Today in Air Force History

March 12, 1908 Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge's Red Wing, the first Aerial Experiment Association airplane, made its first flight at Lake Keuka, Hammondsport, N.Y., with Frederick W. "Casey" Baldwin at the controls.

March 12, 1915 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 12, 1970 Vice President Spiro T. Agnew gave Harmon International Trophies to Maj. Jerault R. Gentry, an Air Force Flight Test Center pilot and to Col. Frank Borman, James A. Lovell Jr and Lt. Col. William A. Anders, the Apollo VIII crewmen.

March 12, 1980 Two 410th Bombardment Missile Wing B-52Hs from K. I. Sawyer AFB, Mich., flew nonstop, 19,353 nautical miles around the world in 42 hours and 30 minutes, averaging 488 mph for three days. Majors William H. Thurston and John M. Durham commanded the flight from Offutt AFB, Neb., across Canada, the North Atlantic, Europe, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, the Strait of Malacca, the South China Sea and back to Offutt AFB. Neb. They earned the Mackay Trophy.

March 12, 1998 A C-141 from the 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, landed at Randolph AFB, Texas, with more than 50 former U.S. prisoners of war for Operation Homecoming's silver anniversary. On Feb. 12, 1973, the same C-141 airlifted Americans from Gia Lam Airport, Hanoi, North Vietnam on the first mission to repatriate American servicemen from Southeast Asia. The Starlifter took the men to Randolph AFB, for the 25th annual "Freedom Flyers" reunion. --Air Force, www.af.mil