Aviation History magazine is an authoritative, in-depth history of world aviation from its origins to the Space Age.
Aviation History magazine covers the rich history of aviation, from Glenn Curtiss and the Wrights, to Hellcats, Mustangs, and even a Viper or two.
The Fairey Rotodyne was a unique aircraft whose time just never quite came.
An ingenious blend of airplane and helicopter features, the Fairey Rotodyne was a case of almost--but not quite enough.
Who could resist these tantalizing glimpses of exotic locales?
The development of a modern intercontinental strategic bomber proved to be as much about politics as the performance of the aircraft.
The U.S. military was convinced in 1941 that an intercontinental bomber was desperately needed.
A "Magnificent Leviathan," The U.S. Army's first strategic bomber was a bold step, that ended as a misstep.
Cost overruns and poor performance doomed the experimental strategic bomber, but it helped point the way to the future. To some it was the “Magnificent
Spring is here and airshow season isn't far away. Where are you going to see your favorite aircraft show their stuff?
Both cockpits are fully operational, and the Yak-110 has been extensively test-flown, including a full range of conventional aerobatic maneuvers.
became the prototype for todays strategic heavy bomber.
The first really large bombers to be produced in substantial numbers and employed in massed formations in a coordinated strategic offensive, the Handley Page O/100 and O/400 set the basic layout for both British and American bomber design.
In August 1961 a crew of Douglas Aircraft test pilots proved the new DC-8’s worth by diving it through the speed of sound.
In August 1961 a crew of Douglas Aircraft test pilots proved the new DC-8’s worth by diving it through the speed of sound
We all have a couple of tall tales to tell. Here are a few of ours, let us hear a few of yours!
These 10 aviation tales prove that sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.
South Vietnamese paratroopers attacked the presidential palace to remove the corrupt regime.
Jack Northrop dreamed big with his futuristic flying wing, but the radical bomber proved too great a technological leap for his company to bridge.
Unlikely as it may seem, a number of Japanese kamikaze pilots did survive the war.
A few years ago, when I was making a BBC TV documentary series about the Japanese and World War II, I mentioned to a colleague that I was leaving for
The Lockheed Constellation may be the object of more misinformation and fables than any other airliner ever made.
The Lockheed Constellation may be the object of more misinformation and fables than any other airliner ever made. Stephan Wilkinson sorts out fact from fiction in this Aviation History magazine article.
While only 24 aircraft were ever built they performed yeoman like work in Scandinavian waters.
Built to defend Norway’s fjords, the N-3PB ended up flying maritime missions out of Iceland after the N**i invasion.
Douglas Groce Corrigan was going to get to Dublin no matter what.
Douglas Corrigan had long dreamed of being the first man to fly nonstop from New York to Dublin. When officials denied him permission for a transoceanic attempt, he was determined not to let red tape get in his way.
From inauspicious biplane beginnings to near mastery of the skies above combat zones, UAVs have a rich history.
The "Thud" saw more action than any of the other Century Series fighters.
A fast mover designed to carry a nuclear weapon, the F-105 Thunderchief became the Vietnam War’s most important conventional fighter-bomber.
This sleek Japanese floatplane was cutting edge, but the sleek floatplane never lived up to its advanced design.
The Kawanishi E15K incorporated a variety of advanced features in an aircraft type that was on its way out.
In 1897 three Swedish aeronauts set out for the North Pole in a balloon, only to disappear in the vast Arctic. Their fate would remain a mystery for 33 years.
In 1897 three Swedish aeronauts set out for the North Pole in a balloon, only to disappear in the vast Arctic. Their fate would remain a mystery for 33 years
It was made from the spark plug of a Nieuport 28.
The F-1 was a vast leap forward in size and power from anything before it. But it was unstable. Engineers' solution? Put a bomb inside it.
These aerial skirmishes were just a prelude to the all-out bombing campaign called Operation Linebacker. It began in earnest on May 10, 1972, with both sides committing all their air assets in a sprawling succession of aerial duels.
U.S. and North Vietnamese aces clashed on May 10, 1972
has a shape all its own
The inventor knew only frustration and failure, but his unusual wing design might yet succeed.
This pioneering aviator died as he lived — flying.
As a B-17 pilot, Gene Roddenberry survived tropical storms, flak and crash that tore his plane apart and left two dead.
July 22, 1955
The extremely loud XF-84 flies for the first time at Edwards AFB. After only one flight in the aircraft, one of the three pilots to fly the plane was quoted as saying "You aren't big enough and there aren't enough of you to get me in that thing again"
The Republic XF-84H turboprop was so loud that ground crews were physically sickened by its noise.
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.
Developed from the Tupolev Tu-95 “Bear” strategic bomber, the Tu-114 Rossiya airliner set records as the world’s fastest turboprop aircraft.
