![]() Eisenhower signed legislation establishing the Academy on April 1, 1954, much has happened. In the six decades since President Dwight D. At year's end, the online "This Day in Air Force Academy History" listing contains more than 1,700 items and continues to grow - and what a story it tells. To commemorate the historic milestone and highlight the legacy of achievement of our predecessors, I have researched historical documents and identified dates and events that tell the story of the Academy. Our yearlong celebration of the Air Force Academy's 60th anniversary in 2014 provided a valuable opportunity to correct this shortcoming. We know where we are but not how we got there. Sometimes, we get so busy with what we have to do today, we fail to appreciate yesterday. Mitchell died of a variety of ailments, including a heart condition and influenza, on Feb. 1, 1926, and spent the next decade writing and speaking about airpower. He was court-martialed, found guilty of insubordination, and suspended from active duty without pay for five years. His relations with superiors continued to sour after he returned from the war, when he criticized the War and Navy departments for lacking farsight about airpower. Recognized as the top American combat airman of World War I (he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and several foreign decorations), Mitchell, nevertheless managed to alienate most of his superiors during his 18 months in France. He gradually became excited about aviation and, in 1916, at age 38, he took private flying lessons. Gaining a commission due to the intervention of his father, he joined the Army Signal Corps. ![]() Billy Mitchell may be the most famous and controversial figure in American airpower history. “These defects are capable of easy remedy in most cases, and I recognised in all I saw at Brooklands the existence of a determined spirit that will remedy every defect as it becomes patent.Brig. For purposes of identification on cars travelling at high speeds, the numbers were quite useless. The numbering of the competing cars was a mere haphazard device, numbers being put on anyhow and anywhere. “The failing of Saturday was that the cars were not sufficiently distinctive. It would be idle to deny that the meeting did not reveal defects. “The meeting was a first effort, and it is safe to assume that, as the authorities settle down to their work, many improvements will be introduced. I was extremely interested in the racing and it made a better impression on me than I had anticipated. “The new sport inaugurated on Saturday may, quite possibly, catch on. The Motor’s correspondent was surprised at what he saw but had some observations that he hoped would be of use to the Brooklands organisers. Thus they entered the finish straight and the rare sight of a magnificent tussle right to the tape was witnessed, the Napier sprinting up level and the two cars going over the line together, the verdict being a dead heat.” “Then the Dietrich gained again and the two cars entered the last round locked together, the Dietrich seeming to be slightly ahead. “During the second circuit the Napier of F Newton got on terms, and the two cars ran bonnet to bonnet for some time. ![]() “C Jarrott’s Lorraine-Dietrich went off in the lead and held it for the first round,” he wrote. The prestigious Montagu Cup event was won by JE Hutton’s Mercedes, but the fourth race, for the Byfleet Plate, was “the most exciting race of the day”, according to The Motor’s scribe. Six races of between 3.2 and 30.4 miles were run but “no times were recorded, and thus, in our opinion, the racing was robbed of much of its interest”.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |