If the Horten Ho 229 was intended to be a low-drag bomber as well as possess stealth capabilities, it would put it roughly 30 years ahead of its time The…
History
At the Edwards AFB Open House Airshow on October 9, 1999, an SR-71 Blackbird made its final flight The brief video in this post, which was recorded on Saturday, October…
Civil
Antonov Conducts Damage Assessment Of An-225 Mriya badly damaged during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
If the An-225 has been as badly damaged as some pictures suggest, repairing the aircraft may not even be possible Representatives of Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov have conducted a damage…
Civil
Boeing 767 pilot explains how he was able to safely land his fully loaded airliner with a 5 by 6-foot hole all the way through a wing caused by a tire blowout
‘When I went to the seats over the wing to look at the hole I could see the landing gear through the hole,’ Paul DeBusschere, Boeing 767 pilot The Boeing…
History
The Imperial Japanese Navy’s H6K Mavis pilot recalls how B-17 bombers attacked and almost brought down his flying boat
‘The only chance we had was the relatively small turning radius of our slow plane compared to that of the fast B-17, said Lt. Hitsuji, H6K ‘Mavis’ flying boat pilot…
History
Adolf Galland, a German ace, tells the incident in which his Messerschmitt Bf 109 was seriously damaged by a Spitfire
On June 21, 1941, Galland had blasted a Spitfire out of a formation northeast of Boulogne. He watched the flaming Spit spiraling down and began following to accurately register the…
A first-hand account of F-14 aircrew operations during a critical special ops mission in western Iraq All three Tomcat units in the NAG (VF-154 having arrived with CVW-5, embarked aboard…
Civil
Airline pilot explains why the co-pilot is more important than the captain on a plane and why he would rather have a good co-pilot than a good #2 engine any day
‘Co-pilots are absolutely essential to airline safety. I would rather have a good co-pilot than a good #2 engine any day,’ Randy Duncan, airline pilot In aviation, the first officer…
History
50 years after being struck by a 57mm bullet over Vietnam, the crew of an AC-130A reunited with the “Spectre 17” Gunship
Chandler was falling through a three-foot hole that the 57 mm bullet had made in the weapons control booth of the AC-130A “Spectre 17” in addition to causing structural damage…
Carriers
US Navy Could Extend the service lives of USS Nimitz and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Oldest Nimitz-class Carriers
The US Navy is currently studying extending the service lives of the oldest Nimitz-class aircraft carriers The US Navy is currently studying extending the service lives of the oldest Nimitz-class…