And in the end ... friends

Piloting one of 21 Fw 190s of II. Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 1, Oberleutnant Wolfgang Kretschmer, during the March 6, 1944 Berlin Air Raid, took part in the noon head-on attack on the 13th Combat Bomb Wing. As he emerged from the rear of the B-17 formation, he instinctively glanced back at the receding enemy bombers and saw the one he had attacked, rear up and out of control. Others, trailing smoke or losing height, were obviously in trouble. The German pilot turned back to the front to find that the rest of his unit had disappeared. He was alone. Undaunted, Kretschmer pulled a tight turn and sped after the enemy bombers, determined to deliver a follow-up attack from the rear.

Mustang VS Thunderbolt

A 78th Fighter Group combat pilot’s inside analysis

FLYING THE NORTH AMERICAN P-51 Mustang

A triple Ace reports from the cockpit

The Secrets of Truk Lagoon

Project Recover locates three missing World War II aircraft

The iconic '80s aviation action classic returns to thrill a new generation

Can you believe it’s been 34 years since we first saw Tom Cruise catapult off a carrier deck and up into the danger zone as Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun? That jet-propelled ode to air-to-air combat in the jet age is without question one of the most iconic films of the 1980s—so much so that in 2015 the Library of Congress deemed it to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” enough to be archived in the National Film Registry! It was also the highest-grossing film of 1986, which probably has more to do with why Paramount Pictures and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have been trying for a decade to get a sequel off the deck—and now they have.

Battle of the Superfighters

F-14D Tomcat vs F/A - 18E/F Super Hornet

Clipwing Monocoupe

The Monocoupe Corp. built only seven Monocoupe 110 Specials (or 110 SPL), also called the Clipwing Monocoupe. The most famous was flown by legendary airshow pilot Woody Edmundson, who, in 1946, replaced the original 145 hp Warner Scarab engine with a 185 hp one that had an inverted flight carburetor and an Aeromatic propeller. He nicknamed the plane Little Butch and flew it for the next 19 years.

A good landing is one you can walk away from

No, this is not a scene from any movie where the hero staggers away from a “good landing” on Mindoro, Philippine Islands, after being shot down by a Japanese Zero; it is an actual photo of Lt. S. F. Ford walking away from a virtually new Lockheed P-38L-5-LO Lightning that he crash-landed, probably some time after January 1945.

WHAT THE FAA LADY SAID

LEARNING TO KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT

WHERE THE LION ROARS

FLYING WITH MACK AIR IN BOTSWANA

WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE

GENERAL AVIATION IN SAUDI ARABIA

THE PRIUS AND THE PRIVATE PLANE

IT’S EASIER TO BE A GOOD CITIZEN ON THE ROAD THAN IN THE AIR

SERIAL GRILLER

WILL FLY FOR BBQ

TEXAS AIRCRAFT COLT

CAN THIS LSA BECOME A REAL 21ST-CENTURY TRAINER?

TEST PILOT

TAKE YOUR POST-MAINTENANCE FLIGHT WITH CAUTION

LESSONS FROM THE MOUNTAINS

A PILOT’S RETURN TO THE BACKCOUNTRY

GENERAL AVIATION COPES WITH CORONAVIRUS

THE COMMUNITY’S EFFORTS TO KEEP FLYING

ENOUGH SPEED, WITH LITTLE TO COMPROMISE

Grumman AA-5 Series

WE FLY: PILATUS' NEW PC-12 NGX

The latest edition of the popular single-engine turboprop will make any jet pilot feel right at home.

SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL

The year 2020 has begun with significant efforts by business aviation to promote and use sustainable aviation fuel (discussed in this issue in Peter Garrison’s Technicalities).

PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR EFFICIENT FLIGHT TRAINING

USING TECHNOLOGY TO FLY SMARTER—WITHOUT SACRIFICING SAFETY

NEW ADVENTURE

PLOTTING OUR RETURN TO THE LAND AND SKIES

In Depth

CYNDHI BERWYN - FROM THE AIR FORCE TO FLYING A HOSPITAL

How to Weather BAD WEATHER

It’s Best Done by the Book

HORTEN HX-2 UPDATE

The striking Horten HX-2 flying wing that was unveiled in Friedrichshafen, Germany, in April 2018 has completed the initial stages of its flight testing and continues to progress through ground-vibration and flutter testing at Horten headquarters near Eisenach.

CONSERVATION FROM ABOVE

FLYING WITH LIGHTHAWK

BAR HARBOR, MAINE, RNAV (GPS) RWY 22

Whether you’re flying to the Maine coastline to add your name to the list of the 3 million annual visitors to Acacia National Park or to try to decide which restaurants really are the 10 best for lobster in the region, you might come face to face with the RNAV (GPS) Runway 22 for an approach into Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport (KBHB).

NO RUSH

TAKE TWO SECONDS TO SAVE A LOT OF TROUBLE

THE BLUE MAX 2020 - CELEBRATING WW I AVIATION

Each year at the end of January, the annual Blue Max event is held at Sanford Aero Modelers RC Club field in Sanford, Florida. This year, the gathering ran from January 24 through 26. Now in its eleventh year, this is one of the events everyone looks forward to; not just because of the laid-back atmosphere and great camaraderie, but also because the weather is always beautiful at this time of year in Florida. For 2020, with temperatures in the 70s, Mother Nature did not disappoint.

THE BEST PRODUCTS WE'VE TRIED AND TESTED THIS YEAR

Each year, the Model Airplane News editors collaborate to select the products and models of the past year that deserve special recognition. We have the enviable job of trying out an amazing array of airplanes and drones and a plethora of related accessories and products from the RC hobby, and each year dozens of products are reviewed on the pages of our magazine. We evaluate design, construction, and—most of all—performance. So after much thought, consideration, and debate, here are this year’s winners.