Stories about aircraft no longer serving operationally in the military
Submitted by Jason on Fri, 03/26/2010 - 04:00
From a purely aviation operations perspective, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a masterpiece of planning and execution. The retaliatory Doolitle Raid was perhaps less impressive planning and more an awesome display of guts and innovation. I have a special place in my heart for the Raiders, especially those of the 34th Bomb Squadron. As such, I always love to watch B-25s fly.
Submitted by Jason on Fri, 03/26/2010 - 04:00
The B-25 that flew at Thunder in the Valley was beautiful. Polished to a shine and sounding great, it made several passes and made me wonder what it would feel like to see one headed my way back in the early 40's. 'Not good' topped the list.
The DC-3 happened to be sitting very close to the flight line and made a great foreground for several pictures. Though used differently, these two planes definitely look like they come from a similar era. Someday, I'd like to fly both.
Submitted by Ted on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 21:45
Google and Bing both have some great high-res shots of the Davis-Monthan AFB "Boneyard." High enough to actually identify most of the models and even check to make sure we're still complying with the START treaty by lopping the wings off of B-52's (check the lower right hand corner). AMARG, the group responsible for the facility, boasts an inventory of over 4,400 aircraft. The F-4's alone are supposedly worth around $27Billion, or at least that's what was paid for them... I wonder if they'd mind me pulling the ole flatbed up and absconding with a couple of the T-38's they've got just sitting around?
Submitted by Ted on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 22:58
Color me skeptical and maybe just a little bit interested in this night flight "experience". It's being pitched by the folks at Fantasy of Flight down in Florida. They've got some pretty spectacular aircraft with some serious history but I'm just not sure they rate a "paranormal investigation." However, if ghost tours are your thing and you don't mind getting a private evening tour of the Fantasy of Flight collection then you'd better sign up quick cause these late night events are filling up fast!
Submitted by Jason on Thu, 01/28/2010 - 04:42
As mentioned by articles on CNN and Wired, the most famous Airbus A320 in the world is up for auction. That's right, Chartis Insurance now owns the aircraft that Captain Sully Sullenberger landed on the Hudson River as US Airways Flight 1549. It's totaled and they're selling it basically as scrap to see what they can get. So, anyone want to get together and buy it with me?
Submitted by Jason on Sat, 10/24/2009 - 08:44
I found a fun article in my EAA newsletter this week. This aircraft you see here is at the EAA's museum in Oshkosh, WI. It is a one-of-a-kind made by automobile legend Ettore Bugatti to be a racer, but it never flew. It's too bad. Given that pedigree and just the way it looks, this thing has to be fast! Two EAA members seem to feel the same way and have make it their quest to build a flying copy of it...from scratch.
Submitted by Jason on Sun, 08/16/2009 - 16:23
Pensacola, FL, is a 100% Navy town. You could call it the cradle of naval aviation. Naval pilot and navigator training for fixed-wing and helicopters all takes place in the Pensacola area. Air Force aircraft avoid Pensacola airspace because it is constantly patrolled by T-34's, T-6's, TH-57's and more. Being a Navy town, it's bound to have some great Naval history. Part of that is the Naval Aviation Museum.
AviationBull editors Jason & Jon got to stop by that museum this weekend and it was an outstanding trip!
Submitted by Jason on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 08:37
There has been some buzz lately over the discovery and reconstruction of a Nazi aircraft called the Horten 229. This was one of the many impressive Nazi machines that wasn't developed until too late into the war to be fully fielded. Aside from being absolutely beautiful, this aircraft warrants special interest because it successfully employed stealth technology decades ahead of its time.
