Flying Home Made Machines

Is flying home made machines safe? Just ask Wilbur and Orville Wright. They tried and failed. Then they tried again and again, finally succeeding in getting man in the air (if only briefly) in 1903. Maybe the most famous aviation explorers in American history this team of brothers didn’t let fear stand in their way of success. Still, their journey towards building the very first airplane didn’t... 

A French Pioneer ‘South of the Border’ Part II

As with Argentina, several other South American nations ushered in the aviation age riding the back of the venerable Bleriot Type XI monoplane. Of all the nations that compose the Latin part of the Western Hemisphire, no one has the sheer mass, vast natural resources and commercial capabilities than Brazil. By far, the largest nation in Latin America at the turn of the century, Brazil was just awakening... 

A French Pioneer ‘South of the Border’ Part I

Without a doubt, the Bleriot XI monoplane was one of the most revolutionizing aircraft of the Twentieth Century. Designed and built by the famous French pioneer, Louis Bleriot, it became a staple in the early days of aviation when, with his inventor at the controls, it managed to cross the English Channel on the morning of July 25th 1909. The amazing feat placed Bleriot and France atop of the nascent... 

HALO in the Skies - Britains Attempt at Stealth Technology

The once mighty British Royal Air Force Base at Warton, home to major elements of the British Royal Air Force during World War II, is now a development and testing facility for the BAE System Corporation, the last of Great Britain’s biggest aircraft design and developmental companies. Warton’s runways had been proving ground for some of Britain’s greatest aircrafts of the last four... 

The Incredible B-70 Valkyrie Bomber

The B-70 Valkyrie supersonic heavy bomber was one of the most elegant planes that ever took to the skies. It was not only a remarkable looking aircraft but also the most advanced flying platform of its time. Its elegant design and airborne avionic systems were decades ahead of its peers. Just the sight of a Valkyrie flying sent chills down the collective spines of military leaders in both America and... 

Charles Hamilton - Flying With A Pioneer - Part 2

The last time we saw Charles Hamilton he was tracking down American aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss with the hopes of learning the difficult art of flying from one of the masters. Although the pair did not met until October 1909, it was rumored that Curtiss kept a close eye on the flying prodigy, probably because of his association with the New York aviation scene. In November 1909, the duo made its... 

Project Tom-Tom

Project Tom-Tom was originated by the United States Air Force’s Strategic Air Command as a way to provide its long range heavy bomber fleets with a fighter umbrella by towing them on semi-fixed wing links. The concept of the MX-1018, the programs official call-sign, was devised from the FICO (Fighter Conveyor) system. A program initiated by the US Air Force in the 1950s to test the feasibility... 

The Blackburn Baffin

The Blackburn Baffin’s design was directly influenced by the early versions of the Ripon torpedo/bomber platform. But unlike the underpowered Ripon, the Baffin B-5, as the aircraft was marked, was sufficiently equipped for its proposing operational role. Inspired by alterations performed on Ripons in Finland, Major FA Bumpus, the chief designer of the B-5; decided to incorporate into the new... 

The strange looking S.55

The Savoia-Marchetti S.55 has to be one of the most distinctive airplanes ever to take to the skies. The S.55 was conceived to meet a Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) requirement calling for a long range, heavy carrying flying boat capable of delivering a lethal combination of free fall bombs and/or torpedoes. The aircraft first took to the skies in a cold afternoon of August 1924. At a... 

The Gloster Rocket

The development of the jet engine revolutionized the design of both military and civilian aircraft, but it was the former, particularly the fighter platform, which benefited first. Frank Whittle’s achievement in developing the jet has been well covered but the task of producing the first generation of aircraft designed to use his engines, mainly by the Gloster Aircraft Company, is not so well... 

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