All Stories

A former Blackbird pilot now volunteers at the National Air and Space Museum.

Crop-dusting was an often hazardous occupation, until a maverick entrepreneur and pilot designed the right airplanes for the job. 

While fashion accessories may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the National Air and Space Museum, this collection captures the diversity and playfulness of flight crew dress across the decades.

Astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt lived a short but deeply impactful life, during which her achievements failed to receive sufficient recognition. On the centennial of her death, we reflect on her life and legacy.

Flight attendants were some of the people at the forefront of the fight for equality in the 20th century. Meet some of these remarkable people in this article. 

At AirSpace we absolutely LOVE spotlighting stories about incredible aviators who might not already be on your radar. Today, we’re introducing you to the Chinese aviatrix Li Xiaqing: A literal movie star who learned to fly with the aspiration of serving her country. Li’s story is not only inspiring, it’s practically a screenplay waiting to be written. Born in 1911 into a rapidly changing China, she took flying lessons in Switzerland and the United States before returning to China in the 1930s. Despite being grounded by her home country during the war, she still found a way to use her skills in the war effort barnstorming across the US raising money for China. An actress, aviatrix, and altruist? Now, that’s a true triple threat.

One area in which commercial airlines were able to make a splash and successfully market themselves during the 1960s and 1970s was through what their flight attendants wore. To appeal to the mostly male travelers, airlines introduced miniskirts and hot pants, to the dismay of many flight attendants.

Jackie Cochran’s record-setting T-38 Talon is now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Discover the relationship shared between these two aviation icons.

NASA astronauts would receive numerous training information about Space Shuttle. Today they're in the Museum's Archives.

In 1929, a group of 99 women pilots decided to form an organization for social, recruitment, and business purposes. Living in a society that limited women's social and economic independence, these group formed for women to mutually support each other in the aviation profession. Thus the Ninety-Nines were born.