July 17, 1962
1962: Maj Robert White flies X-15 No. 3 with the XLR-99 rocket engine on the first spaceflight by a manned aircraft: Altitude 58.7 miles (314,750 ft.), speed in excess of Mach 6 (3,784 mph).
July 14, 1974
1974: Gen Carl “Tooey” Spaatz, the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, dies at Walter Reed General Hospital at age 83.
July 13, 1921
1921: During July Brig Gen Billy Mitchell’s bombers sink several capital ships off Virginia to prove this capability of un-apposed aircraft.
July 12, 2002
2002: Operation NOBLE EAGLE. The 119th Fighter Squadron (New Jersey ANG) is the 1st DOD unit to fly 1,000 missions for this operation.
Jul 10, 1935
1935: Larry Bell founds Bell Aircraft, producer among other aircraft of the P-39 Airacobra and the X-1.
July 7, 1942
Flying a Lockheed Vega A-29 Hudson, Lt Harry J. Kane and crew of the 396th Bomb Squadron attack and sink German sub U-701 off Cherry Point, NC.
July 6, 1953
Operation KINDERLIFT. USAFE begins airlift of children from Berlin to West Germany for a summer in German and American homes.
July 5, 1912
Capt Charles DeForest Chandler, Lt Thomas DeWitt Milling, and Lt Henry H. Arnold became the first qualified “Military Aviators.” They receive their badges on 6 October.
July 4, 1942
The Flying Tigers join the Army Air Forces as the 23rd Fighter Group, Col Robert L. Scott Jr commanding.