Their Lancaster was supposed to be a lucky airplane. Luck can run out.
The EDO company was known for their "floats" but the Navy just didn't like the "cut of its jib"
Technical advancements in design couldn't keep this EDO floatplane from replacing the U.S. Navy's existing fleet of scout planes
During the Great Depression Percival Spencer wanted to bring an amphibious airplane to the average American. His ideas are still on the water today.
Percival Spencer’s 1941 Air Car design formed the template for two generations of amphibious lightplanes. For ordinary Americans living through the Great
February 11, 1939
After losing both engines due to icing, the Lockheed XP-38 Lightning prototype crash lands on the Cold Stream Golf Course while on approach to Mitchel Field, Long Island. The fighter was finishing a cross-country speed flight. Test pilot Ben Kelsey survives. Attempts by authorities to shield the "secret" design from local photographers fails miserably.
On August 15, 1945, U.S. Navy aviators fought right to the limit.
What the PZL P.11 lacked in speed and armament it almost made up for with maneuverability.
A dive bombing floatplane?
Built with more than fleet reconnaissance in mind, the Aichi E16A1 floatplane came equipped with dive brakes.
Millionaire movie mogul Howard Hughes overcame daunting production problems to shoot some of the most memorable air combat sequences ever captured on film.
March 13, 1928
Eighteen year old Eileen Vollick, passes her private pilot’s License (the Government Civil Aviation examination) and is granted Certificate No. 77. It makes her the first licensed female pilot in Canada.
History’s first homebuilt entrepreneur named his aircraft after an insect.
The Douglas AD Skyraider wasn't pretty, but its pilots and maintenance crews dubbed it the Able Dog because of its handling and dependability. Some still regard it as "the best airplane ever made for close-in attack."
On a flight fraught with peril, two pilots circumnavigated the globe in a spindly twin-boom airplane with only the fuel they carried.
It took three floatplanes and 79 days, but a pair of Portuguese airmen succeeded in crossing the South Atlantic by air five years before Lindbergh’s famous flight.
It took three floatplanes and 79 days, but a pair of Portuguese airmen succeeded in crossing the South Atlantic by air five years before Lindbergh’s famous flight
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Guy Aceto is back with his “Modeling Minute”! This week he takes on the P-47D.
Aviation History's Guy Aceto shares a minute on model airplanes. What's he building today? Check it out!
A look at the Grumman Goose at the American Heritage Museum
Aviation History magazine editor, Tom Huntington, found something unique in a used bookstore recently…
At the American Heritage Museum: 3 airplanes from 2 world wars
Aircraft at the American Heritage Museum
Biplanes galore at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
Fokker D.VIII replica: Enjoy the sound of a rotary engine.
Let's speed through NASM's new Nation of Speed gallery.
A replica 1912 Etrich Taube at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
One of the National Air and Space Museum's new galleries (opening October 14) is called One World Connected. So that's the story about the Beechcraft Bonanza hanging above the entrance? Aviation History magazine editor Tom Huntington talked to someone who knows the story.
Aviation History editor Tom Huntington was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the galleries the National Air and Space Museum will open later this week (October 14). Here he visits the Early Flight gallery and talks to the museum's Christopher Moore about the world's first military aircraft.
During a recent sneak peek at the new galleries at the National Air and Space Museum, editor Tom Huntington talked to the museum's Peter Jacob about one of the most important airplanes in history. Maybe the most important airplane.
While visiting the National Air and Space Museum yesterday, I came across this iconic aircraft.
America by Air at the National Air and Space Museum
This is half of all the world's flyable B-29s!
Watch an F-35 fly in formation with a P-51 Mustang and an A-1 Skyraider.
Here's another "fast motion" look at some airplanes at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. These are Howard airplanes, representatives of aviation's "Golden Age."
At the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. Let's learn a little bit about the Westland Lysander
What's more difficult to fly, a B-17 or a twin-engine Beech C45 (the military version of the Beech 18)? You might be surprised.
What do the judges at Oshkosh look for in vintage aircraft? Doug Smith tells us as he prepares to examine a Beech Staggering.
Members of the Douglas family showed up for the airshow at Oshkosh yesterday.
Doc flies by. At the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.
Doc takes off.
Wow! (Turn up the volume!)
The EAA Museum in Oshkosh has a Spirit of St.Louis in display. No, not THE Spirit, which the Smithsonian has. But this replica is pretty cool in its own right.
How about a walk-around of the B-29 Doc?
A fast-motion look at Boeing Plaza at the Oshkosh show. Some big stuff here!
When is a Mustang not a Mustang? When it's a Cavalier.
From Oshkosh. The story of the C-47 Yukon Sourdough.
