Flight Journal - Page 5 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

What They Wore

The P-47 Thunderbolt pilot of 1945 wore and carried lots of stuff, and little of it gave meaning to the military term “uniform.” At Metz, France, in January 1945, the group and squadron commanders of the “Hell Hawks” 365th Fighter Group posed in their gear in front of a wrecked Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf 190. The men […]

High-Time Hog Driver

Inside the cockpit with Lt. Col. John Marks, the Air Force’s most experienced A-10 pilot Ten thousand feet above an area near the city of Ghazni in southeastern Afghanistan, Lt. Col. John Marks—call sign “Karl”—adjusted the zoom for the infrared sensor in the Litening pod on his right wing. Peering at the infrared image on […]

Breitling Aerospace Red Arrows Special Edition

News from Breitling on their Red Arrows timepiece: “We are pleased to announce our latest launch in collaboration with the Royal Air Force, the Breitling Aerospace Red Arrows Special Edition. Our historical partnership with the Royal Air Force dates from the 1930s, and today the pilots wear Breitling Chronographs built to ensure accuracy and reliability […]

Thunderbolts of the 56th FG

As the most long-lived Thunderbolt group in the ETO, the 56th FG certainly sported some of the most varied camouflage plus squadron and individual markings in England. Upon arrival at Kings Cliffe in January 1943, its first combat-ready P-47C models bore a factory-standard olive drab over neutral gray livery. As the Thunderbolt was the first […]

“Into Flight Once More”

Sound Off Films proudly announces the digital streaming availability of the remarkable new documentary, INTO FLIGHT ONCE MORE. A unique and moving tribute to one of the world’s most historic events, the picturesque and patriotic new documentary follows the D-Day Squadron, made up of 15 dedicated groups of pilots, mechanics, history buffs and veterans from not only […]

Su-57 Fighter Profile – between an F-18 and an F-22?

Many advanced aviation designs get mired down temporarily or for the longer term owing to unanticipated complications of the myriad engineering systems involved. Russia’s Su-57 is in such a case, although we can’t count out seeing it eventually go into production. As reported on Thedrive.com, “India’s decision to finally walk away from the joint program […]

Top Gun Maverick: The iconic ’80s aviation action classic returns to thrill a new generation

Can you believe it’s been 34 years since we first saw Tom Cruise catapult off a carrier deck and up into the danger zone as Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun? We previewed the first Top Gun movie in our August 1986 issue (and correctly predicted that the Tomcat–and Tom Cruise–would become American heroes). […]

The Secrets of Truk Lagoon – Project Recover locates three missing World War II aircraft

Ninety minutes before daybreak on February 17, 1944, Operation Hailstone was launched from three U.S. aircraft carrier groups in the South Pacific. Hundreds of American warplanes ravaged the Japanese-held island airfields and harbors of Truk Lagoon, one of the most formidable Japanese naval air bases in the Pacific. The low-flying torpedo bombers and dive bombers […]

Restoring a Classic: A Canadian Staggerwing Gets a New Life

The classic Beechcraft D17S Staggerwing first appeared in 1937 and was a follow-on design for Walter Beech of the original fixed gear Model 17 of the early 1930s. It was considered to be one of the finest and fastest aircraft of the time. It was expensive, with prices quoted between $14,000 and $17,000 U.S. depending […]

From Vietnam to the Commemorative Air Force

From the jungles of Vietnam to the desert of Arizona, Dave Baker’s remarkable flying career spanned over 50 years and encompassed combat, instruction, commercial, test pilot and warbird flying. Having met nearly 10 years ago when he took me for my first tail wheel flight, I am grateful that he was prepared to recount his […]