The idea of the United States having to create an infrastructure to defend itself from possible aerial attacks on its homeland did not become a front-burner issue until the mid-1930s. Several factors brought the possibility to the forefront. Most prominent was the development of larger, longer-range aircraft capable of executing bombing strikes from long distances,Continue reading “Air raid wardens bolstered civil defense effort on the home front during World War II”
Tag Archives: aviation
Seadromes: Ocean landing strips for airplanes seemed like a good idea for a time
The dawn of the aviation age opened up a world of possibilities for the passenger transportation industry. The first American commercial airline flight in a fixed-wing plane took place on New Year’s Day in Miami in 1914. Though excitement about aviation quickly reached a fever pitch, the early generation of airplanes had severe limitations whenContinue reading “Seadromes: Ocean landing strips for airplanes seemed like a good idea for a time”
Longren Aircraft executive Hampden Wentworth’s successful career ended in tragedy
Twenty-nine-year-old self-taught engineer and aviation pioneer Albin Longren made his first successful flight in a plane that he had built himself in Topeka, Kansas, on Sept. 2, 1911. Inspired, Longren started his own company, and the Longren Aircraft Corp. began turning out planes. One of his most interesting creations was aimed at Kansas farmers: aContinue reading “Longren Aircraft executive Hampden Wentworth’s successful career ended in tragedy”
Larry Walters takes off from San Pedro for his unbelievable 1982 flight
Larry Walters told the San Pedro News Pilot that he got the idea for his July 2, 1982 flight after seeing some military weather balloons for sale in an Army-Navy surplus store when he was 13. He no doubt wasn’t the first person to imagine tying balloons to a lawn chair and taking to theContinue reading “Larry Walters takes off from San Pedro for his unbelievable 1982 flight”
Remembering when Western Airlines was “the only way to fly”
If you lived on the West Coast and watched television in the 1960s and 1970s, you couldn’t miss the Wally Bird commercials. In the ads, the animated spokes-bird for Western Airlines reclined on pillows on a company plane’s fuselage while drinking champagne, a reference to the airline’s popular in-flight champagne service. His signature slogan: “WesternContinue reading “Remembering when Western Airlines was “the only way to fly””
The 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Hill put aviation in the spotlight
What if I were to tell you that a French pilot had flown an airplane from a dusty hillside on the outskirts of Carson to the Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia and back, safely? I’m guessing you’d be underwhelmed by the 45-mile trip, but tens of thousands of spectators gathered on Dominguez Hill just eastContinue reading “The 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Hill put aviation in the spotlight”
Celebrated pilot Bob Hoover’s famous World War II flight tells only part of his story
Robert Anderson “Bob” Hoover piloted more than 300 different planes during a lifetime dedicated to aviation, but perhaps his most unusual flight took place in a German Focke-Wulf Fw190 airplane in the waning days of World War II in 1945. On Feb. 9, 1944, the 22-year-old U.S. Army Air Forces pilot was flying a SpitfireContinue reading “Celebrated pilot Bob Hoover’s famous World War II flight tells only part of his story”
Aircraft firm based at Torrance Airport created an innovative crop duster in the 1950s
Until I heard from Carlos Gomez, I hadn’t given much thought to agricultural aviation, more commonly known as crop dusting, and its relation to the South Bay. Gomez mentioned that his father Antulio once worked as an engineer for Transland, a company based at the Torrance Airport that built the AG-2, one of the firstContinue reading “Aircraft firm based at Torrance Airport created an innovative crop duster in the 1950s”
