Flight Journal - Page 146 of 286 - Aviation History | History of Flight | Aviation History Articles, Warbirds, Bombers, Trainers, Pilots

D-DAY INVASION: JUNE 2024

1930'S FIGHTER FLIES AGAIN: APRIL 2024

The Legend of Maj. Paul "Pappy" Gunn

Their Finest Hour

Butcher Bird Hellcat & Corsair: A test pilot recalls

Stinson’s Big-Guy L-Bird

Stalin’s Flying Hammer

LATEST

B-29 ‘Doc’ Nears First Flight

The volunteers in Wichita, Kans., have been hard at work restoring “Doc,” a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, since the project resumed nearly one year ago. “We have made significant progress recently hanging the first engine on the airplane,” said Jeff Turner, chairman of the board of Doc’s Friends, the non-profit organization set up to restore the Superfortress. As […]

Red Flag Operations Return

Story by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Joshua Kleinholz The latest iteration of the U.S. Air Force’s premier air-to-air combat training exercise kicked off Jan. 27 as both allied and U.S aircraft took to the skies to do simulated battle over the Nevada Test and Training Range. Allied aircrews from Great Britain and Australia joined […]

U.S. Customs Grounds Drone Fleet

Drones used to monitor U.S. borders and ports were grounded after an operator ditched one of the unmanned aircraft off the California coast due to a mechanical failure. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection craft went into the Pacific Ocean about 11:15 p.m. local time on Jan. 27 around 20 miles southwest of San Diego, […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1894 – Birth of Bernard Henri Barny de Romanet, French World War I fighter ace and successful sporting pilot. 1917 – First flight of the Junkers J.I (shown), a German low-level ground attack and observation aircraft; it is the first all-metal aircraft to enter mass production. 1941 – Final air battle of the French-Thai War. Royal Thai Air […]

India Poised to Buy Japanese Aircraft

India is set to become the first country since World War Two to buy a military aircraft from Japan, helping Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dismantle a ban on weapons exports that has kept his country’s defence contractors out of foreign markets. The two countries are in broad agreement on a deal for the ShinMaywa Industries amphibious aircraft, […]

Spitfires for the Masses: The Boultbee Spit Experience

By Rachel Morris/Photos by John Dibbs/planepicture.com From World War II’s outbreak, through the “Finest Hour” of the Battle of Britain to ultimate victory in May 1945, one Allied fighter was there matching the enemy at every level on every front — the Supermarine Spitfire. One of the most iconic aircraft ever produced, until recently, flying […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1888 – Birth of Jan Nagórski (Ivan Nagurski), Polish engineer and pioneer of aviation; he became the first person to fly an airplane in the Arctic and the first aviator to perform a loop with a flying boat. 1928 – The first rigid airship-to-aircraft carrier mooring is achieved when the U.S. Navy dirigible Los Angeles […]

P-40 Warhawk on Display in New Orleans

New Orleans will get a flavor of one of the most heralded episodes of World War II when a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, restored in the shark-nosed markings of the famed Flying Tigers, goes on display at the National World War II Museum. The aircraft, a P-40E model, is the kind flown by the 1st American […]

Swiss Demo Team Set for Air Tattoo

The Swiss Air Force has ensured the Red Arrows won’t be the only aerobatic display team celebrating an aviation landmark at this summer’s Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford on July 11-13. It has announced plans to send their aerobatic display team, the Patrouille Suisse, in their 50th anniversary year, along with a Boeing […]

Kiwi DC-3 Makes Final Flight

One of the New Zealand’s last operational Douglas DC-3 aircraft has made its final flight across the Canterbury Plains. The Southern DC-3 Trust can no longer afford to maintain ZK-AMY, so the 70-year-old plane is retiring. For the past nine years Amy’s been taking passengers on scenic flights, but the trust that runs it says it’s […]