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IN 1927 A PINEAPPLE MAGNATE SPONSORED AN AIR RACE TO HAWAII. IT DID NOT GO WELL It is said that the first automobile race took place the moment the second [...]

The Boeing 247 was the end result of a battle between company management and its engineers. Unfortunately, the engineers lost. Although enshrined today as 'the first modern airliner'--and it certainly [...]

You probably use one of William P. Lear's inventions every day. No, not a Learjet-unless you're richer than we reckon--but the practical, affordable, compact car radio. It all started with [...]

THE MIG-25 SEEMED TO SPELL TROUBLE FOR THE WEST. THEN A DEFECTOR EXPOSED THE TRUE NATURE OF THIS SOVIET BEAST The spy satellite photos created panic in the Pentagon. They [...]

IN 1943 IT TOOK JUST 143 DAYS FOR LOCKHEED DESIGNER CLARANCE 'KELLY' JOHNSON AND HIS ELITE TEAM OF 128 SKUNK WORKS ENGINEERS AND FABRICATORS TO CREATE THE P-80 SHOOTING STAR. [...]

AS A CHILD OF THE PROPELLER AGE AND A PILOT WHO FOR 40 YEARS FLEW AIRPLANES WITH PROPS, FOR ME THE MARK OF MUSCLE IS NOT A TAILPIPE TWINKLING LIKE [...]

LIKE THE BARRAGE BALLOON AND THE ASSAULT GLIDER, THE TORPEDO BOMBER IS A WEAPON WE WILL NEVER SEE AGAIN. Its fate had been sealed nearly four decades earlier, but the [...]

The article focuses on the challenges faced by the Curtiss-Wright Corp. during World War II, including issues with its P-40 Warhawk aircraft and the problematic SB2C Curtiss Helldiver. Topics include the congressional investigation led by Senator Harry S. Truman into the Helldiver's poor performance, Curtiss's questionable advertising practices, and the concerns raised about faulty engines, particularly the 1,600-hp Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone, which led to crashes and deaths.

WINGS OF WAR The World War II Fighter Plane that Saved the Allies and the Believers Who Made It Fly by David Fairbank White and Margaret Stanback White, Dutton Caliber, [...]

The article focuses on the Boeing Stratocruiser, a once-luxurious but ultimately problematic commercial airliner, discussing its history, technical challenges, and reasons for its decline in the aviation industry. It also highlights the unique features of the Stratocruiser, its propeller-related accidents, and its eventual replacement by more efficient jet airliners.

As of late March 2023, the Dakota Territory Air Museum, in Minot, North Dakota, is preparing for the first flight of its impeccably restored Republic P-47D-23 Thunderbolt. It is encouraging [...]

The article explores the history of the Gloster Gladiator, the last British biplane fighter used by the RAF before World War II. Topics include its design, its role in airshows and early combat, its limited effectiveness in modern warfare due to advancements in monoplane fighters, and its legendary defense of Malta during the war.

At half past noon on July 21, 1948, a Boeing B-29 descended onto the surface of Lake Mead, the Nevada reservoir behind Hoover Dam. In a gentle descent at just [...]

Generations of Blue Angels and Thunderbirds owe their ability to stroll airshow ramps in smart, sexy flight suits to a wealthy, irascible Australian World War I pilot named Sidney Cotton. [...]

Some restorers confronted with a warbird modified to fill a civilian mission--borate bomber, bizplane, Reno racer--will reverse the mods and return the airplane to its original condition. The German company [...]

Mike Fithian approached his re-creation of a 1912 Etrich Taube with compulsive workmanship and attention to detail. That's because he wanted to build a faithful representation of the airplane his [...]

A mashup replication of one of World War II's more unusual combat aircraft, a Focke-Wulf Fw-200 Condor, is underway in Germany. The completed airframe, engines and partial cockpit are on [...]

The article focuses on Boeing 247 was the end result of a battle between company management and its engineers. It mentions airline passengers flew aboard drafty biplanes, three-engine antiques with fixed landing gear and a shrubbery of struts and rigging and built biplane pursuits for both the Army and Navy. It also mentions Model 40s all made extensive use of welded steel tubing for the fuselage structure since Boeing had pioneered the precise fitting.

BEYOND The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space by Stephen Walker, HarperCollins, 2021, $29.99. Ask the man in the street who was [...]

TEST GODS Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut by Nicholas Schmidle, Henry Holt and Co., 2021, $29.09. This book is the best thing written about extreme flying [...]

THE BOMBER MAFIA by Malcolm Gladwell; Little, Brown and Company; 2021, $27. I didn't know what to expect from the noted gadfly/author of The Tipping Point and Outliers writing anew [...]

Switzerland was the Rottweiler of neutral nations during World War II, happily blowing away accidental tourists, whether Allied or Axis, that strayed across its border. To do that job the [...]

The article presents the discussion on inventing a cabin-pressure regulator for the Boeing 307 making airliner pressurization practical preparing an airplane becoming the only jet to see air-to-air combat during World War II.

The article offers review for the Easter Aircraft TBM-lC Avenger from Grumman.

The article reports that a Lockheed Constellation aircraft, known as Bataan, with a storied history including service under General Douglas MacArthur, has been restored by Texan collector Rod Lewis and Fighter Rebuilders in California, and it has now embarked on a new career in airshows.

The article presents answer to the question concerning turret and side gunners on B-17s with bombers avoiding shooting holes in planes' tail assemblies.