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B-17 Flying Fortress Online Free Artwork

There’s that wonderful word again: Free! This time we’re offering high- quality PDF downloads of William Wylam’s fabulous drawing of the B-17G Flying Fortress. The detailing is incredible and the PDF could be blown up to almost any size without losing quality. Enjoy! Click here.

Iconic Firepower: Proximity Fuzes

Proximity fuzes vexed AAF General Hap Arnold during World War II. The United Sates had them, the Germans were working on them, and the prospects for heavy bomber formations were not good if Germany perfected theirs. Before proximity fuzes, the problem facing antiaircraft gunners at long range was to estimate distance and altitude for pre-set […]

In Theater: The Heavy-Hitting Jug

Seventh ranking American ace of the European Theater, Capt. Fred J. Christensen, Jr. stands with the other legends of the 56th Fighter Group that brought the Republic Thunderbolt into service and remained true to their charge until the VE-Day victory. As with many WW II fighter pilots, Christensen’s dream of finding himself in that exclusive […]

The Fewest of the Few: How the Supermarine Spitfire Won the Battle of Britain

Those who have previously studied the Battle of Britain have most often come the conclusion that, although the Spitfire was an integral part to the Royal Air Force’s defense of Britain, it was ultimately the workhorse Hawker Hurricane that won the battle. However, a new theory proposed by aviation historian Ryan Clauser challenges that school […]

In a Tiny Corner of a Huge World: What Are the Chances?

Sadly, I recently attended the funeral of our friend Nancy, who was 80-something. Sitting with the other mourners, I couldn’t help but think about an obscure, meaningless fact that I was certain her son and I were the only ones in attendance knew. We alone knew her connection to one of aviation’s enduring controversies: Who […]

Great Planes: The B-24 Liberator

Throughout the history of aviation only a few aircraft have excelled to become legend. One of them is the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Enjoy this terrific documentary!

Do You Believe in UFOs?

His name was Ray Watkins, and he was a helluva nice guy and smart as they come. He got his Double “E” degree through the NESEP Program. Ray had just asked me the question that was sure to come up sooner or later in any Ready Room in the Fleet. I knew Ray was a […]

When Plumbing Fixtures Ruled the Skies

By the time the first shot was fired in 1914 during the “war to end all wars,” the airplane was barely out of its infancy stage. The early “knights of the air” puttering around in their mostly wooden and fabric-covered flying contraptions were mere observers to the large-scale battles that lay below them. As they […]

F/A-18 Hornet: a Dynasty in the Making

The Hornet has been a highly controversial airplane from the day it was initially proposed. Hornet detractors point at their hero, the massive F-14, and say the Hornet isn’t worthy of following in that great airplane’s steps. No range, no load, no nothin’. Well, folks, guess what? Right or wrong, the Tomcat’s on it’s way […]

Aviation Insider: F-35 Lightning II

When the 100th F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter was delivered, it was a “big deal for the Air Force,” said chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh. Welsh is the most visible face and the strongest voice supporting the F-35. A respected fighter pilot, Welsh is trying to steer his service at a time when […]