U.S. Army
78th Birthday
est. September 18, 1947
Official U.S. Air Force Seal
“The U.S. Air Force” Song: A Proud Anthem of Airpower
Known affectionately as “Wild Blue Yonder,” the official song of the United States Air Force was composed by Robert MacArthur Crawford in 1938. Originally titled “Army Air Corps,” the song reflected the name of the aerial service at the time.
As the organization evolved—becoming the Army Air Forces during World War II—the song’s title was updated to match. It made its public debut on September 2, 1939, at the Cleveland Air Races, where it was officially introduced to great acclaim.
Known affectionately as “Wild Blue Yonder,” the official song of the United States Air Force was composed by Robert MacArthur Crawford in 1938. Originally titled “Army Air Corps,” the song reflected the name of the aerial service at the time.
As the organization evolved—becoming the Army Air Forces during World War II—the song’s title was updated to match. It made its public debut on September 2, 1939, at the Cleveland Air Races, where it was officially introduced to great acclaim.
or watch a YouTube video of the Air Force song:
THE BIRTH AND EVOLUTION OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE
The United States Air Force was officially established on September 18, 1947, emerging as a dominant force in global aviation. Yet its origins trace back to the early 20th century, reflecting a deep and distinguished heritage.
Before becoming an independent military branch, U.S. air operations evolved through several designations:
This landmark legislation created the Department of Defense, consolidating the military branches under a unified command and establishing the U.S. Air Force as a separate and equal service alongside the Army and Navy. It also formalized the role of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ensuring coordinated leadership across all branches.
The creation of the Air Force marked a turning point in U.S. military history—enhancing strategic, operational, and tactical capabilities, and positioning the service as a cornerstone of national defense in the post-war era.
The United States Air Force was officially established on September 18, 1947, emerging as a dominant force in global aviation. Yet its origins trace back to the early 20th century, reflecting a deep and distinguished heritage.
Before becoming an independent military branch, U.S. air operations evolved through several designations:
- 1909: Aeronautical Section, Signal Corps (following the military’s first aircraft purchase)
- 1914: Aviation Section, Signal Corps
- 1918: United States Army Air Service
- 1926: United States Army Air Corps
- 1941: United States Army Air Forces
This landmark legislation created the Department of Defense, consolidating the military branches under a unified command and establishing the U.S. Air Force as a separate and equal service alongside the Army and Navy. It also formalized the role of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ensuring coordinated leadership across all branches.
The creation of the Air Force marked a turning point in U.S. military history—enhancing strategic, operational, and tactical capabilities, and positioning the service as a cornerstone of national defense in the post-war era.
Above photo: One of the most famous ‘aviation firsts’ photographs of all time was taken by John Daniels of the Kill Devil Hill Lifesaving Station and made from a 5 x 7-inch glass-plate negative. A camera was set up on a tripod by Orville Wright, and it clearly captured the world’s first powered, manned, and sustained airplane flight at the exact moment of liftoff after Orville instructed Daniels how and when to snap the shutter.
With Orville Wright at the controls, lying on the lower wing of the Wright Flyer with his hips in a movable cradle that operated the wing-warping mechanism, brother Wilbur ran alongside the machine to steady it just seconds after releasing his hold on the upright wing strut before stepping back to watch it fly.
Orville and Wilbur faced freezing temperatures, ice-covered rain puddles, and winds up to 27 mph. The first flight lasted 12 seconds and stayed aloft for a total of 120 feet. This flight was followed by three more on that day, with the brothers taking turns flying. Each flight was longer than the previous flight, and the fourth and last flight of the day covered 852 feet in 59 seconds, with Wilbur at the controls. After its impressive fourth flight, the Wright Flyer was caught by a gust of wind, rolled over, and was damaged beyond repair.
With Orville Wright at the controls, lying on the lower wing of the Wright Flyer with his hips in a movable cradle that operated the wing-warping mechanism, brother Wilbur ran alongside the machine to steady it just seconds after releasing his hold on the upright wing strut before stepping back to watch it fly.
Orville and Wilbur faced freezing temperatures, ice-covered rain puddles, and winds up to 27 mph. The first flight lasted 12 seconds and stayed aloft for a total of 120 feet. This flight was followed by three more on that day, with the brothers taking turns flying. Each flight was longer than the previous flight, and the fourth and last flight of the day covered 852 feet in 59 seconds, with Wilbur at the controls. After its impressive fourth flight, the Wright Flyer was caught by a gust of wind, rolled over, and was damaged beyond repair.
Following their momentous morning and successful flight, the Wright Brothers walked to the town of Kitty Hawk to send a telegram to their father, Bishop Milton Wright. The only telegraph operator in Kitty Hawk was a government wire at the weather bureau office, which passed the message on to Western Union. Two errors in transmission were made – Orville’s name was misspelled as ‘Orevelle’ Wright and the time of their longest flight was 57 seconds instead of 59 seconds.
