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Arc and Dove set sail from Isle of Wight
The two ships set sail from the Isle of Wight on 22 November 1633 -
First Catholic Mass in New World
On 25 March, Father Andrew White held a Mass of Thanksgiving to celebrate the purchase of 30 square miles of land on the East Bank of the St. Mary’s River, and on 27 March the colonists departed St. Clements to occupy the land they had purchased, naming their settlement “St. Mary’s.” -
Arc and Dove depart St. Clements for St. Mary's
on 27 March the colonists departed St. Clements to occupy the land they had purchased, naming their settlement “St. Mary’s.” -
The Toleration Act
The Maryland Toleration Act, is also known as the Act Concerning Religion, was a law mandating religious tolerance for Trinitarian Christians. Passed by the assembly of the Maryland colony, in St. Mary's City. -
Maryland Capital moves to Annapolis from St. Mary's
St. Mary's City in southern Maryland was the first seat of Maryland's colonial government, not Annapolis. As the population of Maryland grew, however, St. Mary's City near the southernmost tip of St. Mary's County, proved too distant for most of the colony's inhabitants. Consequently, in 1694, the General Assembly designated Anne Arundel Town, midway up Chesapeake Bay, as the new capital and, in February - March 1694/5, the government moved its records and its operations there. -
Current Mattapany-Sewell estate built
The Mattapany estate was abandoned until reclaimed by the Sewall family once again in 1722. Mattapany-Sewall and Today Nicholas Lewis Sewall, son of Henry Sewall, most likely built the mansion known today as Mattapany-Sewall, around 1742. -
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American Revolutionary War
The largest engagement of forces during the Revolutionary War in all of Maryland was in Southern Maryland at St. George Island/Piney Point. You can visit where British forces attempted to invade the mainland in 1776 and were repulsed by Maryland’s “Flying Camp” militia. -
1790s Census Shows 15K people in St. Mary's County
In 1790 St Mary's County had less than 15,000 people, and when the Navy showed up in 1942, St Mary's County still had about 15,000 people. -
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War of 1812
The British Fleet sailed up the Chesapeake Bay, raiding and invading virtually unchallenged along the Patuxent and Potomac Rivers. The population lived in terror during the years of 1813 and 1814 as war moved into the Chesapeake region. 1812 Maryland War Map -
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Mexican American War
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The Civil War
St. Mary's County possessed a cultural affinity with the Old South, but it's location in a state that the Union absolutely could not let declare secession meant an extraordinary Union military presence. And its African American population was doubtless pro-Union. Over 600 African Americans from St. Mary's County served in the Union Army; two were awarded Medals of Honor. -
Civil War Ends
Robert E. Lee surrendered the last major Confederate army to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865 -
Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
The Challenger disaster was the explosion of the U.S. space shuttle Challenger shortly after its launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 28, 1986. All seven astronauts on board died -
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Spanish American War
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Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt, Theodore
1901-09 -
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Taft, William H.
Taft, William H.
1909-13 -
Ellyson Selected for Flight School
Curtiss, hoping to sell his airplanes to the Navy, offers to train a Naval officer to fly his aircraft, but Naval Secretary Meyer ignores both the offer of training and the applications. When Meyer goes on holiday in December of 1910, Chambers fishes Ellyson’s application out of the stack and assigns him for duty with Curtiss. -
First Shipboard landing
Civilian pilot Eugene Ely becomes the first person to ever land an aircraft on board a ship, flying a Curtiss pusher onto a makeshift wooden platform constructed on the armored cruiser Pennsylvania in San Francisco Bay. -
First Carrier Landing
Eugene Ely makes the first carrier landing on USS Pennsylvania, 18 January 1911. A number of experimental flights were made to test the concept. Eugene Ely was the first pilot to launch from a stationary ship in November 1910. -
Lt. Theodore “Spuds” Ellyson takes first flight
U.S. Navy Lt. Theodore “Spuds” Ellyson took off in a Curtiss “grass cutter” airplane, becoming both the first Naval Aviator and the first Naval Test Pilot. -
Birth of Naval Aviation
Capt. Washington Irving Chambers prepares contract specifications for the Navy's first aircraft. This date is later designated the birthday of U.S. Naval Aviation. -
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Wilson, Woodrow
1913-21 -
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World War I
July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918 -
The United States Enter's WWI
In early April 1917, with the toll in sunken U.S. merchant ships and civilian casualties rising, Wilson asked Congress for “a war to end all wars” that would “make the world safe for democracy.” A hundred years ago, on April 6, 1917, Congress thus voted to declare war on Germany, joining the bloody battle—then optimistically called the “Great War.” -
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Harding, Warren
1921-23 -
The Bureau of Aeronautics is established.
