25 May 1927: At Wright Field, now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, First Lieutenant James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, United States Army Air Corps, was the first pilot to successfully perform an outside loop. Flying a Curtiss P-1B Hawk pursuit, he began the maneuver in level flight at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), then pushed the nose down into a […] The post 25 May 192…

25 May 1953: North American Aviation Chief Test Pilot George S. Welch takes the YF-100A Super Sabre, serial number 52-5754, for its first flight at Edwards Air Force Base. The airplane reaches Mach 1.03. Development of the Super Sabre began in an effort to increase the speed of the F-86D and F-86E Sabre fighters. The […] The post 25 May 1953 appeared first on This Day in Aviation.

Expect fewer than average posts over the next few weeks as I prepare to move to the CA central coast. For now, here are some recent photos ... Departing Ukiah Mt. Diablo at Sunset Flying the Eastern Sierra En route San Diego Heading South Hold at KACBY Lee Vining Mono Lake Approaching Mono Lake Near Lake Mendocino Over US 395 Eastern Sierra Turbulence Over Truckee