Francis Gary Powers by his Lockheed U-2 Spy Plane  

  
U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, center, in Moscow’s Hall of Columns during
the opening of his espionage trial.

The U-2 incident occurred during the Cold War presidency of Dwight Eisenhower
and the leadership of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, when a United States
U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers (above) was shot down over the
airspace of the Soviet Union.

The U.S.government at first denied the plane’s purpose and mission, but then
was forced to admit its role as a covert surveillance aircraft when the Soviet
government produced the remains of the downed aircraft and it’s surviving
pilot along with photos of Russian military bases taken by Powers.

On August 17, 1960, Powers was convicted of espionage against the Soviet
Union and was sentenced to a total of 10 years, three years in imprisonment
followed by seven years of hard labor. On February 10, 1962, Powers was
exchanged along with American student Frederic Pryor in a spy swap for
Soviet KGB Colonel Vilyam Fisher.

U-2 wreckage captured in the Soviet Union

 
Charles "Lucky Lindy” Lindbergh

photo of the historic first flight of the Spirit of St. Louis, from Dutch Flats Airport.

The Spirit of St. Louis was built by 35 employees of Ryan Airlines, Inc., in San
Diego, California. It took just 60 days. Essentially all of those employees came
to the field to witness Charles Lindbergh taking the aircraft on its first test flight.

on May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the historic first non-stop flight from 
Roosevelt Airfield in New York to Paris, France in 33 hours, 30 minutes for 
a distance of approximately 3,600 miles.

Charles Lindbergh, third from the right

General James "Jimmy" Doolittle

The Boeing 737 is a midsize, short- to medium-range, twin-engine jet airliner. The
first of six 100 series prototypes made its maiden flight on April 9, 1967. It entered
airline service in February 1968 with Lufthansa being the launch customer.

Cockpit of the Boeing 737-100

Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. (December 24, 1905– April 5, 1976)

Howard Hughes was one of the wealthiest people in the world as well
as one of the most influential and well respected aviators in history,
setting multiple world air-speed records. He received a special
Congressional Gold Medal in 1939 for recognition of his  many
achievements in advancing the science of aviation. 

The H-4 “Hercules” flying boat (better known historically as the "Spruce Goose")