The Consolidated Fleetster series provided an elegant take on the needs of feeder airlines in the early 1930s. But the fortunes of Consolidated Aircraft lay elsewhere.
Monomail broke the monotony
The Boeing 221 Monomail showed elegantly simple lines and modern technologies that set the stage for the company’s growth in the design of large aircraft, including the iconic B-17.
A-20 Havoc spanned the war with grace and speed
The Douglas A-20 Havoc attack bomber represents an advanced pre-war design that proved effective in combat in World War II. Modifications kept the A-20 viable to the end of the war.
Birth of the aircraft carriers
The launch from the Navy’s first aircraft carrier, USS Langley, on Nov. 18, 1922, signaled the beginning of practical aircraft carrier operations.
McBizjet: A beautiful also-ran
The aircraft looked very much like a scaled down commercial jetliner, with four individually podded engines suspended from pylons in a fashion reminiscent of the Boeing 707.
Bomber escort failed, but chin turret scored
Gunship versions of the B-17 were seen as one answer to the scourge of German fighter attacks.
GA envisioned a plane for everyone after World War II
The optimistic postwar brochures from general aviation manufacturers reveal a mix of confidence and dreams that played out with varying degrees of success.
Aviation was key to the end of World War II 75 years ago
This year, the 75th anniversary of VJ-Day — Victory over Japan — will be commemorated at Pearl Harbor, where the war began for America.
Blast from the past: A classic air show
Slip back in time to 1976. Gasoline cost 57 cents a gallon. That January saw the first commercial Concorde supersonic transport flight. The Winter Olympics were held in Innsbruck, Austria. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs started a new company called Apple Computers. And in Harlingen, Texas, the Confederate Air Force gave an air show for the ages.