LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 3 (UPI) – A solar-powered airplane that has already set three world records is being prepared for a two-day flight of more than 1,500 miles, its Swiss developers say. The builders of the “Solar Impulse” say the flight will be a dress rehearsal for the ultimate goal of flying around the world in [...]

The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) continues to be a good news, bad news saga. Just when the program appears to be overcoming scheduling delays and technical glitches, the Obama administration says it will purchase 179 fewer aircraft than once planned during the years immediately ahead. The Pentagon will seek 13 fewer airframes in its fiscal year 2013 budget [...]

Life magazine, with the help of the USN, commissioned the construction of an incredible series of gigantic dioramas that illustrated the various events and phases of the Battle of Midway. While preparing Barrett Tillman’s exhaustive article on that operation in this issue, our own Stan Piet stumbled upon what appears to be the entire file [...]

 Katsuhiko Tokunaga captured this shot of the Breitling fleet above Lake Lucerne in the heart of Switzerland.  It includes seven L-39C Albatros planes composing the fabulous Breitling Jet Team (the world’s largest civilian aerobatics team flying on jets); the Breitling Super Constellation (one of the world’s last three flightworthy “Super Connies”); the pair of orange [...]

In this 15-minute video, Malcom Gladwell shares the interesting history of the Norden bombsight and its effect on the outcome of WW II.  

Time: Thursday, April 5, 2012 – 5:00pm – 9:00pm Event Type: Special Event Location: Museum of Flight During the April 5 “Free First Thursday” from 5 to 9 p.m., the Museum will celebrate NASA Climate Day with activities and presentations exploring the science of climate change and what we can do about it. The event’s [...]

The Grumman A-6 Intruder and Prowler in action with the US Navy and Marine Corps Cockpit cam in A-6E Intruder Videos Courtesy Of: The Tailhook Association 

Watch these two videos of Boeing air planes being built.  If you are into aviation then this may be some interest to you. The first video is a “Fly Dubai” plane and the other is a “Southwest Airlines” plane. Enjoy.

F-35B test aircraft completes its first landing aboard USS Wasp. Watch this great video. Video Courtesy Of: The Tailhook Association 

The “wonderland” that is the Imperial War Museum (IWM) at Duxford, Cambridge, UK, is world renown. Duxford’s Norman Foster-designed American Air Museum (AAM) celebrates the vital part the U.S. played and the lives lost in the progress towards the Allies victory in Europe during World War II. One of the largest exhibits in the glass-fronted [...]

Photographs of the International Space Station (ISS) are taken from a space shuttle, and photographs of a space shuttle are taken from the ISS. So how was this extraordinary photograph taken? This photo of the Space Shuttle Endeavour was taken by astronaut Paolo Nespoli on-board the Russian supply ship Soyuz TMA-20 after it undocked for [...]

This is not your grandpa’s Firebird Northrop Grumman recently unveiled its newest intelligence gathering aircraft system, whereby military users will be able to acquire real-time high-definition video, view infrared imagery, use radar and even listen in on communications signals—all at the same time—using this aircraft called Firebird. Moreover, it has been designed to either be [...]

This USA Today story has more information on the legislatation that pass the House and Senate and would require the FAA to ensure ways for drones to safely share airspace with piloted aircraft. This, of course, also affects RC airplanes and helicopters. Within a few years, that flying object overhead might not be a bird [...]

Do you remember the 1950s and ’60s and those exotic, full-service meals aboard Douglas DC-6s plying their airborne way from the cold of Chicago to the tropical heat of Florida? These aerial dining experiences are a distant memory, except for the elite few now able to afford first-class intercontinental airline tickets. Unless, that is, you [...]