On This Day in History

1936: The Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Inc., at Paulsboro, N.J., begins producing 100-octane avia­tion gasoline, using the catalytic cracking method.

1941: The grade of aviation cadet is created.

1950: The 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Rapid City AFB, South Dakota receives the first RB-36D (number 44-92091). This reconnaissance version of the B-36B had four jet engines added to the six propeller engines. (Stock RB-36D photo)

1934: Army Air Corps airmail operations end. The official record for the brief enterprise reflects 57 crashes and 12 fatalities (the main reason for ending the program), with 1.5 million miles flown to carry 777,000 pounds of mail at a cost of $2.7 million.

1956: The 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Turner AFB GA receives the first USAF RB-57D (number 53-3973), the reconnaissance version of the British-designed B-57 Canberra.

1951: KOREAN WAR. Unit 4/SAM C-47s fly leaflet drop/voice broadcast sorties encouraging the enemy to surrender to elements of the U.S. Army’s IX Corps. Results are questionable.

1973: SKYLAB 2 launches from Kennedy Space Center on a Saturn IB with Astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr., Paul Weitz, and Dr. Joseph Kerwin aboard. On 26 May, the astronauts meet with Skylab 1 during the

1927: Lt James H. Doolittle performs the first known successful outside loop.

1927: Because of an attempted prison break at Folsom Prison, two aircraft from the California National Guard’s 115th Observation Squadron, armed with machine guns, are sent to Sacramento to stand by for possible use. But