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FEATURES

The Warplane Nobody Wanted
By Stephan Wilkinson
The A-10 Warthog was built for one mission: close air support. But does a single-mission airplane still make sense today?

The Magnificent Seven
By Don Hollway
Only seven American WWII aces managed to repeat the feat in F-86s during the Korean War.

The First Ground-Pounders
By Arnold Blumberg
Germany seized upon the concept of close air ground support in 1917, making it a viable battle tool.

Mystery of the Ghost Blimp
By John J. Geoghegan
The crew of the U.S. Navy’s L-8 disappeared not far from the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Lucky Bastard Club
By Richard Bauman
Some bomber crewmen who survived a prescribed number of missions were inducted into an informal brotherhood.

Spitfire vs. Spitfire
By Derek O’Connor
During Israel’s War of Independence, confusion over just who was the enemy had fatal consequences.

DEPARTMENTS  
Mailbag

Briefing

Restored
By Russ Albertson
What it’s like to fly in the last airworthy Douglas SBD-5.

Aviators
By Jay Wertz
P-38 pilot P.J. Dahl had a knack for surviving crashes.

 

 Extremes
By Robert Guttman
AEG’s J.I was the first airplane to feature armor protection.Letter From Aviation HistoryReviews

Flight Test
By John Guttman

Aero Poster

ONLINE EXTRAS

Discussion:

Due to budget cutbacks, the U.S. Air Force has proposed the retirement of the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, with Lockheed’s F-35A Lightning II slated to take over its close air support mission. Is it time to put the highly regarded Warthog out to pasture, or should its service life be extended?

Share your thoughts in the comments box below.

 

 

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