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James Harold Doolittle



James Harold Doolittle

James Harold Doolittle
JAMES HAROLD DOOLITTLE
Lt. Gen. USAF
Distinguished Aviator - Air Force Commander
Born Alameda, California, December 14, 1896. Doolittle won his wings in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1918. In 1922 he became the first man to fly across the United States in less than 24 hours, first aviator to fly an outside loop, first to make a blind flight.

Pioneered the science of instrument flying in 1929 by taking off completely blind in a plane with a covered cockpit, flying a set course, and landing without ever seeing the ground. His racing wins include the Bendix Trophy Race in 1931, and the Thompson Trophy Race in 1932.

In World War II, then Lt. Colonel, Doolittle led the first retaliatory bombing of Tokyo, a flight of B-25s lauched from the aircraft carriet Hornet, April 18, 1942. Commanded the famed 8th Air Force to victory in the skies of Europe. His military honors include the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Elected to the International Aerospace Hall of Fame 1966