News
The lone RAF Lightning pilot who intercepted 80 Soviet strategic bombers
1+ hour, 8+ min ago (309+ words) Following the successful demonstration of supersonic flight by the two P1 research aircraft WG760 and WG763, English Electric was contracted to develop the P1 B fighter aircraft. It was known as the Lightning and was capable of supersonic interceptions of enemy aircraft; it remained…...
We Killed Yamamoto: the P-38 assassination of the man behind Pearl Harbor
4+ day, 10+ hour ago (482+ words) The Lightning truly shined in the Pacific theater; seven of the top eight scoring USAAF aces in the Pacific flew the P-38. On April 18, 1943, the long range of the P-38 enabled USAAF pilots to ambush and shoot down an aircraft carrying Admiral…...
The P-51 that flew under the Eiffel Tower in hot pursuit of a Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109
1+ week, 9+ hour ago (261+ words) The Mustang The P-51 was designed as the NA-73 in 1940 at Britain's request. The design showed promise, and AAF purchases of Allison-powered Mustangs began in 1941, primarily for photo recon and ground support use due to its limited high-altitude performance. But in…...
Little more agility than a snow sled: CG-4 A and Horsa allied gliders and the Preview of mission airborne triumph and tragedy
1+ week, 3+ day ago (764+ words) Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of "The Aviation Geek Club" one of the world's most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news…...
The XC-99, the forgotten cargo version of the B-36 Peacemaker
1+ week, 4+ day ago (197+ words) As told by Jim Dunn and Nicholas A. Veronico in their book'AMARG: Americas Strategic Military Aircraft Reserve, Army Air Force planners asked themselves, if a B-36 could carry 72, 000lbs of bombs, what could a cargo version of the bomber carry? Stripping out all…...
The restoration of B-26 Marauder "Flak-Bait, the Only US warplane to Survive 200 Bombing Missions during WWII
3+ week, 6+ day ago (308+ words) Despite its problems experienced crews loved the Marauder. In fact, bombing from medium altitudes of 10, 000 to 15, 000 feet, the Marauder had the lowest loss rate of any Allied bomber " less than one-half of one percent. US, British, Free French, Australian, South…...
P-51 D "Seahorse:" the Mustang Carrier Testing and why it was unsuited for service on US Navy flat tops
1+ mon, 5+ day ago (274+ words) A classified program "Project Seahorse" was approved in 1943 and P-51 D-5-NA, serial number 44-14017, was retained by North American Aviation in Dallas, Texas for modifications to create a navalized version of the P-51. Areas on the runway were marked out, simulating the deck…...
Navy A-4 pilot recalls when a WWI biplane simulated an attack on his Skyhawk and reached a guns-tracking position a few feet away from his A-4
1+ mon, 6+ day ago (246+ words) World War I'witnessed unprecedented growth and innovation in aircraft design, construction, and as the war progressed " mass production. Each country generated its own innovations sometimes in surprising ways "Albatros,'Fokker, Pfalz, and Junkers in Germany and Nieuport, Spad,'Sopwith'and Bristol…...
Spitfire90 tour: Spitfire "K5054" flights with RAF aircraft
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (442+ words) As the glorious images in this post show, these flights truly show the advancement of technology in the RAF, with historic vs modern day aircraft in action together in the sky. On Apr. 7, 2026, departing from Southampton Airport at 12: 00pm, during the…...
Tempest V vs Fw 190 D-9: The First Dogfight between Two of the Finest Fighters Ever Built
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (267+ words) Arguably two of the finest fighters ever built, the Tempest V and'Fw 190 D-9'raised the bar in terms of aircraft design and operational capability during'World War II.' Indeed, they represented the cutting edge and pinnacle of their respective nations" piston-engined aviation development…...