The Bureau of Aeronautics (later the Bureau of Naval Weapons) is established by an Act of Congress. -
USS Langley (CV-1) Commissioned
The U.S. Navy commissions its first aircraft carrier, Langley. -
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Coolidge, Calvin
Coolidge, Calvin
1923-29 -
LT Rounds writes to Moffat suggesting flight test arms
August 3, 1926, Lt E. W. “Eddie” Rounds writes a letter to Rear Adm. Moffett, chief of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer): “a lack of proper equipment, consistent test procedures, a systematic approach to recording information, and common terminology undermined their ability to effectively evaluate new aircraft” He recommended setting up flight test arms in NAS Anacostia and at BuAer. -
Flight Test Division Established
The flight test division was established on January 1, 1927 at Anacostia Naval Air Station -
Flight Test Division Established in Anacostia
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Ellyson is killed in an aircraft mishap
February 27, 1928
Ellyson has learned from his wife that their daughter, Mildred, is extremely sick. He receives permission to borrow a Navy Loening OL-7, along with two crew members, to rush to her bedside. On the flight from Norfolk, Virginia to Annapolis, Maryland the plane loses course and the aircraft crashes into the Chesapeake Bay. Ellyson was a passenger on the flight. All three on board are killed. -
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Hoover, Herbert
Hoover, Herbert
1929-33 -
Test team in 1930 - Five aviators
By 1930 the entire flight test staff of the United States Navy held just five aviators – one of which was Frederick Trapnell, -
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LTCR Trapnell at Flight Test Section, Anacostia
*first of month not confirmed LTCR Trapnell is Aviator at Flight Test Section, NAS Anacostia -
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Roosevelt, Franklin D.
Roosevelt, Franklin D.
1933-45 -
The airship Akron crashes
The airship Akron went down off the coast of New Jersey on 3 April 1933. With 73 people dead or missing, the loss of the Akron was to that point America's worst aviation accident. -
Akron Crashes
Akron was destroyed in a thunderstorm off the coast of New Jersey on the morning of 4 April 1933, killing 73 of the 76 crewmen and passengers. Frederick Trapnell was waiting for word from the ship, and he would launch in a running boat to ferry Rear Admiral Moffett, who was on board for a demonstration, back to land if needed. The loss had a permanent impact on Trapnell. -
Word War II begins in Europe
World War II began in Europe on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Great Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany on September 3. The war between the U.S.S.R. and Germany began on June 22, 1941, with Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. -
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World War II
September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945 -
U.S. Proclaims Neutrality
On this day, the United States proclaimed its neutrality in the war in Europe. Many americans, including the president, didn't want to be mixed up in European affairs. Eventually, America does indeed get sucked into the whirlpool of war. -
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LTDR Trapnell Senior Flight Test Officer at Anacostia
*not first of month -
War between the U.S.S.R. and Germany begins
The war between the U.S.S.R. and Germany began on June 22, 1941, with Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. -
Hellcat Prototypes ordered
On June 30, 1941 the Navy signed a contract for two prototypes of the Grumman XF6F-1Hellcat -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
America's isolation from war ended on December 7, 1941, when Japan staged a surprise attack on American military installations in the Pacific. The Japanese attacked in a smoothly coordinated and executed carrier air strike on a scope that the world had not seen. U.S. Navy war games had simulated smaller strikes. Tactical surprise was complete. The Americans were stunned. After the attack, it was obvious that the outcome of the Pacific War hinged heavily on aircraft carriers. -
United States enters WWII
America's isolation from war ended on December 7, 1941, when Japan staged a surprise attack on American military installations in the Pacific. The most devastating strike came at Pearl Harbor, the Hawaiian naval base where much of the US Pacific Fleet was moored. -
Authorization requested to construct test base
On December 22, 1941, just two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Rear Admiral John Towers, Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics requests authorization to begin the construction of an air station. -
Chance Vought F4U Corsair enters service
The Chance Vought F4U Corsair fighter aircraft enters service and quickly became known as one of the best fighters during World War II. The aircraft played an important role shielding American ships from Japanese Kamikaze aircraft, and the plane was a workhorse in such Pacific battle zones as the Solomon Islands. Second Lieutenant Kenneth A. Walsh, who became the first Corsair ace, described what the plane was like to an historian: "I learned quickly that altitude was paramount. Whoever had al -
Hellcat Production Contract
