Aviation History Magazine

05/06/2022

How a Hollywood Actress Became an Aerial Emissary | HistoryNet

Hollywood actress Susan Oliver conquered her fear of flying to become the second woman to pilot a single-engine airplane solo from New York to Europe.

05/06/2022

The Story Behind One of the Oddest Airplanes of World War II | HistoryNet

One of the most unusual aircraft to emerge from German drawing boards in the latter stages of World War II was a jet-powered medium bomber that could outrun the fastest Allied fighters.

The Luftwaffe’s first jet-propelled medium bomber test-bed featured forward-swept wings

05/06/2022

Legend of D.B. Cooper: What Happened to History's Most Famous Hijacker? | HistoryNet

Over 50 years later, mystery still surrounds the hijacking of a 727 over the Pacific Northwest—the only unsolved air piracy incident in commercial aviation history.

Fifty years later, mystery still surrounds the hijacking of a 727 over the Pacific Northwest—the only unsolved air piracy incident in commercial aviation history

05/06/2022

Eyes of the Fleet Over Vietnam Review: Unarmed and Unafraid | HistoryNet

Photo-reconnaissance pilots and maintainers were a constant presence off Vietnam

05/06/2022

Gulf War: The Corsair’s Last Hurrah | HistoryNet

Nearly 25 years after it first saw combat in Vietnam, the LTV A-7E Corsair II was headed for retirement when it was recalled for duty in one last war.

During Operation Desert Storm, launched early in the morning of January 17, 1991, the United States deployed a variety of cutting-edge military aircraft as main actors in the air stage, including the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter.

05/06/2022

Bessie Coleman Became a Flying Role Model for African Americans | HistoryNet

Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman to become a licensed pilot and one of the most sensational stunt fliers during the Roaring ’20s, came close to never getting off the ground.

05/05/2022

The Best Movies About Aviation—and the Worst, Too | HistoryNet

Airplane and motion pictures were born around the same time, and feel like a natural pair. Here, the best movies about aviation and flying—and the worst.

What do you think?

Airplane and motion pictures were born around the same time, and feel like a natural pair. Here, the best movies about aviation and flying—and the worst.

05/05/2022

Burnelli

Aviation History editor Tom Huntington recently visited the New England Air Museum and he got a chance to talk to volunteer O'Neil Langley about the recently restored Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster. The airplane's fuselage was intended to provide lift.

05/05/2022

Trial by Fire at Coral Sea | HistoryNet

Trial by Fire at Coral Sea | HistoryNet

In the spring of 1942 Adm. Chester Nimitz was a relatively untried commander who was forced to match the battered remnants of the U.S. Pacific Fleet against an opponent flush with victory.

05/05/2022

The Worst Plane Crash in History Was on Tenerife | HistoryNet

A series of tragic coincidences and human errors led to the collision of two 747s on a runway in the Canary Islands. It was the worst plane crash ever.

05/05/2022

An Ill Wind: How American Secrecy Stopped a Japanese Terror Attack | HistoryNet

On this day in 1945, a Fu-Go balloon bomb launched by the Japanese Army kills six people near Bly, Oregon.

As Japanese terror weapons descended through American skies, the U.S. government struggled to balance secrecy with public safety

05/05/2022

How an ex-Hollywood Stunt Pilot and a Park Ranger Invented Aerial Firefighting

There were two reasons why pilots in Willows, California, spearheaded the idea of battling forest fires from the air: Joe Ely and Floyd Nolta.

05/05/2022

The Day an F-106 Supersonic Fighter Landed Itself in a Cornfield | HistoryNet

Here's how an unpiloted supersonic fighter became the most notorious ghost rider of all time.

How an unpiloted supersonic fighter became the most notorious ghost rider of all time

05/05/2022

The B-52 Is So Old It's Nicknamed Stratosaurus

The BUFF’s combat debut in June 1965 was as awkward, ineffective and snakebit as that of any American airplane ever. https://www.historynet.com/boeing-b-52-stratosaurus/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_aviationhistory

First flown in 1952, the venerable Boeing B-52 could well be the first military aircraft to remain in service for a century

05/05/2022

The P-47 "Jug" Hit the Germans Hard in the Air and on the Ground | HistoryNet

World War II saw 3 U.S. Army Air Forces fighters of consequence: the North American P-51, the remarkable Lockheed P-38—and the absurdly large Republic P-47.

World War II saw three U.S. Army Air Forces fighters of consequence: everybody’s favorite, the North American P-51; the remarkable Lockheed P-38; and the absurdly large Republic P-47.

05/04/2022

May the Fourth Be With You: How WWII Inspired Star Wars | HistoryNet

From dogfights to starfighters, from grease guns to blaster rifles, George Lucas' vision was inspired by his love of WWII films.

“By accident, a great deal can be read topically,” Maj. Warren Lewis, brother to C.S. Lewis, wrote in possibly the first ever review of the novel in 1949.

