Happy Aviation History Month!

Below information, unless noted otherwise, is courtesy of the Goodfellow Historical Foundation.

Nationally, in the United States, November is Aviation History Month.  So, let’s review a few early November aviation history tidbits to celebrate Aviation History Month.

November 1, 1918 – René Fonck, Escadrille 103,  Aéronautique Militaire, shot down a Luftstreitkräfte Halberstadt C, east of Vouziers, France.  Its pilot, Gefreiter W. Schmidt of Flieger-Abteilung 297b, was killed.  This was Fonck’s 75th and final aerial victory.  He ends the war as the highest-scoring Allied ace.

A Halberstadt C.V. Like the one shot down by René Fonck on 1 November 1918.  This image was originally posted to Flickr by San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives at https://flickr.com/photos/49487266@N07/8573161982. It was reviewed on 2017-08-03 19:25:50 by FlickreviewR, who found it to be licensed under the terms of the No known copyright restrictions.

According to Wilipedia, “Colonel René Paul Fonck (27 March 1894 – 18 June 1953) was a French aviator who ended the First World War as the top Entente fighter ace and, when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries are also considered, Fonck still holds the title of “all-time Allied Ace of Aces”. He received confirmation for 75 victories (72 solo and three shared) out of 142 claims. Taking into account his probable claims, Fonck’s final tally could conceivably be nearer 100 or above. He was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1918 and later a Commander of the Legion of Honor after the war, and raised again to the dignity of Grand Officer.”

René Fonck wearing the Légion d’honneur. Source:  Public Domain.

By the way, also according to Wikipedia and all credit to Colonel Fonck, Fonck’s aerial kills pale in comparison to the “Ace of Aces”.  “Erich Alfred Hartmann was a German fighter pilot during World War II and the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare.  He flew 1,404 combat missions and participated in aerial combat on 825 separate occasions. He was credited with shooting down a total of 352 Allied aircraft: 345 Soviet and 7 American while serving with the Luftwaffe. During his career, Hartmann was forced to crash-land his fighter 16 times after either mechanical failure or damage received from parts of enemy aircraft he had shot down.  He was never shot down by direct enemy action [and survived the war].”

November 1, 1928 –William B. Stout’s Stout’s Air Service, the first regularly scheduled passenger airline in America, starts six times weekly passenger service between Detroit and Chicago.

November 2, 1943 – The Fifteenth Air Force (established on 1 November 1943) in Tunis, Tunisia commenced combat operations under its first commander, General Jimmy Doolittle.

November 3, 1926 – Air Mail pilot Charles Lindbergh makes a night jump from his disabled aircraft, his 4th Caterpillar Club jump.  See the website post here:  https://www.moorecountyairport.com/caterpillar-club-and-lindbergh/ for more on the Caterpillar Club.

November 4, 1941 – The tail section of a Lockheed YP-38 Lightning, 39-689, separates in flight over Glendale, California. The aircraft crashes inverted into a house at 1147 Elm Street, killing Lockheed test pilot Virden. The home-owner survives, indeed, sleeps through the crash.  See the website here with details:  https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/lockheed-yp-38-lightning/  The below photo from, and the preceding website’s article on, this P-38 aviation mishap by Brian Swopes. 

Lockheed YP-38 Lightning 39-689, manufacturer’s serial number 122-2202. (Lockheed Martin)

Onward and upward!

Sources:  Goodfellow Foundation, Wikipedia, This Day in Aviation.com; Lockheed Martin