Beauty Of Flight

A KC-135 from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas refuels a B-2 Spirit from the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, June 30, 1999. (photo by Rose Reynolds/USAF)

 

An air-to-air front view of a B-52G Stratofortress aircraft from the 416th Bombardment Wing armed with Air-Launched Cruise Missiles in an undated photo. (Photo by U.S. Air Force/Getty Images)

 

Condensation comes off the wings of a U.S. Navy F-18 Super Hornet as it accelerates during the 2002 Air Expo July 27, 2002 at Moffett Field in Mountain View, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

 

A B-2 Spirit bomber, center, flies with two F-117A Nighthawks, July 19, 2000 above dramatic clouds. The B-2 Spirit is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force)

 

An F/A-18 Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron One Five One (VFA-151) emerges from a cloud created when it broke the sound barrier in the skies over the Pacific Ocean, July 7, 1999. (Photo by John Gay/US Navy)

 

A C-17 Globemaster parts the skies over western South Carolina during a training mission February 2, 2003. (Photo by D. Myles Cullen/U.S. Air Force/Getty Images)

 

A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet, from Naval Squadron VFA-15, patrols over the eastern Mediterranean Sea March 1, 2003 while in flight. The United Nations (UN) Security Council is still undecided about a possible war with Iraq. (Photo by Mark Bucher/U.S. Navy/Getty Images)

 

A U.S. Marine F/A-18 Hornet from the VMFA-323 “Death Rattlers” squadron flies over Kuwait March 27, 2003 as it returns to the USS Constellation from a mission over Baghdad. War planes from the Constellation continue to carry out bombing missions in support Operation Iraqi Freedom. (Photo by Christopher Niemann/USMC/Getty Images)

 

F-14 f14 Tomcat assigned to the “Jolly Rogers” of Fighter Squadron One Zero Three makes a high-speed pass April 26, 2002 near the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in the Caribbean Sea. The George Washington, based in Norfolk, VA, is conducting training exercises in the Caribbean. (Photo by Ramon Preciado/U.S. Navy/Getty Images)

 

British Spitfires flying in formation through the rays of the sun above the clouds. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images). 1939

 

Hubert Latham's attempt to cross the Channel in his Antoinette IV monoplane. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images). 1909

 

German Stuka dive-bombers fly in formation. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images). Circa 1940

 

Lieutenant “Reggie” Hamon A Pilot From The Blue Diamonds Of Strike Fighter Squadron One Four Six Fires Flares From An F/A-18C “Hornet” While Deployed Off The Aircraft Carrier USS John C. Stennis During Competitive Training Exercise Comptuex. (Photo By U.S. Navy/Getty Images). 1999

 

A plane comes into land at Heathrow Airport on March 16, 2007 in London. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

 

A general view of a plane flying above the O2 Arena in Greenwich during the Red Bull Air Race on August 2, 2008 in London. (Photo by Mark Wieland/Getty Images)

 

A Harrier jet speeds through the Dinas Pass known in the aviation world as the Mach Loop on May 26, 2010 in Dolgellau, United Kingdom. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)