An interview with a man that was there at Kitty Hawk on the famous "first flight" day that would become the basis of our Air Force today. This video is as "real as it gets" as he was there, and assisted the Wright Brothers that day on Dec 17th, 1903.
The Birth of Military Aviation
Aeronautical Section, Signal Corps
Aeronautical Section, Signal Corps
On December 5, 1907 Wilbur Wright appeared at a hearing before the U.S. Army Ordnance Board and stated that he could furnish a heavier-than-air flying machine for the price of $25,000.
On December 23rd, 1907, the Signal Corps Specification Number 486 was issued to provide the U.S. Army with its first heavier-than-air aircraft-the first military aircraft in the world. The order read:
“Sealed proposals in duplicate will be received at this office until 12 o’clock noon on February 1, 1908, on behalf of the Board of Ordnance and Fortification for furnishing the Signal Corps with a heavier-than-air flying machine.”
The general requirements continued as follows: that it be designed to be easily assembled and disassembled so that an army wagon could transport it; that it be able to carry two people with a combined weight of 350 pounds, and sufficient fuel for 125 miles; that it be able to reach a speed of at least 40 mph in still air, which would be calculated during a two-lap test flight over a 5-mile course, with and against the wind; that it demonstrate the ability to remain in the air at least one hour without landing, and that it then land without causing any damage that would prevent it from immediately starting another flight; that it be able to ascend in any sort of country in which the Signal Corps might need it in field service and be able to land without requiring a specially prepared spot; that it be able to land safely in case of accident to the propelling machinery; and that it be simple enough to permit someone to become proficient in its operation within a reasonable amount of time.
The purchase price was set at $25,000 with 10 percent added for each full mile-per-hour of speed over the required 40 mph and 10 percent deducted for each full mile-per-hour under 40 mph.
Forty-one bids were submitted; however, on a personal directive from President Theodore Roosevelt, the U.S. government contracted Orville and Wilbur Wright to produce a flying machine for the Army.
The Wright brothers constructed for the project a two-place, wire-braced biplane with a Wright 30-hp, four-cylinder engine driving two wooden propellers. It had a wooden framework, with fabric-covered wings and control surfaces. Wooden skids served as landing gear.
This aircraft was transported to Fort Meyer, Virginia, where it made its first demonstration flight at the parade grounds on September 3, 1908. Several days of
very successful and increasingly ambitious flights followed. On September 17, however, tragedy occurred. At 5:14 p.m. Orville took off with his passenger, Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge. The flying machine had circled the field four and one half times when a propeller blade shattered. The aircraft, then at 150 feet, safely glided to 75 feet before stalling, and plunged to the earth. Orville received several injuries, including a broken hip, but Lieutenant Selfridge was killed and the aircraft was destroyed. [Lt. Selfridge became the first person killed in an air crash].
On June 3rd, 1909, the Wright brothers returned to Fort Meyer with a new machine. The engine was the same as in the 1908 aircraft, but the 1909 model had a smaller wing area with modifications to the rudder and the wiring. Lt. Frank P. Lahm and Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois, as future Army pilots, were the Wrights’ passengers.
Flights continued into July. During one of these demonstrations, a sudden stalling of the engine caused the aircraft to glide into a tree, breaking the skids and ripping a wing. However, the damage was repaired in four hours, showing a great advantage for military purposes.
On July 26th President Taft went to Fort Meyer to watch the proceedings and was privileged to witness the aircraft ascend under its own power without use of the starting weight. A strong head wind assisted its takeoff with Wilbur running alongside to guide it.
The next day the aircraft satisfied the endurance requirement with a record flight of 1 hour, 12 minutes, and 40 seconds, covering approximately 40 miles in the process.
A course to establish the speed of the aircraft was set up from Fort Myer to Shooter’s Hill in Alexandria, Virginia, a distance of 5 miles. For the final acceptance flight, Orville Wright chose Lt. Foulois to be his passenger because he was short, slender and could read a map. After waiting several days for optimum wind conditions, Orville and Lt. Foulois made the 10-mile test flight on July 30th. The outbound lap speed was 37.735 mph and the return lap was 47.431 mph, giving an average speed of 42.583 mph. For the 2 mph over the required forty, the Wright brothers earned an additional $5,000.
On August 2nd, at the conclusion of the testing, the U.S Army accepted Army Aeroplane No. 1 from the Wilbur Wright.
On October 8th, Lt. Frederic E. Humphreys and Lt. Lahm began formal flight training at College Park, Maryland, each soloing on October 26th. Lt. Foulois began his training with Wilbur Wright on October 20th. Other training flights continued during the year at College Park.
On November 11th, 1909, Army Aeroplane No.1 was moved to the balloon hangar at Fort Myer. In early 1910, it then spent two weeks at the Electrical Trade Expedition in Chicago. Army Aeroplane finally arrived at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in February 1910. While there, Lt. Foulois completed his flight training by mail correspondence with the Wright brothers.
