Today in Air Force History

March 11, 1912 Lt. Frank P. Lahm opened an Army Air School at Fort William McKinley, Philippines, with two volunteer students, Lt. Moss L. Love and Cpl. Vernon L. Burge, who later became the first enlisted pilot.

March 11, 1918 Lt. Paul Baer, 103rd Aero Squadron, received the first Distinguished Service Cross awarded to an Army Air Service member for attacking seven German pursuit planes. He destroyed one.

March 11, 1918 1st Lt. Byron Q. Jones, Cpls Carl T. Hale and Robert H. Houser flew a Burgess-Renault to a three-man duration record of seven hours and five minutes.

March 11, 1964 The 500th Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile rolled off the assembly line at Air Force Plant No. 77 at Ogden, Utah.

March 11, 1974 The YF-16 attained Mach 2 for the first time in test flights at Edwards AFB, Calif.

March 11, 1986 An Air Force Program Management Directive sought a night and under-the-weather surface attack capability for the F-15.

March 11, 1991 Returning from Desert Storm, Air Force Reserve C-130 Hercules aircraft began flying reservists from ports of entry in the U.S. to their home units in Operation Arc Wind. --Air Force, www.af.mil