Aircraft Factory Lipstick
Cessna factory worker Mina Weber takes a moment during her shift to apply lipstick in a stockroom, using the reflection of raw sheet aluminum that would later be used to manufacture Cessna airframe in Wichita, Kansas. The bandana worn on her head to prevent her hair from becoming entangled in machinery would become a trademark of “Rosie the Riveter” workers during WWII. Note the early Cessna shoulder patch showing a twin-engine airplane and early company typography.

Topics Related To: AVIATION HISTORY
Helicopter Rescue Operations Without a Tail Rotor
An McDonnell-Douglas MD-900 Explorer EMS helicopter conducts rescue operations in Lofer, Austria. While the word “Notarzt” on the side directly translates to “emergency doctor,” it unintentionally also identifies a key feature of the MD-900 – the “NOTAR” system that replaces the tail rotor.
NASA’s Shuttle Training Aircraft – A Gulfstream Business Jet, Repurposed
The Bell-Boeing CMV-22B Osprey tiltrotor takes on US Navy aircraft carrier cargo and personnel transport duties as it replaces the Grumman C-2 Greyhound fixed-wing aircraft.
Three Ways the Ford Trimotor Revolutionized Air Travel
While many undoubtedly recognize the Ford emblem and the vehicles it adorns, Ford manufactured another machine that few may recognize today, but which revolutionized the 1920s and 1930s. It was a flying machine called the Trimotor.