A Brief History
On September 24, 1929, American hero, James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle made aviation history by becoming the first pilot to take off, fly and land an airplane with no visual contact with the outside, proving that flying “blind” with instruments only was possible.
Digging Deeper
You may be aware of Doolittle’s most famous exploit, his leading a raid of 16 B-25 bombers off the carrier USS Hornet to bomb Japan in 1942, which earned him the Medal of Honor.
Doolittle became an Army pilot during World War I, and between the wars he became a test pilot and earned the first ever US doctorate in aeronautical engineering. His feats included being the first pilot to perform an “outside” loop, as well as instrument and long distance flying and many wins in air racing.
A Lieutenant General that served from 1917 to 1959, President Reagan promoted him to full General in 1985. Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine named him the top pilot of all time in 2003.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Who is the greatest pilot of all time?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Doolittle Hoppes, Joanna. Calculated Risk: The Extraordinary Life of Jimmy Doolittle Aviation Pioneer and World War II Hero. Santa Monica Press, 2005.
Koszyk, Jerry. The Aviation Pioneers of McCook Field: Candid Interviews with American Aeronautical Visionaries of the 1920s. Schiffer Military History, 2022.
