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 […]
Classic Caribou carries cargo
SUN ‘n FUN 2018 hosted a rare airlift aircraft that resonates with veterans of the war in Southeast Asia. It’s a deHavilland CV-2 Caribou. If airlifters, those classic carriers of cargo and combat troops, sometimes get overshadowed by the fighters and bombers, that does not detract from the pivotal significance of the transport mission to […]
Theresa Eaman set the mood at SUN ‘n FUN’s Victory’s Arsenal Theater
Part of the attraction of major aviation events like SUN ‘n FUN, which ran from April 10-15, 2018, is the sensory smorgasbord of sights and sounds that can only be fully appreciated in person. Recordings just aren’t the same as the real deal. If the harmonic purr of a P-38 Lightning warbird is music to your […]
Miss Veedol’s victory spanned the Pacific
Long before entrepreneurs launched cars into space, pilots of the 1920s and 1930s were beholden to people of wealth who could sponsor record flights or offer cash prizes for the first intrepid aviator to achieve a specific milestone flight. Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon teamed up in an effort to be the first to span […]
Kodachrome captured World War II in color
That color stability has been of vital value to researchers and anyone pursuing color imagery dating back to before World War II.
Boeing P-12, F4B refined the art of American biplane fighters
The decade of the 1920s was a transitional time for American military aircraft design and construction. Early fighters of the era, though better than the machines of the recently concluded Great War, were hardly revolutionary. They began employing welded steel tube fuselages, a design advancement proven in combat with Fokker fighters flown by German airmen. […]
No pilot? No problem!
An age-old component of aviation has been the pilot-in-the-loop. A pilot brings sophisticated human faculties to bear in solving problems of flight and making judgments on proper actions. But sometimes, the presence of a pilot can be detrimental — to the pilot. If an aircraft is to be subjected to dangers ranging from gun and […]