First Flight Foundation

06/17/2026

Our hearts are heavy. Prayers for peace for the loved ones.

‼️ UPDATE: With heavy hearts, the base has released the names of the eight people killed when a B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards during a routine test mission on Monday.

“It is with profound sorrow and a heavy heart that I can now share the names of the eight extraordinary Americans we lost during Monday’s B-52 crash,” Col. Thomas Tauer, 412th Test Wing Commander, told workers and families at Edwards AFB. “They were dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates.”

“Our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies are with their families, loved ones and fellow Airmen, Air Force civilians and mission partners affected by this tragedy,” Tauer said.

The names are being released following a 24-hour waiting period after all next of kin notifications were completed, in accordance with Department of War policy.

The fallen Team Edwards members are:


• Col. Gregory Watson, 53, weapon systems officer, Boeing (Air Force reservist, assigned 10th Air Force, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas), Shreveport, La.



• Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, weapon systems officer, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 5, Edwards AFB, Calif.



• Retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, pilot, Boeing, Tehachapi, Calif.



• Maj. Alexander Davis, 34, weapon systems officer, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Lancaster, Calif.



• Maj. Robert Dee, 40, pilot, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.



• Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, pilot, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.



• Jeromy Smith, 32, flight test engineer, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Rosamond, Calif.



• Christopher Rischar, 41, flight test engineer, JT4 contractor, Lancaster, Calif.


“These Airmen were more than coworkers. They were friends, mentors, teammates and valued members of our Edwards and Air Force family,” Tauer said.

“Our immediate focus is supporting the families of the teammates we lost and ensuring that all appropriate resources are available to them during this time of unimaginable loss.”

The crash is currently under investigation by an Interim Safety Investigation Board. The airfield is closed until further notice.

06/11/2026

NAHF Enshrinee Katherine Stinson grew up dreaming of being a concert pianist, not an aviator. In 1911, a balloon ride inspired Stinson to pursue a way to pay for her musical aspirations via the burgeoning world of aviation. She went to Max Lillie’s Flying School in Chicago and convinced Lilllie to make her his first female student. Within two months, she became a licensed pilot (only the fourth American woman to do so). What started out as a means to pursue a career in music, quickly became her career itself, as Stinson went on to become a popular, internationally recognized stunt and exhibition flyer.

In 1915, Stinson, her mother, and her siblings (including sister Marjorie and brother Eddie) incorporated the Stinson School of Flying in San Antonio, Texas. Both Katherine and her sister Marjorie served as instructors, brother Eddie as the chief mechanic, and mother Emma Beaver Stinson as the business manager.

Stinson was a woman of many firsts. She was the first woman to fly at night. On July 18, 1915 at Cicero Field in Chicago, Illinois, Stinson became the first woman to perform a loop in an aircraft. Also in 1915, in Los Angeles, California, Stinson became the first woman to perform night skywriting when she wrote the word CAL in the Los Angeles sky. Between 1916-1917, Stinson became the first woman to fly in Asia, performing exhibition flights in China and Japan. Finally, in 1918, Stinson was the first woman authorized to carry U.S. mail, flying a route between New York City and Chicago.

06/03/2026

05/30/2026

This date. This letter would lead to the founding of modern aviation. Photo Credit: Smithsonian Air and Space.

05/30/2026

Outstanding.

https://www.facebook.com/share/18qFiFqzaH/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is taking its aviation program to new heights with the construction of a new School of Aviation building, expected to open in the summer of 2027.

The new facility is designed to support the university’s rapidly growing aviation program and provide students with expanded classroom space, updated technology, and hands-on training opportunities. ECSU School of Aviation Director of Operations Nicholas Lenczycki said the university has received strong support from state lawmakers to help fund the expansion and strengthen the future aviation workforce.

“This industry has just suffered from a lack of pilots, lack of mechanics, lack of air traffic controllers, as well as just a lack of management personnel,” he said. “So it’s a wonderful industry to be in whether you’re interested in flying planes, fixing planes, controlling planes, or managing the teams that do.”

05/29/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

05/27/2026

Cooool.

On Friday, May 29th, we're unveiling the one-of-a-kind Fly with the Blues Simulator, exclusively at the National Naval Aviation Museum!
Strap in as the pilot of Blue Angel #4 and fly in formation over Pensacola in a full-scale cockpit replica with 3-axis motion simulation. The most realistic Blue Angels experience you can fly, and you won't find it anywhere else.

05/25/2026

MAY 25, 1910

Orville takes his father, 82 years old, for his first
airplane ride, a flight of six minutes 55 seconds, reaching an
altitude of 350 feet.

Flight made by Wilbur and Orville together, Orville
piloting, the only occassion the two brothers were in the air
at the same time.

05/25/2026

Remember our Fallen, Share their stories.

In Flanders Fields
John McCrae - 1872-1918
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

The WWI Origins of the Poppy as a Remembrance Symbol | HISTORY