On December 23rd, 1907, the Signal Corps Specification Number 486 was issued to provide the U.S. Army with its first heavier-than-air aircraft-the first military aircraft in the world. The order read:
“Sealed proposals in duplicate will be received at this office until 12 o’clock noon on February 1, 1908, on behalf of the Board of Ordnance and Fortification for furnishing the Signal Corps with a heavier-than-air flying machine.”
The general requirements continued as follows: that it be designed to be easily assembled and disassembled so that an army wagon could transport it; that it be able to carry two people with a combined weight of 350 pounds, and sufficient fuel for 125 miles; that it be able to reach a speed of at least 40 mph in still air, which would be calculated during a two-lap test flight over a 5-mile course, with and against the wind; that it demonstrate the ability to remain in the air at least one hour without landing, and that it then land without causing any damage that would prevent it from immediately starting another flight; that it be able to ascend in any sort of country in which the Signal Corps might need it in field service and be able to land without requiring a specially prepared spot; that it be able to land safely in case of accident to the propelling machinery; and that it be simple enough to permit someone to become proficient in its operation within a reasonable amount of time.
The purchase price was set at $25,000 with 10 percent added for each full mile-per-hour of speed over the required 40 mph and 10 percent deducted for each full mile-per-hour under 40 mph.
Forty-one bids were submitted; however, on a personal directive from President Theodore Roosevelt, the U.S. government contracted Orville and Wilbur Wright to produce a flying machine for the Army.
The Wright brothers constructed for the project a two-place, wire-braced biplane with a Wright 30-hp, four-cylinder engine driving two wooden propellers. It had a wooden framework, with fabric-covered wings and control surfaces. Wooden skids served as landing gear.
This aircraft was transported to Fort Meyer, Virginia, where it made its first demonstration flight at the parade grounds on September 3, 1908. Several days of
very successful and increasingly ambitious flights followed. On September 17, however, tragedy occurred. At 5:14 p.m. Orville took off with his passenger, Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge. The flying machine had circled the field four and one half times when a propeller blade shattered. The aircraft, then at 150 feet, safely glided to 75 feet before stalling, and plunged to the earth. Orville received several injuries, including a broken hip, but Lieutenant Selfridge was killed and the aircraft was destroyed. [Lt. Selfridge became the first person killed in an air crash].
On June 3rd, 1909, the Wright brothers returned to Fort Meyer with a new machine. The engine was the same as in the 1908 aircraft, but the 1909 model had a smaller wing area with modifications to the rudder and the wiring. Lt. Frank P. Lahm and Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois, as future Army pilots, were the Wrights’ passengers.
Flights continued into July. During one of these demonstrations, a sudden stalling of the engine caused the aircraft to glide into a tree, breaking the skids and ripping a wing. However, the damage was repaired in four hours, showing a great advantage for military purposes.
On July 26th President Taft went to Fort Meyer to watch the proceedings and was privileged to witness the aircraft ascend under its own power without use of the starting weight. A strong head wind assisted its takeoff with Wilbur running alongside to guide it.
The next day the aircraft satisfied the endurance requirement with a record flight of 1 hour, 12 minutes, and 40 seconds, covering approximately 40 miles in the process.
A course to establish the speed of the aircraft was set up from Fort Myer to Shooter’s Hill in Alexandria, Virginia, a distance of 5 miles. For the final acceptance flight, Orville Wright chose Lt. Foulois to be his passenger because he was short, slender and could read a map. After waiting several days for optimum wind conditions, Orville and Lt. Foulois made the 10-mile test flight on July 30th. The outbound lap speed was 37.735 mph and the return lap was 47.431 mph, giving an average speed of 42.583 mph. For the 2 mph over the required forty, the Wright brothers earned an additional $5,000.
On August 2nd, at the conclusion of the testing, the U.S Army accepted Army Aeroplane No. 1 from the Wilbur Wright.
On October 8th, Lt. Frederic E. Humphreys and Lt. Lahm began formal flight training at College Park, Maryland, each soloing on October 26th. Lt. Foulois began his training with Wilbur Wright on October 20th. Other training flights continued during the year at College Park.
On November 11th, 1909, Army Aeroplane No.1 was moved to the balloon hangar at Fort Myer. In early 1910, it then spent two weeks at the Electrical Trade Expedition in Chicago. Army Aeroplane finally arrived at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in February 1910. While there, Lt. Foulois completed his flight training by mail correspondence with the Wright brothers.
The Wright 1909 Military Flyer, also known as Signal Corps Airplane No. 1, was the first airplane acquired by the U.S. military. The U.S. Army Signal Corps purchased it from the Wright brothers for $30,000 on August 2, 1909. This Wright Military Flyer was the first heavier-than-air flying machine to be accepted by the U.S. Army and became the only Army airplane for nearly two years.
Over the years, the Army Air Corp utilized many different aircraft, both fighter and bombers, in addition to sea planes and other special purpose aircraft. By the time the Air Force became its own branch of service, the age of propellor aircraft changed over to jet engine aircraft.
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