The Aluminum Trail was the route over the Himalayan Mountains that United States pilots from the Air Transport Command (ATC) flew during World War II.
In 1942, the Japanese, isolating the Chinese army from desperately needed supplies, cut off China�s main supply routes. The only option was to go to the air. The U.S. flew cargo from bases in Assam, India to western China in an effort to keep fuel, weapons and critical supplies flowing to American air bases and the Chinese army. The route, also known as "The Hump" was extremely hazardous, however, and many planes went down over the 500 mile mountainous terrain. Littered with nearly 1,000 crashed airplanes such as the C-46 and C-47, the route earned the nickname the "Aluminum Trail". Pilots regularly found themselves flying over uncharted land, around mountain peaks as high as 29,000 feet, and in torrential rains, gale force winds, hail and dangerous down drafts. Overworked crews with overloaded planes not only braved some of the worst flying conditions in the world, but also faced the threat of Japanese Zeroes. In spite of these perilous circumstances, the pilots flew 165,285 missions over the Himalayan Mountains into China and transported over 700,000 tons of freight. It was the first airlift of this magnitude, and it proved that airlift was a viable option that would play a key role in the future.
QUESTION MARK
The Army Air Service Fokker C-2A trimotor was aptly christened the "Question Mark" because no one knew how long it would stay in the air. Major Carl Spaatz, commander of the flight, set out to prove that air-to-air refueling was a safe and legitimate practice capable of extending the time and distance a plane could travel nonstop. With crewmembers Carl Spaatz, Ira Eaker, Elwood Quesada, Harry Halvorsen and Roy Hooe on board, the "Question Mark" took off from a Los Angeles airport on January 1, 1929 and began flying a repetitive course between Los Angeles and San Diego. Over the course of 11,000 miles, the aircraft�s fuel tanks were replenished 37 times in flight with a total of 5600 gallons of hand-pumped fuel. "Nurse" planes also transferred 250 gallons of oil and one ton of food and other supplies to the crew through the Question Mark�s hatch. Often, the comforts of home arrived on board such as ham and eggs, steak, ice cream, hot coffee, newspapers, fan mail and fresh towels.
By the time engine trouble forced the "Question Mark" to land on January 7, it had set a remarkable world flight endurance record of 150 hours, 40 minutes, 14 seconds in the air. For their pioneering achievement in flight, each crew member received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
STRATOFORTRESS
On the first day of the Gulf War, January 17, 1991, B-52G Stratofortress crews took off from Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB) in Louisiana and flew to the combat zone in Iraq where they launched thirty-five cruise missiles. They returned to Barksdale AFB thirty-five hours after their departure, completing the longest bombing mission ever flown. The cruise missiles, the first to be air launched from B-52Gs in combat, hit targets near Baghdad and northern Iraq. Crew members from the 2nd Bomb Wing of the Eighth Air Force, Strategic Air Command, completed the historic mission.
2nd Bomb Wing members later flew two B-52s on a world record global-power mission to Kuwait. The crews circumnavigated the earth in 47-hours on August 2, 1994.
BLACK WIDOW
At 35,855 pounds and measuring over 49 feet long, 14 feet high and spanning 66 feet across, the Northrop P-61 Black Widow earned the distinction of being the heaviest and largest fighter to serve in the U.S. Air Force. The Black Widow is perhaps better recognized as the first U.S. aircraft specifically designed as a night fighter. The fighter was dramatically unveiled to the public during an evening event at the Los Angeles Coliseum on 8 January 1944. Above more than 100,000 on-lookers, the massive black machine flashed in and out of sight as searchlights strobed the skies. It then disappeared into the darkness of night to end the effective demonstration.
The Black Widow was utilized as a night intruder and attack aircraft. Carrying four .50 caliber machine guns, four 20 millimeter cannons and a possible bomb load of 6,400 pounds, the P-61 was a heavily armed fighter. The twin engine and twin boom aircraft brought down its first "kill" on 6 July 1944, just four nights after it flew its first operational intercept mission. Though introduced late in World War II, the P-61 Black Widow proved the importance of night fighting and fostered the concept of a "24-hour all-weather Air Force".
DOOLITTLE
James H. Doolittle, famous for planning and leading the first raid on Tokyo during World War II, was an early aviation pioneer who recognized the importance of being able to fly completely by instruments. After earning one of the first doctorates in Aeronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and helping develop the artificial horizontal and directional gyroscopes, 1st Lt. Doolittle completed the first flight ever made without looking out the window. In a hooded cockpit, he was able to make his final approach by lining up to a radio beacon. The flight had tremendous implications for the future of aviation, making it realistic to fly in fog, darkness and other visibility reducing conditions. Doolittle later received the Harmon Trophy for his experiments in blind flying.
Doolittle's achievements extended far beyond blind flight. He was known for speed racing, setting the world's high-speed record for land planes in 1932 and winning air races such as the Bendix Trophy Race. He continued to rise in rank in the Army Air Force, making brigadier general soon after he lead the attack on Tokyo in WWII and earning awards such as the Medal of Honor, two Distinguished Service Medals, the Silver Star and three Distinguished Flying Crosses. He retired from the Air Force in 1951 as a lieutenant general. In 1985, Doolittle capped off a brilliant military career by becoming the first person in Air Force Reserve history to be promoted to four-star rank.
SOUND BARRIER
During World War II, Spitfire and Mustang fighter pilots could reach speeds of around 545 miles (880 km) per hour. At these speeds their aircraft shook so violently that some even broke apart. These pilots were approaching the sound barrier, which many experts believed no aircraft could penetrate. Breaking through that barrier became an international challenge, and some pilots in the early jet fighters died in their attempts. But in 1947, Chuck Yeager, flying at an altitude of 43,000 ft (13,106 m) blasted through the sound barrier at 698 miles (1,126 m) per hour in his specially designed Bell X-1. As bullets were known to be supersonic, Bell aircraft shaped the fuselage of the X-1 like a .50 caliber bullet. The aircraft was powered by a rocket engine and launched from Boeing B-29 and B-50 bombers.
