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A week in history May 14-20

  • Published
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Remembering the extensive impact Fairchild Air Force Base has had on the Air Force and operations around the world is important during our 75th year of providing responsive, precise air refueling and operational support for the full range of military operations.

May 15

The Spokane Army Air Depot, the current site of Fairchild Air Force Base, became Spokane Army Airfield in 1947. With the name change came a mission change with the transition to Strategic Air Command. With the arrival of the 92nd and 98th Bombardment Groups and their associated B-29 Superfortresses, Spokane Army Air Field became the largest B-29 organization in SAC.

In 1963, astronaut Maj. L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in Project Mercury capsule Faith 7. On May 16, after completing 22 orbits of Earth, he landed in the Pacific Ocean. Cooper was the last astronaut of Project Mercury and the first to orbit Earth for more than 24 hours.

May 18

Capt. Joseph C. McConnell, Jr., shot down his 16th enemy aircraft in Korea to become the top ace of the Korean War in 1953. After leaving Korea, he participated in flight testing and was killed Aug. 24, 1954, at Edwards AFB while acceptance testing an F-86H Sabre that went down due to complete hydraulic failure.

In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted during Fairchild’s annual open house and air show. Volcanic ash covered the base and hampered operations for weeks after the eruption.

May 19

Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge became the first Army officer to solo in an airplane in 1908.

May 20

In 1939, Pan American Airways initiated the first regularly scheduled passenger and airmail service across the Atlantic Ocean.

Capt. James Jabara, an F-86 Sabre pilot, became the world’s first jet ace in 1951, shooting down his fifth and sixth Russian MiG aircraft in the Korean War.