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Serbian Air Force Falling Short of Mission

During the recent floods, doubts appeared in public whether the Army of Serbia has enough capacity to fulfill its third constitutional mission to help the population during natural disasters, but the actual condition of the combat equipment raises the question of whether the Army of Serbia can perform its first duty – defense of the […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1849 – First air raid in history takes place when Austria launches pilotless balloons against the city of Venice. 1892 – Birth of Albert Desbrisay Carter, Canadian World War I fighter ace. 1958 – First flight of the Vought XF8U-3 Crusader III (shown), a U.S. aircraft developed by Chance Vought as a successor to the […]

Montana Museum Gets Historic Bell 47

Missoula’s aviation museum in Montana has itself a whirlybird. Maybe you’ve seen Bell 47 helicopters like this, on “M*A*S*H” reruns, if nowhere else. Ron Gipe has been on the inside looking out of their bubble cockpits for more than four decades, logging 30,000-plus hours in them and counting. “The best of the best,” a fellow pilot called […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1892 – Birth of Clive Wilson Warman, American World War I flying ace and sole American winner of the British Distinguished Service Order. 1942 – Launch of Operation Millennium, the first Allied 1,000-bomber raid; Cologne, Germany, is the target and is struck with 1,455 tons of explosives, two-thirds of which are incendiary. 1948 – First flight […]

Indianapolis Makes Up for Air Show Loss

With the Indianapolis Air Show grounded after a 16-year run in Indiana, aviation enthusiasts have two airworthy substitutes to look up to over the next two weekends. An Indy fly-in this Saturday will feature hundreds of private pilots gathered at Indianapolis Regional Airport (formerly Mount Comfort Airport) in Hancock County. On June 7, the Commemorative Air […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1902 – Birth of Henri Guillaumet, French pioneer aviator. 1919 – Agustin Parla, the first Cuban pilot, performs the first commercial flight to the U.S. with a Curtiss flying boat named “Sunshine.” 1934 – Highland Airways commences the first regular airmail service within the UK, between Inverness and Kirkwall, with a de Havilland DH84 Dragon. […]

Israelis Trade Cobras for Drones

Israel has phased out one of its two types of U.S. attack helicopter in favour of using more drones, military officers have told Reuters, reflecting a need for lighter and cheaper air power to counter Islamist guerrillas on its borders. They said Israel’s last squadron of Bell AH-1 Cobras, known locally as Tzefas, built for […]

On This Day in Aviation History

1914 – Birth of Wilfrid George Gerald Duncan Smith, British RAF World War II ace. 1931 – A Bellanca CH-300, fitted with a Packard DR-980 and piloted by Walter Edwin Lees and Frederick Brossy, sets a record for staying aloft 84 hours, 32 minutes without refueling. 1981 – First flight of the Yakovlev Yak-55 (shown),a […]

Indian Air Force MiG-21 Crashes

A Mikoyan-Gurevich MIG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed Tuesday in Bijbehara area of Anantnag district in Kashmir, killing the pilot. The pilot, Squadron Leader Raghu Vanshi, 32, was killed in the crash, they said. According to the villagers present there, the pilot steered the plane away from populated areas to save civilians […]

RAF Crews Take Over Rivet Joint Flights

A Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft has been flown in UK airspace by an Royal Air Force aircrew for the first time. Pictures released by MOD show a UK Boeing Rivet Joint RC-135W signals intelligence aircraft taking off from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. The aircraft is one of three that MOD is buying from the U.S. which, as part of the Airseeker […]