Featured News Archives - Page 17 of 286

Curtiss P-40E Gets Its Wings

In news from New Zealand, aircraft restoration company Pioneer Aero gave PE4E S#41-13570 back its wings! In a recent blog post, they shared these photos, writing, “Yesterday was a significant day in the restoration of P40E S#41-13570 with the wings and fuselage being mated. A great way to mark the end of our Covid 19 […]

7 Strangest Airplanes Yet!

What will the future of air travel look like? These oddities, from a 36-motor VTOL passenger aircraft to a flying saucer, may hold the answer. This short video featuring a few unusual prototype aircraft will make you think!

From Recovery to Restoration [VIDEO]

In 2013, divers recovered the remains of a German Dornier 17 bomber that had lain underwater since it was shot down during the Battle of Britain in August 1940. This extremely rare aircraft is now being conserved at the RAF Museum in Cosford, United Kingdom. The National WWII Museum, meanwhile, displays a restored SBD-3 Dauntless […]

The story behind Boeing’s First Flying Fortress

On 8 August 1934, the U.S. Army Air Corps entered a proposal for a multi-engine bomber to replace the Martin B-10. Looking for a bomber capable of reinforcing the air forces in Hawaii, Panama, and Alaska, the USAAF’s requirements stated that it needed to carry a useful bomb load at an altitude of 10,000 feet […]

22nd Air Force chief of staff Confirmed

On June 9, 2020 The U.S. Senate confirmed Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., to be the 22nd Air Force Chief of Staff, clearing the way for the decorated pilot and experienced commander to become the first African American in history to lead a branch of the U.S. military as its highest-ranking officer. Secretary of the […]

Record-Setting Transcontinental Glider Flight

After the Wright brothers’ first successful flights on December 17, 1903, it wasn’t long before adventurous souls of both sexes began attempting to set distance and speed records. It was truly the golden age of barnstorming and of stunt flying. In 1911, for instance, Calbraith Perry Rodgers piloted the Vin Fiz, the first airplane to […]

My Target is What?! Embarrassing Non-shootdowns

Not all of fighter aviation is aimed at protecting the fair damsel from the marauding Count von Evil. In fact, history shows that fighter jocks themselves have often provided whimsical, if not overly efficient episodes that have left their mark in the annals of fighterdom. “Ever shoot down a balloon?” Sam Flynn was in an […]

P-47D UN-V, named “Pat,” from the famed 56th FG, 63rd FS, prepares for another fighter sweep in support of the invasion. The second mount of Capt. Gordon S. Stevens, it survived until early September, being lost with Capt. Roy Fling at the controls. Stevens himself was lost in a “Pat” replacement on the 18th of September, a victim of flak over Belgium.

P-47 Thunderbolt on D-Day

From its inception, the 56th was destined for excellence and historical significance. As the first fighter group to be challenged, and possibly intimidated, by Republic’s new radial-engined beast, the group took on that mission and remained faithful to its charge till the end of hostilities. As part of a pre-war build-up of 35 Army Air […]

D-Day’s Ultimate Weapon

There’s a certain amount of elitism attached to what we do here at Flight Journal: all of our focus is on aircraft and their pilots. In fact, as you read about the air assault on D-Day you probably can’t help but glory in the deeds accomplished by those winged warriors. This even includes the ugly […]

B-25 Restoration Update

Restoring a WW II bomber is a momentous labor, requiring no small portion of blood, sweat, and tears. A restoration team out of Brighton, Michigan is currently hard at work on a North American B-25J Mitchell, serial number 44-30733. Better known as The Sandbar Mitchell, it was rescued in 2013 from a sand bar on a […]