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From Gliders to the Guinea Short Lines When I was a senior in high school in 1942, I took advantage of the Civilian Pilot Training Program and earned my pilots license flying Waco UPF- 7s and PT-17s off a red dusty Oklahoma airfield near my hometown. As I waited to be called to active duty, […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1941 – The first Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses fly into combat, serving with the \ Royal Air Force on a daylight bombing raid from 30,000 feet against Wilhelmshaven, Germany. 1950 – Douglas AD Skyraiders and Vought F4U Corsairs from the USS Valley Forge (CV-45) strike targets near Pyongyang, Korea, then completely destroy an oil refinery at Wonsan; […]

Air Show Report: Flying Legends 2014

Standing at any of the runway ends during the Duxford, England, air shows is a stunning experience. Either you get to see the aircraft turning in onto the display line or they make you feel their massive horse powers while passing you on take-off. Action is guaranteed! If you look around the airfield there are […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1892 – Birth of Edwin Harris Dunning (shown), British Royal Naval Air Service pilot and the first person to land an aircraft on a moving ship. 1917 – Death of Luigi Olivi, Italian World War I flying ace, killed in action in his SPAD S.VII. 1949 – First flight of the Vickers Varsity, a British twin-engine crew trainer operated by the […]

B-2 Turns 25, Set to Get Upgrades

The most intimidating aircraft in the world is 25 years old this week and is about to become even more advanced. The nation’s fleet of B-2 stealth bombers, the pride of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, is poised to get nearly $10 billion in upgrades over the next several years to ensure it remains the most […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1910 – First flight of the Duigan biplane (shown), which made the first powered flight by an aircraft designed and built in Australia. 1927 – Ernie Smith and Emory Bronte complete the first civilian non-stop flight from North America to the Hawaiian Islands when their Travel Air monoplane, the City of Oakland, crashes on Molokai after a flight […]

Iranian F-4 Crashes, Crew Lost

A McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter jet, operated by Iran’s Air Force, has crashed in southern Iran, leaving both pilot and copilot dead. “An operational-training jet [operated by] the Army went down on Tuesday near Bakhtegan [Lake] in Fars province. Unfortunately, the pilot and the copilot were killed,” said Brigadier General Hossein Mohammadi, a […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1875 – Birth of Augustus Roy Knabenshue, American aeronautical engineer and aviator; he became the first to make a dirigible flight over New York City in 1905. 1927 – First flight of the Bristol Bagshot (also known as the Type 95), a British fighter prototype. 1952 – A pair of U.S. Air Force Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaws make the first transatlantic crossing by […]

Military Planes Wow at Farnborough

The tradition of military participation at what is now the Farnborough Airshow dates back to the 1920s, when the Royal Air Force Airshow was held at RAF Hendon. The event moved around, settling here at Farnborough in 1948. Always a magnet for those interested in peddling or procuring military hardware, the show also sets the stage for […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1905 – Orville Wright has a serious crash with Wright Flyer III, after which the Wright brothers radically alter the aircraft; the pivot point of the front rudder is mainly the culprit for the Flyer’s insistent pitching. 1922 – Birth of Robin Olds, American fighter pilot and general officer in the U. S. Air Force; he was […]