The new exhibit honoring the American and Chinese pilots of the China National Aviation Corporation opened Thursday at the National Museum of the US Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. These fliers pioneered the air routes over the Himalaya Mountains, known then as the “Hump,” that kept China supplied during World War II. “This exhibit is an opportunity for the museum to acknowledge the accomplishments of the CNAC veterans and their place in history,” said Terry Aitken, the museum’s senior curator. Between April 1942 and August 1945, CNAC crews are reported to have flown more than 38,000 missions, transporting 10 percent of all cargo and personnel over the Himalayas to allied forces in China, Burma, and India. The exhibit is located in the museum’s airpower gallery. (Dayton report by Sarah Swan) (CNAC fact sheet)
Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91
Jan. 19, 2026
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.
