Henry Harley

Henry Harley “Hap” Arnold was a true proponent and pioneer in aviation. He was an American military pilot who rose through the ranks to become the only five-star Air Force general in history. Arnold championed the expansion of the Air Corps and transformed it into its own military branch; the United States Air Force. When Gen. Arnold first started flying for the military, the fleet consisted of two planes and two pilots. Under his command the fleet peaked at close to 80,000 planes 2.5 million personnel during World War II.

Gen. Arnold’s career did not start in aviation, he was originally an infantryman that switched to the signal corps due to dislike of his assignment. When he was selected to begin his flight training his instructors were none other then the Wright Brothers themselves. After completing his training Arnold then went on to become a flight instructor himself. During a training exercise he entered a spin and was able to recover; this was the first known successful spin recovery. After WWI Gen. Arnold was appointed to oversea the development and production of new aircraft, his experience as a pilot gave him an invaluable understanding of the work. He traveled to different military colleges and bases teaching and overseeing military aviation training and operations.

Shortly before WWII, Gen. Arnold became Chief of the Air Corps when his superior was killed in a plane crash. Knowing that a war in Europe was imminent, Gen. Arnold proponed the research of new aircraft technology and the expansion of the military aviation force. He knew what was in store and did not want to repeat the mistakes of WWI.

Among the many legacies that Gen. Arnold leaves behind is the focus on the importance of air supremacy. He maintained that air supremacy could only be achieved by researching and developing technology that would stem and deter the enemy. Along with his doctrine Gen. Arnold was responsible for the creation of the B-17 and B-29 bombers, safety systems...