Table of Contents—September 2013, Aviation History

FEATURES

Wave-Top Marauder
By Evan Hadingham
Flying low-level missions over the Adriatic was risky business for British Marauder crews.

Screaming Birds of Prey
By Stephan Wilkinson
The Germans didn’t invent dive bombing, but with the Ju-87 Stuka they refined the tactic to a degree never before seen.

Short-Lived Glory
By Rich Johns Matthies
Tragedy struck the Canberra/B-57 bomber program during a December 1951 evaluation flight.

The Gardenville Project
By Bruce Buckfelder
The iconic bubble-canopy Bell 47 helicopter was developed by trial and error in a converted car dealership.

Deadly Duo
By O’Brien Browne
Despite their lofty reputations, the Sopwith Camel and Fokker Dr.I triplane were nearly as dangerous to their pilots as they were to their opponents.

Bertie Lee’s Final Flight
By David F. Crosby
Against all odds, the battered Flying Fortress limped back to base on two engines after a brutal mission.

ONLINE EXTRAS

Discussion:

During the 1940s, the Gardenville Project (story, P. 38) demonstrated that a small team of dedicated employees could use trail and error to develop a groundbreaking aircraft, in this case the Bell Model 47 helicopter. Do you think modern aircraft designers might use the same technique, and if so, in what context?

Share your comments.