Military Archives - Page 3 of 180

Lieutenant Junior Grade William Thomas Patton recounts his MiG kill with his wingman in front of his Skyraider.

Jets vs. Props

Propeller-driven aircraft engaging jet fighters in combat seems highly unlikely, but is surprisingly more common in the history of aerial warfare than one would think. With the dawn of the jet age in the waning days of World War Two and its rapid expansion throughout the Cold War, prop and jet fighters experienced a substantial […]

Enter today for a chance to fly in a P-51!

This is your chance to fly in the same type of aircraft as some of our First Flight Society Honorees such as the “Red Tail” Tuskegee airmen, including General Benjamin Davis, USAF and Brig. Gen. Charles McGee, USAF, as well as such other famous flyer Honorees as Col. Jacqueline Cochran, USAF (Former WASP), Maj. Gen. […]

B-25 Flight Training

The ultimate bragging rights for any pilot! Delaware Aviation Museum foundation (DAMF) is the home of the WW II B-25, Panchito and several other iconic warbirds. Panchito’s owner and the founder of DAMF, Larry Kelley, has gone the extra mile by developing and offering a program that offers not only the opportunity to fly a […]

Fieseler Storch: First STOL Aircraft

The Fi-156 Fieseler Storch began in 1935 as Gerhard Fieseler’s answer to a German air ministry specification for a general purpose airplane that could take off and land in an extremely short distance. Fieseler’s chief designer, Reinhold Mewes, decided for ease of maintenance that the airplane should be completely conventional in its construction, and so […]

Russian & Chinese Stealth Fighters

Russia and China are producing stealth fighters, but how good are they? A recent Forbes commentary is illuminating. China’s Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon has been described as the first credible operational fifth-generation stealth fighter designed outside the U.S. The 2017 photo at the top shows China’s domestically built J-20, courtesy of XINHUA News Agency via […]

Grumman TBF Avenger – WW II Torpedo Bomber

Entering service in 1942, the Grumman TBF Avenger first saw action during the Battle of Midway. Developed by Grumman for the US Navy and Marine Corp, the torpedo bomber, was also used by several allied air and naval services. The Avenger’s crew members included the pilot, a turret gunner and a radioman/bombardier/ventral gunner. For armament, […]

Stinson’s Big-Guy L-Bird

As soon as the airplane joined motorized ground vehicles as tools of war, its ability to see over the horizon made it an invaluable tactical device. It was more mobile than a tethered balloon and could be used to transport messages and leaders from point to point, whenever and wherever it was needed. There was […]

Next-Gen Fighter

On 16 June, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. described the Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter (NGAD) to the House Armed Services Committee in testimony relating to the fiscal 2022 budget request. Brown said he wants the NGAD to have “multirole” capability, with combat capabilities that assure air dominance but also […]

Butcher Bird Hellcat & Corsair: A test pilot recalls

During WW II, we in the military were not allowed to save notes, keep diaries or take pictures, and being a Boy Scout type, I lived by the rules. Now, decades later, when I’m called to write about some of my flight experiences, I wish that I had bent the rules a little. Thank goodness […]

The Grumman Skyrocket

Intended for use on carriers, the Grumman XF5F-1 Skyrocket had folding wings and was intended to have an airspeed of over 300mph. It used two Pratt & Whitney Wright R-1820 engines, and first flew on April 1, 1940. Although it had good flight characteristics and a maximum speed of 383mph at 20,000 feet, it had […]