The use of helicopters in the U.S. Air Force predates the Air Force as a separate service. In World War II, limited numbers of Sikorsky R-4s flew for the Army Air Forces. But with the separation of the Air Force from the Army in 1947, both branches of the military coveted helicopters to do certain […]
Yak-110 debuts at Gunfighter Skies
The Gunfighter Skies air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base, about 50 miles southeast of Boise, Idaho, saw the triumphal air show debut of the unique Yak-110 twin-fuselage aircraft on June 3, 2018. The Yak-110 is made from two single-engine Yak-55s joined at the wing and tail, with a jet engine added beneath the wing […]
A journey in the future to honor the past
Imagine more than a squadron of Douglas C-47s winging across the Atlantic in three-ship formations, joining up with 15 more from Europe and as far away as South Africa. The armada will sweep across France 75 years after the Normandy invasion of June 6, 1944. That dream is the goal that animates Moreno “Mo” Aguiari, […]
That’s a Standard, not a Jenny
Popular history has a way of making icons of some aircraft and almost ignoring others. In the case of American World War I biplane trainers, the Curtiss JN-4 and JN-6 Jenny series of biplanes are undisputed icons of their era. But there was another American trainer of 1917-18 that all too often gets lumped in […]
Planes of Fame warbird show fills the sky
The annual Planes of Fame air show at Chino, California, on May 5-6, 2018, was not your typical air show. It was non-stop warbirds, warbirds, and warbirds. Yes, there are some good non-warbird aerobatic acts, like Sean Tucker’s Oracle team and Rob Harrison, but nowhere else can you find nearly 50 warbirds flying throughout the […]
Twin Beech with a twist
You know the classic Twin Beech Model 18, right? It has twin tails, a tailwheel, and a bit of a pug nose. That is until Pacific Airmotive took it into its Burbank shop and created a tricycle-gear, single-tail, high-forehead pointy-nose business aircraft and commuter airliner in the 1960s from this pre-war design. Called the Tradewind […]
Glacier Girl survives its own ice age
Any P-38 Lightning fighter of World War II is a crowd-pleaser. The Lightning called “Glacier Girl” amped that enthusiasm even higher at SUN ‘n FUN 2018. “Glacier Girl” was literally frozen in time from 1942 to 1992. Part of a flight of six brand-new P-38s and two B-17s heading to Europe to bolster American forces, […]
Dick Cole represents his Raiders compatriots well at SUN ‘n FUN
Hundreds of people gathered to be with Dick Cole at SUN ‘n FUN 2018 in Lakeland, Florida, on April 14, 2018. Cole has earned their acclaim in so many ways. At 102 years of age, his wise and experienced perspective should be sufficient to garner respect from the rest of us. Cole is a World […]
Sea Dart jet seaplane skimmed into history
If everything aeronautical seemed possible in the heady post-war jet age, some aircraft designs found where the limitations were. The Convair F2Y Sea Dart was one of four delta-wing jets in design or production by that San Diego company in the 1950s. Convair embraced the delta planform as its ticket to supersonic performance. But early […]