This is the story of Henry E. Erwin, an American airmen on board a B-29 Superfortress when a phosphorous bomb detonated inside the aircraft. He would be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor when he would save his entire crew from certain death.

Captain Wendell Oliver Pruitt was a pioneering pilot of the 15th Air Force and a Tuskegee Airman from St. Louis. His story begins with humble beginnings and a desire to fly. A Sumner High graduate who grew up in the Ville neighborhood, Pruitt was well liked and well educated. His quiet demeanor g...

In the early 1970s, the Imperial Iranian Air Force - as it was then known - sought to procure new fighters to combat potential threats, particularly that posed by the new MiG-25. The new MiG’s capability was largely a mystery to the west, and Iran needed a strong deterrent for it’s northern borde...

This is the story of Erich Hartmann's battle against American and Soviet fighters in World War II, where he tricked American P-51 Mustangs and Yak Fighters into turning on each other.

Douglas Bader was one of the most famous pilots of World War II, and what makes him even more incredible is that he lost both legs in a flying accident. Yet, after he was fitted with prosthetics, he flew Hawker Hurricanes and Spitfires and was one of the top RAF aces in the conflict.

When Mikhail Devyataev was captured and put into a concentration camp, instead of sitting by, he conspired to actually steal a German He-111 bomber from his camp commander in one of the most amazing stories of World War II.

During World War II, American women made enormous contributions to the war effort. Yet, much of their "fighting" took place not on the battlefront, but on the home front. Their home front activities offered challenges and opportunities never available before to women -- even everyday tasks took o...

This is the story of Jeremiah O'Keefe, the United States Corsair pilot in WWII who took down five Japanese Kamikaze bombers in a single day at the Battle of Okinawa.

The Night Witches were an all-female fighter group created by Marina Roskova. They launched deadly attacks on German troops is famous night attacks from their Po-2 biplanes.

In 2016, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to develop a new X-plane, with the goal of researching low-boom supersonic flight. The result - an aircraft now referred to as the X-59 - has now been completed, and will soon begin testing. But what is the X-59, and how will it impact the aerospace...

During the first half of the 1970s, General Dynamics would attempt to modify the F-4 Phantom - the most used US combat aircraft at the time - into something even more powerful. With foreign interest as well, the idea was floated for a ‘Super Phantom’, and so the F-4X program was born.

This year, Boom Supersonic's demonstrator, the XB-1, achieved a major milestone by breaking the sound barrier. Having achieved supersonic flight marks an important milestone toward the company's larger commercial airliner, the Overture.

relive some of the most intense air combat missions of World War II - told from the perspective of 9th Air Force fighter pilot Lt. Ed Cottrell, and his P-47 Thunderbolt "Our Mary".

In this episode, Ed trains to fight the advancing German army in Europe, and experiences his brutal baptism by fire...

During Lt. Cottrell's most intense mission of the war, his Thunderbolt is critically damaged by German fighters that ambush the 48th Fighter Group. But, miraculously, an expected savior arrives and spares his life.

Just after WWI, the Curtiss NC-4 "Nancy" was the first American aircraft to cross the Atlantic. Join the US Navy and Smithsonian as they look back on this pioneering achievement 50 years later.

Enjoy the program transferred to 4K and sound sweetened for your enjoyment.

As the Battle of the Bulge reaches it's climax, Ed Cottrell and the 48th Fighter Group are called in to attack Tiger Tanks and support the 101st Airborne as they are surrounded in the small city of Bastogne - leading to a moving moment many years later.

The RAF vs. the Luftwaffe. Capra’s own synopsis: “Showing the gallant and victorious defense of Britain by the Royal Air Force, at a time when shattered, but unbeaten, British were the only people fighting Nazis."

The Henry Ford celebrates trailblazers like Amelia Earhart, who defied gender barriers in pursuit of her dreams. In this video, Curator of Transportation Matt Anderson discusses Earhart’s life and legacy, including her skills, accomplishments and fearlessness that continue to inspire us today.