Neil Armstrong and made his first flight in a jet, a Grumman F9F Panther, on January 5, 1951. He was promoted to ensign on June 5, 1951, and made his first jet carrier landing on two days later. On June 28, 1951, "Essex" had set sail for Korea, with VF-51 aboard to act as ground-attack aircraft. VF-51 flew ahead to Naval Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii, where it conducted fighter-bomber training before rejoining the ship at the end of July. On August 29, 1951, Armstrong saw action in the Korean War as an escort for a photo reconnaissance plane over Songjin.
Erika Armstrong Erika Armstrong Erika Armstrong (née Hagen; born July 9, 1968) is a commercial airline pilot, published author, editor, aviation journalist and professor of aviation science. Armstrong is the author of the bestselling book "A Chick in the Cockpit: My Life Up in the Air", which was published by Behler Publications in 2016. Armstrong was born in Seattle, Washington, and given up for adoption to Geraldine and Charles Hagen. At age five, she moved with her family to Edina, Minnesota. In 1986, at age 17, Armstrong graduated from Edina High School, where she was the yearbook editor. She attended the University