This week, we visit West Virginia!

This week we visit Kansas! Some of the biggest names in aviation have roots in the Sunflower State, including Clyde Cessna, Walter and Olive Ann Beech, Al Mooney, Clyde Stearman, and Bill Lear. During World War II, Wichita was a key site for Boeing’s production of the PT-17 Stearman and the famed B-29 and these plants still produce aircraft today. On the space side, 4 astronauts come from Kansas, and 15 Kansas suppliers support NASA’s Orion spacecraft.

This week we visit Oregon! The Beaver State has often served as a training ground for astronauts in places like Lave Butte, Big Obsidian Lava Flow, Skylight Cave, Crater lake, and Painted Hills. When it comes to aviation, the state was home to famed pilot Tex Rankin, who operated one of the biggest flight schools in the nation, set multiple aerial records, and played a key role in producing military pilots in WWII. He even taught Jimmy Steward, Edger Bergen, and Errol Flynn how to fly.

This week we visit Minnesota! Five astronauts come from the North Star State, as did Robert Gilruth—the first Director of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center, and was a pivotal figure in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. On the air side, famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was raised in Minnesota. He was a generational aviation force, whose impact extends well beyond his famed transatlantic flight.

This week we visit California! From the dawn of aviation to the present day, the Golden State has played an important role when it comes to training pilots, building aircraft, executing record-setting flights, innovating new technologies, and advancing flight test. On the space side, the state is a similar innovation, production, test, and launch juggernaut. On top of this, 29 astronauts are from California, and the state is home to important NASA and Space Force facilities! 

This week we visit Wisconsin! The Badger State was the home of airpower pioneer Brig Gen Billy Mitchell, top WWII U.S. ace Richard Bong, plus famed astronauts Jim Lovell and Deke Slayton. The state is also the location of EAA's massive Airventure airshow in Oshkosh.

This week we visit Iowa! Even though it is landlocked, the Hawkeye State played a big role in naval aviation history. It was the home of Eugene Ely, an early naval aviation pioneer who was the first pilot to takeoff and land from the deck of a ship. Iowa was also the home of Naval Air Station Ottumwa, which graduated 4,626 Navy pilots during World War II. On the space side, seven astronauts come from Iowa including Dr. Laurel Clark, Loren Shriver, and Peggy Whitson.

This week we visit Texas! The Lone Star State has played a huge role in advancing American airpower and spacepower. It is a long-standing center for airmen training, going all the way back to World War I, and Texans have built numerous Air Force aircraft--including the B-24, P-51, B-36, F-111, F-16, CV-22, and F-35. On the space side, Houston is the home of Johnson Space Center, which is the home for mission control for numerous NASA missions. It also houses one of the best space museums in the nation.

This week we visit Florida! Famous for being the home of Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida’s Space Coast was the launch site of numerous missions, including the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs. NASA’s Artemis missions and the Space Force continue to use Florida’s launch facilities. On the air side, Pan Am launched operations in Key West during 1927 and would go on to redefine the notion of air travel--literally opening up vast sections of the world thanks to the reach afforded by air.

This week we visit Michigan! The Great Lakes State—famous for being a center of automobile manufacturing—was also an important hub of aircraft production during World War II. The Ford Motor Company built B-24 Liberators at their Willow Run plant, producing a bomber every hour at its peak in 1944. On the space side, the Michigan Ordnance Missile Plant was a production site for Redstone rockets. The state is also the home of 13 astronauts, including Christina Koch, who was part of the Artemis II crew and became the first woman to leave Earth orbit.