Wikipedia:WikiProject Aviation/WikiEagle/May 2022/On the Main Page

Today's Featured Article

April 21

Young on the Moon during Apollo 16 John Watts Young (1930–2018) was an American astronaut, naval officer and aviator, test pilot, and aeronautical engineer. On April 21, 1972, he became the ninth person to walk on the Moon as commander of Apollo 16. He flew on four different classes of spacecraft: the Gemini capsule, the Apollo command and service module, the Apollo lunar module, and the Space Shuttle. Young served in the U.S. Navy as an aviator, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. He set multiple world time-to-climb records, and was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Group 2 in 1962. He flew on Gemini 3 in 1965, and commanded Gemini 10 in 1966. He flew as the command module pilot on Apollo 10 in 1969. After that, he commanded Apollo 16, and spent three days on the lunar surface exploring the Descartes Highlands with Charles Duke. Young also commanded STS-1, the Space Shuttle program's first launch, in 1981, and STS-9 in 1983. He retired from NASA in 2004. (This article is part of a featured topic: NASA Astronaut Group 2.)

April 25

No. 79 Squadron Sabres No. 79 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flight training squadron that has been formed on four occasions. 1943 as a fighter unit equipped with Supermarine Spitfires, it saw combat in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II. The squadron disbanded in November 1945 but re-formed in 1962 to operate CAC Sabres (pictured) to help defend Thailand against a feared attack from neighbouring states. No. 79 Squadron was active again in Malaysia between 1986 and 1988, operating Mirage III fighters and a single DHC-4 Caribou transport. Re-formed in its present incarnation in 1998, it is stationed at RAAF Base Pearce, where it has operated Hawk 127 jet training aircraft since 2000. The unit's main role is to provide introductory jet aircraft training to RAAF pilots and refresher training on the Hawk for experienced pilots. No. 79 Squadron also supports Australian Army and Royal Australian Navy training exercises in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. (Full article...)