In a sense, Little Boy and Fat Man—as well as other bombs of the same kind—had parachutes. Not a textile one, but a California Parachute is the name given to…
173rd FW ‘Eagle Driver’ becomes the first ANG fighter pilot selected to be a Thunderbird demonstration pilot
Maj. Tyler Clark, a 173rd Fighter Wing ‘Eagle Driver’ is the first ANG fighter pilot selected to be a Thunderbird demonstration pilot The US Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, known…
Mustang Vs Mustang: pilots preferred the P-51B/C “Razorback” while the Brass preferred the P-51D “Bubbletop”
Between the P-51B/C ”Razorback” or the long-ranged P-51D, the P-51B Razorback was faster and flew straighter/smoother with the smooth-back fuselage and still got 1,350 miles of range In 1940, the…
In one-on-one air combat, an Attack Helicopter piloted skillfully could defeat most fighter planes.
‘Fighter pilots who face a trained, deadly and sneaky adversary in an attack helicopter will always see its missiles and guns, and never see a fleeing bunny to add to…
Watching flight operations from Vulture’s Row and watching dolphins racing with the Ship: US Navy sailor on the best perks of being deployed on an Aircraft Carrier
‘Memories: my “Best Perks” of being deployed on an Aircraft Carrier are made in retrospect, after the passage of several decades,’ Steve Solbakken, former US Navy sailor Aircraft carriers are…
The story of a BAe Test Pilot flying a Tornado with the canopy off
The first British pre-production aircraft was the Panavia Tornado XZ630, which flew on March 14, 1977, and took part in weapons release trials at the A&AEE at Boscombe Down The…
US Navy submariner recalls that time a sailor had a mental break aboard his boat during covert ops and ripped off parts of one of the cabinets that provided backup control of the nuclear reactor
‘He ended up cracking the “local control” switch for the control rods before I was able to intercept and subdue him,’ James Thompson, former Electronics Technician aboard US Navy submarines…
The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe WWII jet fighter displayed for the first time in the UK
The video shown in this article, which was shot at RAF Fairford at the Royal International Air Tattoo in 2023, features the Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe jet fighter making its…
When an inlet unstart hindered the SR-71 crew from exceeding Mach 3.2
“If they hadn’t had the unstart when they were going through the gate, the record speed would’ve been higher. Their goal was to make 2200 mph,” David Peters former SR-71…
Sonar Technician explains why talking normally while aboard a US Navy Submarine on silent running can compromise the boat’s stealthiness
Silent running (or ultra-quiet) is a stealth mode of operation for submarines Silent running (or ultra-quiet) is a stealth mode of operation for submarines. During silent running, the propellers have…