05/04/2022

Epitaph for a Hero: The Search for a WWII MIA Pilot | HistoryNet

The effort continues to "leave no man behind."

Nearly 80 years after their C-47 crashed into a mountain in China, the remains of a transport pilot and his fellow crewmen have yet to be recovered.

05/04/2022

Air Battle for Moscow, 1941-1942 Review: An Untold Story of World War II | HistoryNet

Innumerable books have been written about the 1940 Battle of Britain. Almost nothing has been published in the West concerning the equally pivotal World War II aerial campaign waged over Moscow between Germany and the Soviet Union during 1941 and early 1942. A 1978 television series about WWII on the Eastern Front was entitled The Unknown War. Air Battle for Moscow might qualify for the same heading in its depiction of events within that conflict about which almost nothing heretofore has been known outside of Russia.

Innumerable books have been written about the 1940 Battle of Britain. Almost nothing has been published in the West concerning the equally pivotal World War II aerial campaign waged over Moscow between Germany and the Soviet Union during 1941 and early 1942. A 1978 television series about WWII on t...

05/04/2022

Why America's XP-75 Eagle Was a Turkey | HistoryNet

The Fisher XP-75 Eagle was the worst aircraft that U.S. taxpayers bought during World War II. How could this have happened?

Incorporating parts from three existing aircraft, GM’s XP-75 Eagle suffered from an overly complicated design and overweight experimental engine.

05/04/2022

Navy Typhoon Hunter: Into the Eye of Raging Storms During the Vietnam War | HistoryNet

An aviation electronics technician describes his experiences aboard Lockheed Warning Stars that flew into the heart of typhoons during the Vietnam War.

05/03/2022

Congratulations to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on the newest addition to their amazing collection! NKAWTG!

05/03/2022

The 13 Ugliest Airplanes | HistoryNet

The old adage is "If it looks right, it'll fly right." Here are 13 examples of what happens when you ignore the rules. What's on your list?

Aviation History magazine nominates the 13 ugliest airplanes ever to fly.

05/03/2022

The First Air Force Ace of the Vietnam War Shot Down 2 MiGs in 2 Minutes

You need five aerial victories to become an ace. Richard “Steve” Ritchie knows how difficult that is.

05/02/2022

F-15EX Eagle II unveiled as newest fighter

Evidently, the only replacement for the iconic F-15 ... is an F-15.

Lt. Gen. Duke Richardson, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics military deputy, presented the F-15EX Eagle II during an unveiling and naming

05/02/2022

What Went Wrong in WWII's Operation Tidal Wave? | HistoryNet

A veteran of the B-24 raid on Ploesti, Romania tells the real story behind the costly World War II mission.

A veteran of the B-24 raid on Ploesti tells the real story behind the costly mission.

05/02/2022

Does the Douglas TBD-1 Devastator Deserve Its Bad Rap? | HistoryNet

What's in a name? In June 1941 the U.S. Navy proposed a list of popular names for its aircraft. Almost none were accepted, and a final list was issued in

05/01/2022

How a Rare 'Flying W' Airplane Supplied Uranium for the Manhattan Project | HistoryNet

The Eldorado Radium Silver Express, a restored Bellanca Aircruiser, will soon be on view at a new museum in western Canada

05/01/2022

A Vietnam-era B-52’s Latest Mission: A 1,400-mile Road Trip | HistoryNet

The fuselage of B-52 Stratofortress nicknamed Damage Inc. II travels from Arizona to a Boeing facility in Oklahoma. There it will be reunited with its left wing and used as a mock-up for Air Force-led modernization efforts on the B-52 fleet.

05/01/2022

The Greatest Flight: Schlee and Brock's 1927 Around-the-World Attempt | HistoryNet

In 1927, on the heels of Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight, two Midwesterners attempted to fly around the world in a single-engine Stinson.

In 1927, on the heels of Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic success, two Midwesterners attempted to fly around the world in a single-engine Stinson.

04/30/2022

His Dad’s Plane Crashed Going 'Over the Hump' in 1945 — and They Just Found the Wreckage | HistoryNet

A C-46 crossing the Himalayas in 1945 disappeared, and it was just located

04/30/2022

Meet Hugh Willoughby, the Wealthy Dilettante Turned Aviation Pioneer

In balloons or planes, this New York rich kid, friend to the Wright brothers and later America's oldest pilot, realized the new frontier was in the skies.

04/29/2022

Modeling the Vought F7U-3 Cutlass | HistoryNet

Ready to add that flying hood ornament to your collection of Navy fighters. Here's your weekend project.

The shape of the Navy's future fighters The 1950s were a time when the future looked bright. Influenced by German designs for their "Wonder Weapons" of

04/29/2022

The F7U Cutlass: Vought's Visionary Fighter | HistoryNet

This Cold War design looked great on paper but in practice became known as the "Ensign Eliminator."

To Navy pilots in the early 1950s, the sweptwing F7U Cutlass looked like a fighter of the future, but they soon learned looks can be deceiving.