March
U.S. Air Force History

March is National Women's History Month, National Nutrition Month, and American Red Cross Month.

March 1

1966. The U.S. Air Force Survival School moved to Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., from Stead AFB, Nev.

1954. The United States exploded its first hydrogen bomb.

1928. U.S. Army Air Corps Lt. Burnie R. Dallas and Beckwith Havens made the first transcontinental flight in an amphibious airplane. Total flight time in the Loening Amphibian is 32 hours, 45 minutes.

March 2

1995. The U.S. space shuttle Endeavor piloted by U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. William G. Gregory set the record for the longest U.S. shuttle flight, besting shuttle Columbia's previous endurance record by more than 45 hours.

1972. Pioneer 10, a deep space probe designed to photograph the planet Jupiter, was launched on its 623 million mile journey. It eventually became the first known Earth object to leave our solar system.

1968. The first of 80 C-5A Galaxy transports rolled out of Lockheed's Marietta, Ga., facility.

1949. "Lucky Lady II," a Strategic Air Command B-50A piloted by Capt. James Gallagher, completed the first nonstop, round-the-world flight. The 23,452-mile flight lasted 94 hours and 1 minute. KB-29s provided inflight refueling four times: over the Azores, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and Hawaii.

March 3

1968. Air Force astronauts Col. James A. McDivitt and Col. David R. Scott, along with civilian Russell L. Schweickart, carried out the first in-space test of the lunar module while in Earth orbit during the Apollo 9 mission. The 10-day flight also marked the first time a crew transfer is made between space vehicles using an internal connection.

March 8

International Working Women's Day

Ash Wednesday - the beginning of Lent

1953. The Air Force's first rotary wing assault group was activated. Equipped with H-19 and H-21 helicopters.

1910. Baroness Raymonde de la Roche of France became the world's first licensed woman pilot.

March 9

1964. The Combat Readiness Medal was established

1945. In a change of tactics in order to double bomb loads, 20th Air Force sent more than 300 B-29s from the Marianas against Tokyo in a low-altitude, incendiary night raid, that destroyed about one-fourth of the city.

1942. As part of an overall War Department reorganization, the chief of Army Air Forces, became the commanding general of Army Air Forces and assumed the duties, functions and powers of the commanding general, Air Force Combat Command and the chief of Air Corps.

March 10

1943. Fourteenth Air Force was formed under the command of Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault.

March 12

1946. The Army Air Forces School was redesignated Air University. (The school moved Nov. 29, 1945 from Orlando, Fla., to Maxwell Field, Ala.)

March 13

1946. Headquarters Air Rescue Service was established at Andrews Field, Md., and assigned to Air Transport Command. (See Jan. 1)

1946. The Army Air Forces Weather Service was redesignated Air Weather Service and assigned to the Air Transport Command.

March 14

1973. Headquarters U.S. Air Forces Europe was officially established at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

March 15

Start of National Poison Prevention Week

1970. The overseas portion of the worldwide Automatic Voice Network, or AUTOVON, was completed. AUTOVON is now known as Defense Switched Network, or DSN.

1951. The Boeing Airplane Co., using a Boeing KC-97A Stratofreighter tanker, successfully refueled a B-47 jet bomber.

1950. The joint chiefs of staff, in a basic decision on guided missile roles and missions, gave the U.S. Air Force formal and exclusive responsibility for strategic guided missiles.

March 16

1972. The chief of Air Force Reserve also became the commander, Headquarters, Air Force Reserve.

1944. National Aeronautics and Space Administration proposed that a jet-propelled transonic research airplane be developed. This ultimately led to the Bell X-1.

1926. The first liquid-fuel powered rocket flight was flown at Auburn, Mass. The rocket was developed by Dr. Robert H. Goddard, "Father of American Rocketry."

March 17

St. Patrick's Day

1981. The first KC-1OA Extender tanker/cargo aircraft was delivered to Strategic Air Command.

1971. The first woman was commissioned through the co-educational Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.

1967. The first formal announcement was made by the United States and Thailand governments that U.S. Air Force units stationed in Thailand were flying missions against North Vietnam.

March 18

1971. The Air Force selected its first female aircraft maintenance officer.

1960. The first Snark intercontinental missile was placed on alert at Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine.

March 19

1943. Lt. Gen. H. H. Arnold was promoted to four-star rank, a first for Army Air Forces.

March 20

1974. Tactical Air Command's last EB-66C was retired from the active inventory.

1970. The first communications satellite for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was launched from the Air Force Eastern Test Range.

1967. The nine major U.S. Air Forces in Europe air bases in France were released to the U.S. Military Liquidation Section for further action. By the end of March, USAFE had completed the relocation of about 33,000 personnel and family members, moved more than 85,000 tons of materiel and released a total of 77 installations. (See March 7, 29 and May 2)

March 21

1978. Capt. Sandra Scott became the first female pilot (KC-135) to perform alert duty in Strategic Air Command.

1962. A bear became the first living creature ejected from a supersonic aircraft. The Air Force was testing an escape capsule designed for installation on the B-58 bomber. The bear was ejected at 35,000 feet from a B-58 flying at 870 mph, and returned to Earth unharmed 7 minutes and 49 seconds later.

1946. The Strategic Air Command was activated.

1946. The Tactical Air Command was activated.

1946. The Air Defense Command was activated.

March 24

1977. The first production E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft was accepted by the Tactical Air Command at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.

1970. The President mobilized Air Force Reserve and Guard units to support the U.S. Post Office Department during a strike by postal employees.

1958. The Air Force Commendation Medal was established.

March 27

1945. B-29 crews began night mining missions around Japan, that eventually established a complete blockade.

March 31

1978. Thunderbolt II was approved as the popular name for the A-10 aircraft.

1854. The first treaty between the United States and Japan was signed. Negotiated by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, U.S. Navy.