Archive for August, 2012

Michael Welchman, WW2 Tactical Reconnaissance Pilot SAAF

Posted on August 25th, 2012 · Posted in Pilots & Everyone Else

  Michael joined the SAAF in 1940 while he was a second year medical student at Wits university. After he qualified as a SAAF pilot he was demobilized and sent back to Wits but he persuaded the SAAF command to be re-enlisted. He was sent to North Africa in Sept..
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B-17 pilot finally lands his medal from WWII

Posted on August 25th, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News, Pilots & Everyone Else

Article By Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News Second Lt. Samuel Smith knew what he was up against when his B-17 bomber group got orders to strike a German base that was home to 16 of the war’s newest planes, the Messerschmitt Me-262 — the first jet-powered aircraft to be used..
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Flying Flatirons, From Lifting Body to Space Shuttle – 1985 Wings & Airpower CD

Posted on August 24th, 2012 · Posted in Wings & Airpower Articles

In The Race For Space, It Was Not Always The U.S. Against The Russians, Sometimes It Was NASA Against The Air Force In The Curious Case Of The Forgotten Lifting Bodies! By Terry L. Sunday, in the August 1985 edition of Wings Martin Marietta’s X-24A was the last of three..
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“Big Tail” – One of a kind SR-71 Blackbird – 2004 Wings & Airpower CD

Posted on August 24th, 2012 · Posted in Wings & Airpower Articles

By Tony Landis, in the December 2004 edition of Wings Shortly after the first SR-71s began flying operational missions over North Vietnam, the Air Force began looking into ways of expanding the capabilities of this exotic aircraft. With its versatile interchangeable noses, mission planners would have to make a choice..
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WWII B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber “Aluminum Overcast”

Posted on August 23rd, 2012 · Posted in Gun Camera Videos

Touring the United States since 1994, tens of thousands have experienced the allure of EAA’s fully restored B-17 Flying Fortress, named “Aluminum Overcast.” History comes alive at each stop, prompting aviation and history enthusiasts alike to take a step back in time. Editor’s note: Don’t miss the opportunity to take..
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U-2 Pilots Looking Very Bad-Ass

Posted on August 23rd, 2012 · Posted in Reconnaissance Photos

Great photo of U-2 pilots getting ready for the commemoration of the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron’s Centennial.   From WikiPedia: The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force reconnaissance training unit based at Beale Air Force Base, near Marysville, California. It is the oldest squadron in the Air Force,..
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Videos of NASA Supper Guppy delivering Space Shuttle Trainer

Posted on August 23rd, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News

The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy is a large, wide-bodied cargo aircraft used for ferrying outsized cargo components. It was the successor to the Pregnant Guppy, the first of the Guppy aircraft produced by Aero Spacelines. Five were built in two variants, both of which were colloquially referred to as the..
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Trade-A-Plane celebrates 75 years as general aviation’s pre-eminent marketplace

Posted on August 23rd, 2012 · Posted in Aviation News

This year, 2012, marks the 75th anniversary of Trade-A-Plane, The Aviation MarketPlace, as General Aviation’s pre-eminent “buy/sell” resource for everything that keeps you flying.   “Since 1937, Trade-A-Plane has served General Aviation as the first choice among active buyers and sellers,” said Cosby Stone, publisher. “We are now a fourth-generation,..
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The Last Corsair – 1981 Wings & Airpower CD

Posted on August 22nd, 2012 · Posted in Wings & Airpower Articles

A First Hand Account on the Restoration of an F4U Corsair That Will Endure For Centuries, by the Curator of Aircraft at the National Air & Space Museum. By Robert C. Mikesh, September 1981 edition of Airpower Expected to one day become the sole survivor of this breed of aircraft,..
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Video Tours of the first Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380

Posted on August 22nd, 2012 · Posted in Factory Fresh

The new Malaysia Airline Airbus A380 ferried from Toulouse as flight MH5439, arrived 29 June 2012 to a traditional water salute welcome, followed by a ceremony attended by Minister of Transport, Y.B. Dato’ Seri Kong Cho Ha, airport and government officials, travel trade and invited guests. The brand new, state-of-the-art..
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