CATEGORIES

The Art of James Dietz

A historical painting is only as good as the story it tells, and how convincingly it combines the people, their actions, costumes, surroundings and atmosphere in an appropriate composition.

I Will Run Wild: The Pacific War from Pearl Harbor to Midway

In I Will Run Wild, Cleaver expertly captures the strained relationship between the U.S. and Japan prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Restoring a Classic

A Canadian Staggerwing Gets a New Life

FIRST KILLS!

F-82 OPERATIONS IN THE KOREAN WAR

Preserving aviation history

Duplicate history

HURRICANE FORCE

Group Capt. Billy Drake: A Gentleman and an Ace

BAILOUT AT 70,000 FEET

A U-2 pilot hits the silk at the edge of outer space

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.

THE GEICO SKYTPERS

The family-run business that changed the skywriting industry forever!

FLYING THE Bf 109: Two pilots give their reports

The Bf 109 is, without a doubt, the most satisfying and challenging aircraft I have ever flown. So how does it fly and how does it compare with other WW II fighters?

FIRST RAID TO BLECHHAMMER

Escaping and Evading in Southwest Slovakia

EYES IN THE SKY

An inside look at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s modern drone collection

Flying Backseat in a Texan

Recently, senior editor Gerry Yarrish had an experience of a lifetime when he was able to fly backseat with Nick Ziroli Jr. in his beautiful AT-6 Texan.

AVIATION'S LIVING HISTORY

The museums and tours that are keeping warbirds alive and aloft!

POINT BLANK!

Jugs Over the Battle of the Bulge

THEIR FINEST HOUR

THE SUMMER OF 2020 WILL MARK 80 YEARS SINCE THE BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE (RAF) AND NAZI GERMANY’S LUFTWAFFE FOUGHT THE WORLD’S FIRST GREAT AIR CAMPAIGN

ZERO Myth, Mystery, and Fact

A test pilot compares the A6M5 Zero to U.S. fighters

NIGHT FIGHTERS in the Battle of the Bulge

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS FROM THE 422 SQUADRON'S PILOTS AND CREWS

Building an RC Blackbird

An SR-71 nine years in the making

Untold Story: How The USAF Won The Korean War But Couldn't Tell Anyone

Not even the most aggressive aerial bombing in history was winning the Korean War, until one heroic Air Force mission did the impossible—ended the war—and violated every rule command leadership had created. Author Thomas McKelvey Cleaver reveals the secrets behind this daring mission.

Confessions Of A Type Hunter

What, you may logically ask, is a type hunter? Well, they come in degrees, but a dedicated type hunter is a severely addicted person with a clear goal to fly as many different types of airplanes as possible. He or she can’t explain why. It just is.

Elliptical Elegance: Flying And Evaluating The Seafire Mark III

It’s commonly agreed that the Spitfire/Seafire configuration was the most beautiful fighter ever. Its elliptical wing and long, slim fuselage were most delightful to the eye, and its flight characteristics equaled its aerodynamic excellence. The Navy Spitfire, the Seafire, was heavier, but otherwise retained all of the Spitfire’s delightful flight characteristics.

Lost Cause: Luftwaffe Bombers

The Uphill Struggle