Post by Don Gieseke on Sept 23, 2021 8:56:04 GMT -6
September 22
1904 - Ellen Church, the first stewardess in America, is born in Cresco, IA. She applied to Boeing Air Transport as a pilot. Also a registered nurse, she suggested placing nurses on board to calm passenger fears. She was hired as a “sky girl.” Sky girls had to be RNs as well as "single, younger than 25 years old; weigh less than 115 pounds; and stand less than 5 feet, 4 inches tall." She served as a US Army flight nurse in WWII. The airport in her hometown was renamed Ellen Church Field. (d. 1965) (see May 15)
1948 - Operation Little Vittles is officially launched as part of Operation Vittles, the Berlin Airlift. In July Lt. Gail Halvorsen, the Candy Bomber, started dropping small parcels of candy by handkerchief-sized parachutes to children as he approached the Berlin airports. It spread to other crews and expanded as he was soon receiving donated candy and handkerchiefs. It is estimated that Operation Little Vittles delivered 23 tons of candy via 500,000 parachutes.
1950 - Col. David Schilling completes the first nonstop trans-Atlantic flight in a jet landing his F-84E Thunderjet at Limestone AFB, Maine 3,300 miles and 10 hours, 1 minute after departing England. The flight-tested probe and drogue refueling from a B-29 as a way to increase the range of fighter aircraft.
2003 - David Hempleman-Adams completes the first Atlantic crossing in an open-air, wicker-basket hot air balloon flying from New Brunswick, Canada to Ireland.
1904 - Ellen Church, the first stewardess in America, is born in Cresco, IA. She applied to Boeing Air Transport as a pilot. Also a registered nurse, she suggested placing nurses on board to calm passenger fears. She was hired as a “sky girl.” Sky girls had to be RNs as well as "single, younger than 25 years old; weigh less than 115 pounds; and stand less than 5 feet, 4 inches tall." She served as a US Army flight nurse in WWII. The airport in her hometown was renamed Ellen Church Field. (d. 1965) (see May 15)
1948 - Operation Little Vittles is officially launched as part of Operation Vittles, the Berlin Airlift. In July Lt. Gail Halvorsen, the Candy Bomber, started dropping small parcels of candy by handkerchief-sized parachutes to children as he approached the Berlin airports. It spread to other crews and expanded as he was soon receiving donated candy and handkerchiefs. It is estimated that Operation Little Vittles delivered 23 tons of candy via 500,000 parachutes.
1950 - Col. David Schilling completes the first nonstop trans-Atlantic flight in a jet landing his F-84E Thunderjet at Limestone AFB, Maine 3,300 miles and 10 hours, 1 minute after departing England. The flight-tested probe and drogue refueling from a B-29 as a way to increase the range of fighter aircraft.
2003 - David Hempleman-Adams completes the first Atlantic crossing in an open-air, wicker-basket hot air balloon flying from New Brunswick, Canada to Ireland.