aviation history

Night Hunter — the first Corsair equipped with radar

Night Hunter — the first Corsair equipped with radar

Hunched in the cockpit of an F4U-2 Corsair in the darkest, blackest night he could remember, Second Lieutenant Frank Lang peered at the 6-inch scope in the center of his instrument panel and saw nothing significant to break up the green-yellow line inscribing a circle around the dial.
Stearman PT-17/N2S: The Biplane With So Many Lives

Stearman PT-17/N2S: The Biplane With So Many Lives

The PT-17 Stearman is literally the airplane that has always seemed to just be “there.” Although, it is most often thought of as the school marm that taught a generation of airmen the skills necessary to win a war, she has actually lived three distinct lives and is entering a fourth, from military trainer to […]
Thunderbolt II Tuesday

Thunderbolt II Tuesday

The A-10 isn’t an airplane. It’s a terrifyingly effective ball peen hammer designed from the onset to do one job and one job only: support the guys on the ground. At the beginning that meant it was to blunt the tank attacks cold war planners knew the Russians would send rolling across Europe in waves. […]
Pearl Harbor: the Inside Story

Pearl Harbor: the Inside Story

At approximately 7:55 AM (local time), on December 7, 1941, the US Navy was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the US forces were taken completely off guard. 96 ships were stationed at Pearl Harbor, but the Japanese aircraft’s primary targets were the big battleships moored on Battleship Row at Ford Island. The Japanese aircraft […]
Which three famous Pilots would you invite to a Bar?

Which three famous Pilots would you invite to a Bar?

Here’s something fun. We all have our favorite pilots, whether a modern day pilot, a WW I or WW II ace, A Mustang driver from MiG alley during the Korean War, or a Wild Weasel from Vietnam, these are the guys that got the job done. Tell us who you’d like to invite to a […]
Tuesday Turboprop: The Piper PA-48 Enforcer

Tuesday Turboprop: The Piper PA-48 Enforcer

Today’s pilots are expensively trained and politically expensive to lose. A pilot lost over Serbia or Syria has major diplomatic repercussions, which is why drones are becoming the aircraft of choice. The Air Force does like its high-priced jets, and cost is a lingering issue for hundred-million-dollar aircraft like the F-35. But while a propeller-driven […]
Charles Lindbergh standing beside the Spirit of St. Louis. Photograph by American Commercial Photographers (attrib.), 1927. Missouri History Museum Photographs and Prints Collections. Lindbergh, Charles A. Collection. n22380.

On This Day in Aviation History

1927 – Charles Lindbergh lands his new Ryan monoplane, the “Spirit of St. Louis,” in St. Louis, Mo., after a record non-stop overnight flight from San Diego, Calif., of 14 hours, 25 min. 1957 – Death of Victor Herbert Strahm, American World War I flying ace, who served in World War II and was chief test pilot for the U.S. Army Air Forces. […]
F/A-18 Hornet: a Dynasty in the Making

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 […]
Fighter of the Week: the Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Fighter of the Week: the Lockheed P-38 Lightning

A WW II-era American piston-engined fighter aircraft, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning was developed for the United States Army Air Corps. It had distinctive twin tail booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. The P-38 was used for interception, dive bombing, level bombing, ground attack, night fighting, photo reconnaissance, and escort missions for […]
Aviation Insider: F-35 Lightning II

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 […]
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