The Piper Cub is the aircraft that made flying accessible to most and is often called the “Ford Model T” of aviation. With over 19,000 Cubs produced until 1946, it is still a very popular aircraft and copies are still being produced today, more than 70 years after its first flight. 1. This Cub,…Continue reading Piper Cub
1. The P-51D template. Freshly out of the factory… 2. This P-51C is owned by the Commemorative Air Force. It is used by the Red Tail Project to tell the story of the Tuskegee airmen. Please visit their website for more information. 3. AG636 was a Mustang Mk I that served with No 2 Squadron…Continue reading North American P-51 Mustang
The Tiger Moth is a true aviation legend. Having entered service in the early 1930s, this well-loved biplane remained the RAF’s primary trainer until 1952. Many aircraft have been preserved and still fly today. 1. This D.H.82A(T-8209) is preserved at the Polish Aviation Museum at Cracow, Poland. It carries its wartime colours of No 25…Continue reading de Havilland D.H.82 Tiger Moth
The Ar 234 Blitz was the world’s first operational jet bomber. Despite being used in limited numbers, it proved to be a successful design, being the only attack/bombing/reconnaissance type capable of surviving in the midst of Allied air superiority in 1944-45. 1. Ar 234 S10 (Wk. Nr. 140110) used by Erprobungskommando 234 at Rechlin-Lärz…Continue reading Arado Ar 234 “Blitz”
The Tucano is a very successful trainer/light attack aircraft designed by Embraer. It has been widely exported and is notably used by Brazil, France and Great-Britain. 1. The first Tucano received by the French were painted in a lively red and white scheme. This aircraft was operated by the EPNAA 05.312 (Flight and Navigation…Continue reading Embraer EMB 312 Tucano
The P-47 was (and still is) the largest single-engine piston-engine fighter ever produced. Although it was ill-suited to engage nimble fighters in aerial combat, its firepower and ruggedness made it perfect for ground attack. The P-47 and its British counterpart, the Hawker Typhoon, made close air support possible. 1. Colonel Hubert “Hub” Zemke’s P-47C-5-RE, named…Continue reading Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
One of the most amazing designs in aviation history, the Blackbird was a great achievement of the Skunk Works, headed by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson. 1. 61-7955 was based at Edwards AFB, Ca., and used as a flight test aircraft by Lockheed and the Air Force, to test new systems and configurations for the rest of…Continue reading Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
The Berkut is a technology demontrator with an inverted swept-wing. Consequently, I was asked to create a top view of the aircraft. I’d never done one but the result is better than I feared it would be.
“Lady Lil” was a B-25J-22 flown by Lt Albert Beiga of the 498th BS, 345th BG.
1. B-25B 40-2242 and its crew belonged to the 95th Bomb Squadron of the 17th Bomb Group. Its crew was composed of pilot Capt. Edward J. York, copilot Lt. Robert G. Emmens, navigator Lt. Nolan A. Herndon, bombardier SSgt. Theodore H. Laban and engineer/gunner Sgt. David W. Pohl. The aircraft, the eighth to take off…Continue reading The North American B-25 Mitchell of the Doolittle raid (April 18, 1942)