On This Day in History

1968:   Gen Carl Spaatz (USAF retired) receives the Thomas D. White National Defense Award for 1968.

  1960:    Soviet air defenses shoot down a U-2 flying from Pakistan to Norway, capturing CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers.

1999:    The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB unveils the X-34, a technology demonstrator for a reusable space launch vehicle.

  1975: Operation FREQUENT WIND. Through 30 April, USAF, Marine, and Navy helicopters airlift 6,000-plus people in the final evacuation of Saigon. This was the first major operation involving flights of USAF helicopters from an

  1993:    SECDEF Les Aspin announces that women would be allowed to serve in combat roles. This policy change allowed female pilots to fly USAF combat aircraft.

  1995:    AFSPACE declares its GPS satellites fully operational. This system provided accurate geo­graphical coordinates.

1945:        MEDAL OF HONOR.  12th Air Force pilot 1Lt Raymond L. Knight destroys 14 enemy aircraft and wrecks 10 others on the ground. He is hit, crashes, and dies. Citation: http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2833/knight-raymond-l.php

1991:        SECAF Donald B. Rice announces the winner of the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition. He selects the Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics F-22 with the Pratt and Whitney F-119 engine.

1981:        The 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, an A-10 Wing at RAF Bentwaters, UK,  sets a USAF record by generating 533 sorties in a single day.  

1948:        KEY WEST AGREEMENT. The SECDEF issues a memo to his Secretaries with a paper defining the functions of the services and the JCS, based on the National Security Act. The Air Force receives responsibility