Archive for March, 2013

Factory Fresh, the Airbus Military A400M Transport

Posted on March 15th, 2013 · Posted in Factory Fresh

The first production Airbus Military A400M new generation airlifter has made its maiden flight, marking a key milestone towards its delivery to the French Air Force. The aircraft, known as MSN7, took off from Seville, Spain, at 11:48 local time (GMT+1) and landed back in Seville 5 hours and 42..
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Meet the SABRE Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine

Posted on March 14th, 2013 · Posted in Aviation News

Reaction Engines Ltd. announces the biggest breakthrough in aerospace propulsion technology since the invention of the jet engine. Critical tests have been successfully completed on the key technology for SABRE, an engine which will enable aircraft to reach the opposite side of the world in under 4 hours, or to..
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Longest Serving Delta Pilot Retires After 45 Years, Never Missed Day Of Work

Posted on March 13th, 2013 · Posted in Pilots & Everyone Else

Captain Calvin “Cal” Flanigan retired from Delta Airlines last Friday, after devoting 45 years of service to the airline. Thirty-seven of those years were served as a pilot for the company. And, to top off his incredible career, he never missed a day of work. Flanigan first joined Delta as..
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Wichita Business Leaders Take the B-29 Doc Restoration Under Their Wing

Posted on March 11th, 2013 · Posted in Aviation News

A vintage B-29 has been given a new lease on life by a group of Wichita, Kansas, business leaders who are determined to see the airplane restored to flying condition. A new non-profit group, Doc’s Friends, has taken ownership of the airplane and will support the effort to refurbish the..
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Betty ‘Tack’ Blake, Only surving member of 1st WASP class

Posted on March 10th, 2013 · Posted in Pilots & Everyone Else

by Randy Roughton, US Air Force News Service ast year, a young female pilot recently showed her 91-year-old guest the F-16 Fighting Falcon she flies at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. She thanked Betty “Tack” Blake several times as she talked about her job, so Blake finally asked the young..
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PBS to air documentary about Ypsilanti’s legendary Willow Run B-24 bomber factory

Posted on March 9th, 2013 · Posted in Aviation News

“The Story of Willow Run” was a black and white documentary produced by the Ford Motor Company in 1945. The documentary describes the history of the bomber plant during the World War II period. According to the Michigan Aerospace Foundation, the documentary recounts the building of the massive assembly plant, and the production..
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WWII Bomber project needs new home

Posted on March 2nd, 2013 · Posted in Aviation News

AN AMBITIOUS project to recreate one of the great workhorses of the Second World War could be in jeopardy unless new premises are found to complete the work. Members of the Stirling Project in St Neots, which relies entirely on donations in its aim to create the world’s only Stirling..
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First female USAF fighter pilot continues to break stereotypes

Posted on March 1st, 2013 · Posted in Pilots & Everyone Else

by Randy Roughton, US Air Force News Service After Col. Jeannie Leavitt finished pilot training at the top of her class in 1992, she was given her first choice of aircraft, with a few restrictions. Her first choice, the F-15 Strike Eagle, wasn’t yet an option for female pilots. “I..
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