Stories of daring, stories of technological feats, stories of prevailing against the odds ... these are the stories we tell at the National Air and Space Museum. Dive in to the stories below to discover, learn, and be inspired. 

Showing 61 - 70 of 250

Bell X-1 aircraft photographed from a side angle against a dark backdrop

October 13, 2022

Breaking the Sound Barrier: Chuck Yeager and the Bell X-1

Story

Seventy-five years ago, U.S. Air Force Captain Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager piloted the Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis to become the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1).

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

September 22, 2022

AirSpace Season 6, Ep. 10: Boom Clap

Story | AirSpace Podcast

For six months in 1964 the US Air Force flew an airplane at supersonic speeds over Oklahoma City, often multiple times a day, in a series of tests called Project Bongo. The story of how and why the tests happened is a wild ride, and we’re breaking it down for you today on AirSpace.

Curator Peter Jakab portrait with the Bell UH-1H Iroquois "Huey" Smokey III helicopter.

September 21, 2022

The Smoke Ship

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the Huey, remains a powerful symbol of the Vietnam War.

A spiral galaxy, with distinctive lines that look like the spokes of a giant wheel in space, sits some 500 million light years away from Earth.

September 21, 2022

Up to Speed

Story | Air & Space Quarterly

What's new in aviation and space.

A painting depicting one biplane with German markings on fire, losing altitude, with two ejected figures falling. A biplane with red, white, and blue fin flash flies past.

September 09, 2022

The Military Gets Its Wings

Story

Today we cannot imagine war without the airplane, but there was a time when the airplane's military potential was not yet apparent.

A model of a biplane.

August 26, 2022

Conservation Treatment and the Story Behind a Model Benoist No. 43 Aircraft

Story

A 1/16 scale model of a Benoist XIV Airboat (Benoist No. 43) recently underwent conservation treatment in preparation for its display in the reimagined America by Air gallery. Learn about how it was treated and discover the story behind the model and the actual aircraft.

Boeing 247

August 25, 2022

Take a Trip on the Boeing 247

Story

Read a first-hand account of what it was like to fly aboard a Boeing 247 in 1934.

AirSpace, a podcast, logo

August 11, 2022

AirSpace Season 6, Ep. 7: Look at the Sky

Story | AirSpace Podcast

Skywriting is something you might witness at the beach, or a sporting event, or an outdoor concert. A popular form of aerial advertising and even the occasional marriage proposal, skywritten messages can have a BIG impact (and with letters approximately 1500 feet tall… we mean that quite literally).  But maybe you didn’t know that it originated with the military and dates wayyy back to the early days of aviation in 1910. This episode will be your exhaustive look into everything you’d want to know about skywriting – how it works, who does it, the most popular examples, and even its code of conduct. And to learn all about it, we speak to a skywriting pilot whose family has been in the business since nearly the beginning.

Northrop P-61C Black Widow aircraft in a museum setting and photographed from the side

August 04, 2022

Northrop P-61 Black Widow: First American Airplane Designed and Built to Fight at Night, Part I

Story

Getting all the components of a complex aircraft to fit and function satisfactorily required more than a year of careful design work, however on January 30, 1942, the Army Air Corps awarded Northrop a contract to build two XP-61 prototypes. Rediscover the Black Widow on the 80th anniversary year of its first flight.

Rutan VariEze

July 26, 2022

What's in Your Garage?

Story

For many people across the country, if you asked “what’s in your garage?” they might just say an airplane!