While the French SPAD single-seat fighters were ace-makers, disappointing performance and maneuverability in the two-seat derivatives failed to justify their use as a fighter. Instead, the two-seat versions earned a niche in the war as bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.
Of Wings & Things
The Stinson trimotor
The Stinson Aircraft Company carved its own niche in the market by selling its trimotors at low prices to airlines in the 1930s.
The art of B-29 test beds
A mystery about nose art on B-29s used for research and testing is solved.
The Tommy Scout: From war to sport flying
The Thomas-Morse S-4, known as the Tommy, was a plane at the intersection between aircraft development during World War I and Roaring Twenties sport flying.
Japanese piloted bomb showed desperation and resolve
A 1945 Navy report said Ohka “presents the most difficult target our surface forces and aircraft have encountered in the war to date. It is also potentially the most dangerous antishipping weapon to be devised, being a guided missile with the best possible control — a human being.”
Newest Liberator was cast for the ages
A lot of records were set by the Convair B-24 Liberator heavy bomber of World War II. But for all its records, the B-24 Liberator faded quickly from the post-war U.S. Air Force equipment roster. Newer machines and newer strategies prevailed.
Giant Antonov AN-225 destroyed in Ukraine
The one and only An-225 has become a casualty of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Remembering Bill Larkins
Friends will gather March 20, 2022, to remember aviation photographer and historian Bill Larkins.
The mighty Mars miracle
It’s nothing short of a miracle on so many fronts that a huge 1940s flying boat in flyable condition is offered for sale in 2022. And it can be yours — for $5 million.
It takes a crooked tail to fly a straight line
Some airframe designers have built in offset for the vertical fin to help compensate for the phenomena that move an airplane’s direction of flight to the left.
A time capsule of American aviation
A 1924 issue of the magazine “Aviation” is a microcosm of the post-World War I aviation scene in America. The air-minded segment of the population was impatient for aeronautical advancements, yet in some ways those advances were held back by a glut of war surplus Jennies and OX-5 engines that were offered to civilians on the cheap.
On track: Finding the right landing gear for giant bombers
On the way to finding the best landing gear for giant bombers, some looked to using a track mechanism, similar to a tank.