In Trap’s estimation, the main difficulty with the Hellcat was that it was coming into play late in the game. The Japanese pounding of Pearl Harbor midway through the airplanes’ development cycle threw the problem into sharp relief, and in January 1942, with Trap's blessing, the Navy gave Grumman a production contract for 1,080 Hellcats, long before the prototype had flown. HTS pg. 103 -
Flight Test Division Prepares for move to Pax River
Move itself occurs in June of 1943 -
SecNav gives approval for construction of air base at Cedar Point, MD
January 7, 1942, just one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, gives approval for the construction of a new Naval Air base in Cedar Point, Maryland. -
The Battle of Midway
Most important naval battle in the Pacific Campaign because it was the turning point in the naval part of the war. It was fought by the tiny Central Pacific island of Midway. Four Japanese carriers were sunk. Aircraft: fifteen Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers were launched from the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) along with squadrons of Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers and Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters. -
Hellcat Prototype first flight
Bob Hall, Grumman's chief test pilot, first flew the prototype Hellcat on June 30, 1942. To avoid putting further demands on the production of the Pratte & Whitney R-2800 engines, the prototype had been fitted with the less powerful Wright R-2600, though its design could handle either" HTS 104 - the engine was not powerful enough, and the more powerful engine was used afterwards, and made all the difference. -
Wreckage of Zero Discovered by U.S.
Then, on July 10, 1942 the wreckage of a Japanese Zero is discovered by a U.S. patrol plane. -
Roosevelt signs reserve act allowing women to join the Navy
Roosevelt signed into law July 30th, 1942, the Reserve Act, to allow women to join the Navy, and by the end of the year less than five months later, there were 26,000 women had enlisted. -
First American flight of a Japanese Zero
Lt. Cdr. Eddie Sanders becomes the first American to fly a Japanese Zero at NAS North Island (send by Trapnell) -
US Test of Zero vs. Corsair
Lt. Cdr. Eddie Sanders flies the Zero agains Cdr. Frederick Trapnell in the Corsair. -
Marines brought in to take over security at Pax River
On October 20, 1942, the Marines are brought in to take over security. -
Trapnell Gives Thumbs up to Hellcat
"On Oct 21, one week after flying the Zero in San Diego, Trap went to Bethpage to fly the XF6F-3 Hellcat. Roy Grumman himself helped trap suit up for that first flight....With is flight test of the Zero still fresh, he readily determined that the new Grumman airplane was comfortably superior...'If we were going to send ten thousand young kids into an air war, then the Hellcat was the airplane to put them in.'" HTS p105 -
Flight Test Center moves to Pax
In June of 1943 Flight test section moves from Anacostia to Naval Air Station Patuxent River. -
Hellcat combat operations begin
One of the top fighters of World War II, Grumman's F6F Hellcat went from the experimental stage to operational employment in less than 18 months. Its combat operations began in August 1943 in an attack on Marcus Island by Fighting Squadron (VF) 5 aboard USS Yorktown (CV-10). https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nnam/explore/collections/aircraft/f/f6f-3-hellcat.html#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20top%20fighters,Yorktown%20(CV%2D10). -
Germans Surrender at Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad- a major Russian city- began in summer of 1942, Germans were not prepared for the harsh, cruel, Russian winters and they were running out of resources. Hitler wouldn't allow them to surrender, but on January 31st, 1940, Friedrich von Paulus, the leader of the German 6th Army finally did, despite Hitler's orders. Although having already surrendered, pockets of German belligerence continued until this day in 1943. -
Patuxent River is commissioned
The base is constructed in just one year. It is commissioned by Admiral John McCain on April 1, 1943. -
First Jet Flight by Naval Aviator
The first jet flight by a Naval Aviator was made in the same plane at the same location on 21 April 1943 by Captain Frederick M. Trapnell of Flight Test, NAS Anacostia, D.C. In each instance, the plane was a Bell XP-59A powered by two General Electric 1A turbojet engines. -
Hellcat enters Service in WWII
-
Joint Fighter Conference at Pax River
October 16-23 1944 -
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Truman, Harry
Truman, Harry
1945-53 -
USNTPS Informal Course Started
The U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) was founded March 12, 1945 at the Navy's Flight Test Center in Patuxent River, Maryland, by Cmdr. Sydney Sherby. The purpose of the school was to ensure that test pilots of the day were formally trained to handle the high demands and expectations placed upon them by the rapidly evolving state of aircraft technology. -
Germany Surrenders
This instrument of surrender was signed on May 7, 1945, at Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims by Gen. Alfred Jodl, Chief of Staff of the German Army. The unconditional surrender of the German Third Reich was signed in the early morning hours of Monday, May 7, 1945, at Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) at Reims in northeastern France. -
First Student's graduate informal Flight test course
In May 1945, a class of 14 pilots and engineers graduated the first informal course in Naval flight test. Syd Sherby arrived at PAX after completing his MIT post-graduate course in aeronautical engineering. Just months after arriving, he was selected to run the first ever Flight Test Pilots’ Indoctrination program, for which he wrote the guide manual and curriculum. The first session launched in March of 1945, a full year before Trapnell’s arrival at PAX. -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Nagasaki
The first atomic bomb, named Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima from the Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber, at 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945. The second bomb, named Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki from the Bockscar, also a B-29 bomber, at 11:02 AM on August 9, 1945. -
Japan Officially Surrenders
An official statement of Japan's unconditional surrender is released to the Japanese people on the day. The next day, August 16, is when an Imperial Proclamation of surrender is made by the Emperor of Japan and is put on live broadcast. That day is known as VJ-Day, Victory in Japan. World War II is finally over. -
Japan Surrenders
-
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima
The first atomic bomb, named Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima from the Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber, at 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945. The second bomb, named Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki from the Bockscar, also a B-29 bomber, at 11:02 AM on August 9, 1945. -
Capt. J.D. Barner requests formal test pilot school
(first not accurate) In March 1946, newly appointed Commanding Officer of the NATC, Capt. J.D. Barner wrote to the Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics stating the need for a formal test pilot school, suggesting it be established as a division of NATC. Barner recommended semi-annual classes of about 30 students with a duration of four to five months. -
Trapnell Arrives at Pax
(First not accurate) Trapnell arrives Test Coordinator in June of 1946. -
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CPT Trapnell Test Coordinator at Pax
*date not first Test Coordinator (CO) Naval Air Test Center, Pax River -
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Cold War
March 12, 1947 – December 3, 1989 -
First Supersonic Flight
The first aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds was a Bell X-1 rocket-powered research plane piloted by Major Charles E. Yeager of the U.S. Air Force on October 14, 1947. -
Formal TPS approved.
On Jan. 22, 1948, Trapnell’s plan for a formal test pilot school being a division of the NATC was approved by Adm J.D. Price, deputy chief of Naval Operations. Sherby was relieved of his duties as chief project engineer in the Flight Test Division to assume his new duties as director of the Test Pilot Training Division. -
Desegregation of the Armed Forces
Feb 22, 1948
Desegregation Of The Armed Forces President Harry Truman desegregated the Armed Forces through an executive order after World War II. -
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Korean War
The Korean War started on 25 June 1950 and ended on 27 July 1953, after the signing of an armistice agreeing that the country would remain divided. At the end of the Second World War, Korea – which had formerly been occupied by the Japanese – was divided along the 38th parallel. -
United States Enters the Korean War
June 27, 1950
On June 27, 1950, U.S. President Harry Truman announced support for South Korea in repelling an invasion by North Korea, entering the U.S. in the Korean War. -
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Eisenhower, Dwight
Eisenhower, Dwight
1953-61 -
Pax builds steam catapult
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Brown Vs. Board of Education
May 17, 1954: Brown v. Board of Education, a consolidation of five cases into one, is decided by the Supreme Court, effectively ending racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, remained segregated. -
Emmett Till Murdered
August 28, 1955: Emmett Till, a 14-year-old from Chicago is brutally murdered in Mississippi for allegedly flirting with a white woman. His murderers are acquitted, and the case bring international attention to the civil rights movement after Jet magazine publishes a photo of Till’s beaten body at his open-casket funeral. -
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Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was a major conflict of the Cold War. -
Rosa Parks
December 1, 1955: Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. Her defiant stance prompts a year-long Montgomery bus boycott. -
1957 Civil Rights Act Signed
September 9, 1957: Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1957 into law to help protect voter rights. The law allows federal prosecution of those who suppress another’s right to vote. -
Launch of Sputnik
On October 4, 1957, a Soviet R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile launched Sputnik (Russian for “traveling companion”), the world’s first artificial satellite and the first man-made object to be placed into the Earth’s orbit. Sputnik’s launch came as a surprise, and not a pleasant one, to most Americans. -
U.S. Launches Explorer I. Space Race Underway.
In 1958, the U.S. launched its own satellite, Explorer I, designed by the U.S. Army under the direction of rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, and what came to be known as the Space Race was underway. -
**Program Becomes U.S. Navy Test Pilot School
**Date in question. Listed as both 1957 and 1958 on TPS generated material. Training pilots and engineers takes a central role in addressing the new challenges faced in the jet age. On June 12, 1958, the program becomes the United States Naval Test Pilot School. -
Mercury Seven Chosen
On April 1, 1959, Robert Gilruth, the head of the Space Task Group, and Donlan, North, and White selected the first American astronauts. The "Mercury Seven" were Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., John H. Glenn, Jr., Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Alan B. Shepard, Jr., and Donald K. "Deke" Slayton. Four Navy Test Pilot School graduates - John Glenn, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Scott Carpenter, were among the first seven astronauts selected by NASA. -
Pax "Darkest Day"
-
TPS Rotary Curriculum Added
In addition to the original fixed wing flying qualities and performance based curriculum, USNTPS added a rotary wing course of study in 1961 and an airborne systems curriculum in 1975 to ensure that the technical aspects of each of the Navy's primary test disciplines were being addressed. -
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Kennedy, John F.
Kennedy, John F.
1961-63 -
Russia launches first person into space
Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union was the first human in space. His vehicle, Vostok 1 circled Earth at a speed of 27,400 kilometers per hour with the flight lasting 108 minutes. Vostok's reentry was controlled by a computer. Unlike the early US human spaceflight programs, Gagarin did not land inside of capsule. -
First American in Space
Alan Shepard Jr., a Navy Commander and one of NASA's first seven astronauts, became the first American to travel into space on May 5, 1961. Watch the video above to learn more. Shepard was launched into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule, which only had enough room for one person. -
First American to Orbit Earth
LTCOL John H. Glenn, Jr., USMC, becomes the first American to orbit the earth. -
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Johnson, Lyndon
Johnson, Lyndon
1963-69 -
Wallace Blocks Black Students from University of Alabama
June 11, 1963: Governor George C. Wallace stands in a doorway at the University of Alabama to block two Black students from registering. The standoff continues until President John F. Kennedy sends the National Guard to the campus. -
March On Washington
August 28, 1963: Approximately 250,000 people take part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gives his “I Have A Dream” speech as the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial, stating, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’” -
Kennedy Assassinated
On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was in the vehicle with his wife, Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally's wife, Nellie, when he was fatally shot from the nearby Texas School Book Depository by former U.S. Marine Lee Harvey Oswald. -
Charles Bolden Writes to Pres. Johnson
Bolden writes to President Johnson asking for help getting an appointment to the Naval Academy after being rejected flat out by Senator Strom Thurmond. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed into law
July 2, 1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, preventing employment discrimination due to race, color, sex, religion or national origin. Title VII of the Act establishes the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to help prevent workplace discrimination. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Commanders reported a N Viet. torpedo boat attack on U.S. destroyers Maddox & Turner Joy in Gulf of Tonkin Pres. Johnson submits Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to Congress authorizing the pres to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States.” Capt. of Maddox urged caution, saying Aug 4 attack was conjured from the imaginations of inexperienced sonar operators (this will ultimately prove correct), Congress overwhelmingly passes the resolution. -
United States enters the Vietnam War
Shortly after Operation Rolling Thunder began in 1965, President Johnson committed the first U.S. ground troops to the Vietnam War. The U.S. military presence peaked in April 1969, with 543,000 American combat troops stationed in Vietnam.[1] By the conclusion of the United States's involvement in 1973, over 3.1 million Americans had been stationed in Vietnam. -
Charles Bolden Graduates TPS
Bolden received a bachelor’s degree in electrical science from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1968 -
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated
April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated on the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray is convicted of the murder in 1969. -
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Nixon, Richard
Nixon, Richard
1969-74 -
First Man on the Moon
JUL 21, 1969 Astronaut Neil Armstrong, a former naval aviator, becomes the first human to set foot on the surface of the moon. -
F-14 Tomcat first flight
21 December 1970; 53 years ago -
First 3 F-14 Tomcat's delivered to the Navy
Following Grumman's tradition of naming its aircraft after cats, the new "Tomcat" made its first flight in December 1970. After a number of changes following flight testing, the first F-14As were delivered to the Navy in June 1972, with Fighter Squadron (VF) 124 designated to provide crew training. On the West Coast, VF-1 and VF-2 were the first operational squadrons to receive the new aircraft, while on the East Coast VF-14 and VF-32 became the first Atlantic fleet Tomcat squadrons. -
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Ford, Gerald
Ford, Gerald
1974-77 -
First Female Naval Aviator
LTJG Barbara Ann Allen becomes the first woman to be designated a naval aviator. -
USNTPS Airborne Systems Curriculum Added
In addition to the original fixed wing flying qualities and performance based curriculum, USNTPS added a rotary wing course of study in 1961 and an airborne systems curriculum in 1975 to ensure that the technical aspects of each of the Navy's primary test disciplines were being addressed. -
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Carter, Jimmy
Carter, Jimmy
1977-81 -
Charles Bolden Graduates from TPS
He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, in 1979 and flew on test projects involving the A-6 and A-7 attack aircraft. In 1980 he was selected as an astronaut by NASA. -
Charles Bolden Selected as an Astronaut
He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, in 1979 and flew on test projects involving the A-6 and A-7 attack aircraft. In 1980 he was selected as an astronaut by NASA. -
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Reagan, Ronald
Reagan, Ronald
1981-89 -
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Bush, George H.W.
Bush, George H.W.
1989-93 -
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Operation Desert Shield
The war consisted of two phases the first was codenamed Operation Desert Shield (2 August 1990 – 17 January 1991) for operations leading to the buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia. And the second was Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991) was the combat phase. -
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Operation Desert Storm
The war consisted of two phases the first was codenamed Operation Desert Shield (2 August 1990 – 17 January 1991) for operations leading to the buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia. And the second was Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991) was the combat phase. -
NAVAIR movers to Pax River
The standup of the NAWC Aircraft Division at Pax River took place Jan. 1, 1992; thus beginning its role as the Navy’s full spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for air platforms. NAWCAD integrated the Naval Air Test Center along with the Naval Air Development Center, Warminster, Pa.; Naval Air Engineering Center, Lakehurst, N.J.; Naval Air Propulsion Center, Trenton, N.J.; and the Naval Avionics Center, Indianapolis. -
Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) emerges
In 1993, the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) program emerged following the cancellation of the USAF's Multi-Role Fighter (MRF) and U.S. Navy's (USN) Advanced Attack/Fighter (A/F-X) programs. -
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Clinton, William J.
Clinton, William J.
1993-2001 -
BRAC increases Pax workforce by 20K+
*more specific dates needed The workforce at the air station increased nearly tenfold in the mid-1990s when a round of Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC) added more than 20,000 military and civilian employees. Pax was selected to
host NAVAIR headquarters and Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD). In addition to NAVAIR and NAWCAD, this BRAC consolidation and integration effort
also relocated more than 50 tenant activities to the air station. -
X-35A First Flight
The X-35A first flew on 24 October 2000 and conducted flight tests for subsonic and supersonic flying qualities, handling, range, and maneuver performance. -
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George W. Bush
2001-2009 George W. Bush -
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War in Afghanistan
October 7, 2001 – August 30, 2021 -
X-35 beats X-32 for JSF
On 26 October 2001, Lockheed Martin was declared the winner and was awarded the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract; Pratt & Whitney was separately awarded a development contract for the F135 engine for the JSF.[30] The F-35 designation, which was out of sequence with standard DoD numbering, was allegedly determined on the spot by program manager Major General Mike Hough; this came as a surprise even to Lockheed Martin, which had expected the F-24 designation for the JSF.[31] -
Operation Iraqi Freedom Begins
War in Iraq Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF; March 2003 - November 2011)
Operation New Dawn (OND; September 2010 - December 2011)
The Obama administration announced a new operational name for the war in Iraq - "Operation New Dawn" - to reflect the reduced role U.S. troops played in securing the country as troop levels fell. -
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Operation Iraqi Freedom
War in Iraq Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF; March 2003 - November 2011)
Operation New Dawn (OND; September 2010 - December 2011)
The Obama administration announced a new operational name for the war in Iraq - "Operation New Dawn" - to reflect the reduced role U.S. troops played in securing the country as troop levels fell. -
Space Shuttle Columbia Explosion
On Saturday, February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it reentered the atmosphere over Texas and Louisiana, killing all seven astronauts on board. It was the second Space Shuttle mission to end in disaster, after the loss of Challenger and crew in 1986. -
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The Iraq War
The Iraq War was a protracted armed conflict in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion of Iraq by the United States-led coalition that overthrew the Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein. Wikipedia
Dates: Mar 20, 2003 – Dec 15, 2011
Location: Iraq -
F-35 first flies
The F-35 first flew in 2006 and entered service with the U.S. Marine Corps F-35B in July 2015, followed by the U.S. Air Force F-35A in August 2016 and the U.S. Navy F-35C in February 2019. -
F-14 Tomcat retired by United States
The Tomcat was retired by U.S. Navy on 22 September 2006, supplanted by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Several retired F-14s have been put on display across the US. -
E-2D First flight
In August 2003, Northrop Grumman and Team Hawkeye committed to delivering Delta One, the first system development and demonstration (SD&D) aircraft and on August 3, 2007, it delivered on that promise conducting its successful first flight. -
Charle Bolden Becomes NASA Administrator
In 2009 Pres. Barack Obama named him as NASA administrator. He was the first African American to hold that position. During his tenure, Bolden oversaw the end of the space shuttle program (2011) as NASA turned to private companies to transport American astronauts. He also continued the agency’s ambitious exploration projects, notably the Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012. With the end of Obama’s presidency, Bolden resigned as administrator in January 2017. -
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Barack Obama
2009-2017 Barack Obama -
E-2D Delivered to Navy
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E-2D IOC
The Airborne Command Control and Logistics Wing announced Oct. 16 that the latest variant of the E-2 aircraft, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, achieved Initial Operational Capability Oct. 10. -
E-2D First Deployment
The crew of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) finished clearing clogged seawater intakes to allow the ship to depart for a Middle East deployment, Navy officials told USNI News on Wednesday. -
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Donald J. Trump
2017-2021 Donald J. Trump -
F-35C enters U.S. Navy service
*date not first The F-35 first flew in 2006 and entered service with the U.S. Marine Corps F-35B in July 2015, followed by the U.S. Air Force F-35A in August 2016 and the U.S. Navy F-35C in February 2019. -
Joseph R. Biden
2021- Joseph R. Biden -
CMV-22B Osprey and F-35C first deployment (Vinson)
On August 2, 2021 the Carl Vinson successfully departs its home port in San Diego. It is the first carrier to deploy with The CMV-22B Osprey and the F-35C strike fighter. -
Russia Invades Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in an escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that started in 2014. The invasion became the largest attack on a European country since World War II. It is estimated to have caused tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties and hundreds of thousands of military casualties. -
Hamas Surprise Attack on Israel - Conflict Begins
An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups has been taking place chiefly in and around the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023. It began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. On October 7, 2023 (7/10), some 3,000 thousand Hamas terrorists invaded Israeli communities and army bases near Gaza. They killed around 1,200 people — most of them civilians — took some 240 persons hostage to Gaza