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 1 - 10 of 28

December 20, 2023 Last Race at Reno Story | Air & Space Quarterly

This past September, the National Championship Air Races took a final lap in the Reno, Nevada venue.

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December 20, 2023 The Sun Sets on Reno Story | Air & Space Quarterly

The National Championship Air Races ends it run in Reno, NV.

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September 20, 2023 Aerobatic Pilot Patty Wagstaff Turned Her World Upside Down Story | Air & Space Quarterly

When an aerobatic pilot wanted to fly right up to the limit, she chose an aircraft that proved to be a model of instability 

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September 09, 2022 The Roar of the Crowd Story

The first air races, meets, and flight exhibitions kicked off a wave of public enthusiasm for aviation that circled the globe.

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July 18, 2022 Roscoe Turner and Gilmore the Flying Lion Story

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a...lion?

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June 21, 2022 The Nemesis Dynasty Story | Air & Space Quarterly

After a shaky start, the Nemesis NXT air racer comes out on top. 

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November 03, 2021 Meet Betty Skelton Story

For many years, three-time Female Aerobatic Champion Betty Skelton was known as the “First Lady of Firsts.” The Florida native earned her nickname the hard way, whether as the International Female Aerobatic Champion, flying at 8,839 meters (29,000 feet), or traveling at speeds greater than 486 kph (300 mph) in a jet-powered car. In the process of setting 17 aviation and race car records, she also paved the way for women to enjoy equal opportunities in aviation, sports, and business. 

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July 28, 2021 The Year Ballooning Was an Olympic Event Story | From the Archives

The 1900 Olympic Games, held in Paris as part of the Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair), was the only year in which ballooning was an official event.

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October 07, 2020 Donald Louis Piccard – Pioneer of Hot Air Ballooning Story

The world of sport ballooning lost one of its pioneers with the death of Don Piccard on September 14, 2020. He was involved in the renaissance of hot air ballooning and a true pioneer of the sport. All of us who wonder at the sight of a hot air balloon in the sky, are in his debt.

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September 06, 2019 The Many Lives of Buster the Air Racer Story | Air and Space Photos

Since the earliest days of flight, air racing has been an exciting motorsports activity. We have in our collection many of the aircraft that made history by winning races and setting records, like Steve Wittman’s Special 20 Buster, which lived two lives in air racing and proved to be an inspiration for an entire class of air racers.

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