Over the Side: Life on the Edge of an Aircraft Carrier
A U.S. Navy aerial photographer captured dramatic images of aircraft carrier flight operations during the Korean War.
Build Your Own Rainbow
In 1943 the U.S. Army Air Forces urgently needed a long-range photoreconnaissance aircraft to track Japanese forces in the Pacific. Republic Aviation proposed the XF-12 for that role.
Flight of the Yellow Bird and the First Transatlantic Stowaway
Three Frenchmen were in for a surprise when they took off from Maine’s Old Orchard Beach on a transatlantic flight attempt to Paris in 1929.
Northrop’s Radical Flying Wing Bomber of the 1940s
Jack Northrop dreamed big with his futuristic flying wing, but the radical bomber proved too great a technological leap for his company to bridge in the late 1940s.
Sitting Ducks Over Normandy: A C-47 Pilot Remembers D-Day
A C-47 pilot gives his son a firsthand look at the dangerous missions he flew in flak-filled skies on D-Day and beyond.
The Forgotten Story of Midway’s Marine Defenders
Outnumbered and outgunned, the Marine pilots of VMF-221 paid a heavy price for their heroic efforts to stem the Japanese onslaught on Midway Atoll.
Combat Veteran BUFF: Restoring a Vietnam War Bomber
Some of the volunteers working to restore a historic B-52D Stratofortress at the Yankee Air Museum serviced the very same aircraft during the Vietnam War.
Poll Triplane: What Happened to This German Giant?
The Poll Giant would have been World War I’s biggest bomber—had it actually been completed.
Lindbergh’s Path to Glory and Everlasting Fame
Before he gained a worldwide reputation as "Lucky Lindy," Charles A. Lindbergh developed a solid repertoire of aviation skills.
Why Did This Crazy Kitplane Kill So Many Pilots?
Jim Bede aimed high with his little homebuilt BD-5 bullet, but engine woes and questionable financial moves caused him to overshoot the target.
What Happened to the Soviet Supersonic Transport?
Dubbed the “Concordski” by Western journalists, the Tupolev Tu-144 never achieved the success of its Anglo-French counterpart.
Why Britain’s World War II Turret Fighters Failed
Arming a fighter plane with nothing more than a four-gun turret proved unique—but not brilliantly successful.
Building a Boulton Paul Defiant Mk. I
The Boulton Paul Defiant was a curious sort of fighter. The British airplane was designed around a single motorized turret with a mean-looking set of four .303-inch Browning machine guns.
