Table of Contents—January 2014 ‘Aviation History’

FEATURES

Boyington’s Bastards
By Don Hollway
Hero-hungry Americans couldn’t get enough of the “Black Sheep,” the Marines of VMF-214 who followed “Pappy” Boyington to fame in the Pacific.

Skyrocketing Through Mach 2
By Richard P. Hallion
Sixty years ago, Scott Crossfield became the first person to fly
at twice the speed of sound.

‘Foredoomed to Failure’
By Derek O’Connor
In 1922 a British crew set out in a modified war-surplus D.H.9 biplane, hoping to fly around the world.

The Perfect Wing
By Peter Garrison
Was the world’s first truly modern wing designed by Anthony Fokker—or an obscure German welder in his employ?

First Planes Down at Pearl
By Stephen Harding
The forgotten first casualties of December 7, 1941.

Power of a Picture
By Joe Bullmer
Don’t believe everything you’ve been told about the photo of the Wrights’ first flight on December 17, 1903.

ONLINE EXTRAS

Discussion:

What constitutes the first manned, powered, controlled, heavier-than-air flight, and were the Wright brothers the first to accomplish it? If not them, then who?