the P-51 Mustang became the F-51 Mustang when the USAF changed the naming convention from pursuit (P) to fighter (F) on June 11th, 1948 (Robertson, Brown, & Heyn, 1961). The F-51 was a more robust aircraft than the new jets, and was able to be based in the austere conditions of Korea. The Air Force’s first jet, the F-80 Shooting Star was initially brought into the Korean Theater, but it didn’t take long to have some of its duties replaced by the trustworthy Mustang. The F-51 could not only takeoff
Yeager is by the far the most enjoyable history lesson anyone could wish for. The autobiography tells the story of Chuck Yeager, the world’s greatest pilot and first man to break the sound barrier. The story, told by General Yeager himself, has the perfect balance of humor and action. Witty anecdotes and suspenseful flight sequences keep the reader engrossed. The book is a multi-million bestseller for a reason. Chuck Yeager was born in 1923 in West Virginia. He learned to always do his best
Swain was senior vice president at McDonnell Douglas at the time of the merger with Boeing, during this time development and research had been started on a new type of jet fighter for the U.S. Military, called the F-18 Super Hornet (Boeing: F/A-18E/F Super Hornet). However, the history of jets stretches back to the experimental jet engines of World War II, and the first combat operational jet fighter belonged to the German Luftwaffe; it was called the Messerschmitt 262 or ME 262