The contrasting versions about Skunk Works’ beginnings On paper, the specifications for the spy plane that could capture incredibly clear pictures from 70,000 feet seemed like pure fantasy. A Mach-3…
Orestes Lorenzo Perez, a MiG-23 pilot, circled the Naval Air Station Key West three times on March 20, 1991, waggling the wings of his Flogger to indicate friendly intentions in…
The SBD Dauntless Dive Bombers were in many ways the last ditch effort of the Navy to defend Midway. Even though the island had been hit and had been the…
With the US Air Force joining the Navy and Marines and realizing the potential of the Phantom’s versatile load-carrying capability and performance, the Phantom possessed the singular distinction of being…
Santa appeared once the rear cargo door emerged. The troops whistled and cheered. The troops went joyfully wild when the Donut Dollies descended the ramp, but not in an offensive…
Being the first and sole pilot in his squadron, Thach test-flew each of the 27 aircraft he was given, noting any anomalies for his maintenance team to address while he…
The last Tomcat in US Navy service, Felix 101, F-14D BuNo 164603, which was previously outside an empty office building in Bethpage, has been relocated to the Cradle of Aviation…
“During early flight testing at Area 51 with the A-12s, Jim Eastham told me that A-12 #128 flew as fast as any A-12 during testing. On the particular day that…
On March 25, 1968, the F-111A began its combat career with a night of strikes, starting with a 500kt, 500ft solo attack that fully displayed the F-111A’s prowess The first…
The designations XB-52 and YB-52 were assigned to these prototype B-52 aircraft. X stands for “experimental,” and Y stands for “prototype.” The B-52 was the primary long-range heavy bomber of…