Military Archives - Page 6 of 180

Black Sea Salvage: P-39 Airacobra

In July 1944, Junior Lieutenant Vladimir Shishken was flying a Bell P-39 Airacobra with the Black Sea Fleet in a training exercise and saw smoke coming from the engine. He landed on the water, and although the Airacobra sank, he made it to shore with a slight head wound. Ironically, the fighter had just 9 […]

“Rosie the Rocketer” Restored

“Rosie the Rocketer” has a new lease on life after Colin Powers spent a year and a half restoring the Piper L-4H in his garage. “It’s been an honor to do this airplane for the family of Major Carpenter,” Powers, 84, said. “I’m very happy the way it turned out.” The WW II recon aircraft […]

5 Top Battle of Britain Films

The best of the literally dozens of Battle of Britain-themed feature and television dramatizations produced over the years mostly begin and end, not surprisingly, with the British—with, perhaps, an exception here or there. The best of the Battle of Britain air dramatizations then include the following: Pictured above: There was no shortage of Spanish-built Messerschmitts […]

Korean War: U.S. vs. Soviet Jets

In the afternoon of November 18, 1952 four sleek jets painted an inky navy blue soared off the deck of the carrier USS Oriskany into a swirling Siberian snow storm gusting over the Sea of Japan. The carrier was part of Task Force 77, a fleet of twenty-five ships which included three carriers used to […]

The Blue Angels’ New Ride

U.S. Navy #BlueAngels C-130 pilots and crew recently performed their first functional check flight over England in their new “J” model C-130! The new “Fat Albert” is a C-130J Super Hercules that was originally built in the U.S. and was used in the Royal Air Force as RAF Hercules C5 ZH885. The Navy bought this […]

RAF Short Stirling Recovered

The son of an RAF gunner whose plane vanished during the Second World War may finally be able to lay his father to rest after the bomber was discovered by chance 77 years later. Sgt Leonard Shrubsall was one of seven crew members on board the Short Stirling Bomber when it was shot down while […]

CAF Wildcat Heads to Hawaii

The Commemorative Air Force’s FM2 Wildcat is set to participate in the upcoming 75th Anniversary Commemoration of the End of World War II events, scheduled to take place in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, from August 29 to September 2, 2020. On Saturday, July 25, the aircraft and pilot Mike Polley will board a US Navy Ship […]

The Last “Spooky” Retires

The U.S. Air Force has sent the last AC-130U “Spooky” gunship to the Boneyard, capping a career spanning three decades. The gunship, named “Gunslinger,” was sent to the Arizona desert for what is likely a one-way trip. Another of the heavily armed transport planes, “Big Daddy,” earned a coveted black letter for excellence and a […]

The U2’s New Mission

The U.S. Air Force is investing more than $50 million to keep one of its oldest types of airplanes flying indefinitely. The U-2, nicknamed the “Dragon Lady” after a CIA program, is the world’s best-known spy plane, easily recognizable from its gliderlike shape and stealthy black color scheme. The Air Force commissioned it from the Lockheed […]

Video: Japanese Zero Start Up

This is a startup and short flight exhibiting absolutely the rarest of all the flyable warbirds in existence today: the Japanese A6M5 Zero! This is the example owned and flown by the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California, USA. It is the ONLY example of a WW II Japanese aircraft flying in the world […]