ranging accomplishments. Her love of flying began as a child during family outings to a local airport. She earned her pilot’s certificate through the...
In recognition of an act of heroism he performed in 1969 as a prisoner of war (POW) in North Vietnam, James B. Stockdale was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Born in Abingdon, Illinois, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. From 1946...
Flying untethered in space with the aid of a Manned Maneuvering Unit, Robert L. Stewart embodies the spirit of a true aerospace pioneer. Born in Washington, D.C., he graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1964 and was commissioned into the US Army...
Appropriate for an American aviation pioneer, Maurice R. Smith was born on the 4th of July, 1894. He attended Yale where he majored in economics, played football and baseball, and excelled in wrestling. He also found time to join ROTC as a member of the “Yale...
Determined to one day “own the sky,” Robert L. Scott, Jr., dreamed of flying from the day he saw his first aircraft. At the age of 12, he attempted to fly a homemade glider from the roof of a three-story house, but cleared only the first tree when the wing...
Wolfgang “Bombo” Schenck was the first man to command a jet aircraft unit in combat and is considered one of the most diversified pilots to fly for the Luftwaffe during World War II. Born in Windhoek, German Southwest Africa, he was schooled in Germany and...
An American ace in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II, Donald S. Lopez joined the Aviation Cadet Program in May 1942 and received his wings a year later at Craig Field, Alabama. Transitioning to the P-40N Warhawk, he received orders to the 75th Fighter...
Fritz Losigkeit was a World War II German fighter pilot with 68 aerial victories. He joined the Prussian State Police Academy and was eventually selected for flight training. After graduation, he was assigned to JG (Fighter Wing) 132, the famous Richtofen Wing. In...
Bomber pilot and combat leader extraordinaire, Eugene B. “Ben” LeBailly earned the title of “Loco Ace” for destroying nine enemy locomotives in North Korea. Born in Shoshone, Idaho, he earned his commission and pilot wings in 1939 and was...
One of the most famous Stuka dive-bomber pilots of the Second World War was Kurt Kuhlmey. Born in Insterburg, East Prussia, he began his flying career at the age of 15 piloting gliders. By 1932, he received his glider pilot’s license and began training in...
Night fighter ace and air combat leader, Pilot Officer Desmond Hughes entered the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of war in September 1939, after being a member of the Cambridge University Air Squadron. He completed flying training at the RAF College at Cranwell in...
Hajo Herrmann was one of the Luftwaffe’s boldest and most innovative air tacticians during World War II. He grew up in the seaport of Kiel, Germany, with an early interest in sailing. Unable to secure a naval commission, he began his military career at an...
Joe Foss “the Flying Marine” was truly a Proud American! Born near Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1915, he graduated from the University of South Dakota. He soon joined the Marine Corps, became a Naval Aviator and received his commission in March 1941. After a tour as...
One of Great Britain’s leading aces, William Dennis David, downed 20 enemy aircraft during the Battles of France and Britain. Commissioned in the Royal Air Force in 1938, the 19-year-old Welshman earned his wings in August. His first post was to Hurricanes with...
One of Britain’s most distinguished aviators, Roland P. “Bee” Beamont was commissioned in the Royal Air Force (RAF) just before World War II. He first saw combat as a Hurricane pilot in 87 Squadron during the German invasion of France. On 13 May...
Universally known as “Chief,” C. Alfred Anderson is a lifelong pioneer of aviation opportunities for black Americans. Fascinated by airplanes from an early age, he developed an intense desire to learn to fly as a young man in Staunton, Virginia. In the...
A dream of mankind was fulfilled on 20 July 1969 when the lunar module Eagle touched down on the moon’s Sea of Tranquillity. Two American astronauts became the first humans to set foot on another planetary body. One of these, Buzz Aldrin, was an Air Force...
