The B-47 that flew the largest Nuclear Bomb ever built to Spain The first XB-47 prototype, built to fulfill a 1944 need, flew in December 1947 and outperformed its competitors.…
Cold War
Airshows
‘The F-22 Raptor is the only jet that manufacturers teams watch fly at air shows,’ Lockheed Martin Flightline Quality Assurance Manager says
The F-22 Raptor at air shows The F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team performs precision aerial maneuvers at air shows across the world to demonstrate the unique capabilities of the world’s premier…
History
Avro Vulcan pilot recalls being ‘zapped’ with kiwis on his bomber’s roundels during New Zealand Ranger
RAF Akrotiri RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, began on Jul. 1, 1955, when the first 30 personnel posted to the ‘Unit’ established themselves in the flat, dry, rocky scrubland on the windswept…
America’s Top Ace Richard Bong Richard “Dick” Bong enlisted as a flying cadet near Wausau, Wisconsin, on May 29, 1941, following his schooling in his hometown. He completed his aviation…
The best F-22 Raptor demo Filmed by Dafydd Phillips at the Pacific Airshow that took place at Huntington Beach between the end of September and the beginning of October, the…
A U-2 pilot tells a scary story that took place during the Cuban Missile Crisis August 1955 saw the first flight of the original U-2A, which was built by Kelly…
Civil
SQUAWK, NO JOY, TALLY HO: commercial pilot explains some colorful expressions used by flight crews
SQUAWK, NO JOY, TALLY HO: colorful phrases that pilots say were conceived of in the sky and shared widely among staffers If you’ve ever passed the cockpit while boarding a…
Airshows
The story of the Blue Angels F11F pilots that developed the team’s trademark Back-to-Back Pass maneuver
The two solo pilots on the 1958 team, John Damian and John Dewenter developed the back-to-back pass The origins of the F11F Tiger (redesignated F-11 in 1962) can be traced…
History
Before Operation Iraqi Freedom began, Saddam Hussein buried Iraqi Air Force fighter jets in the desert
No opposition from the Iraqi Air Force during Operation Iraqi Freedom Preemptive attacks against the presidential palace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and specific military targets marked the start…
A navalised version of the well-known Spitfire designed for use on aircraft carriers was the Supermarine Seafire 2646 Seafires were built and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the…