Lockheed L-100: The World's Best Military Cargo Plane Given Classy Civilian Threads
3 Aug 2023, 22:12 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / As the C-130 platform enters its eighth calendar decade in operation, it'd simply be wrong to omit the L-100 from the history books.
Grumman Bearcat: America's Favorite WWII Navy Fighter Made Lighter and Better
29 Jul 2023, 21:18 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Ultimately, the Bearcat's shining moment in U.S. Navy Service came not in combat but with the Blue Angles aerial acrobatic squadron.
Boeing XB-15: The Story Behind the B-29's Long Forgotten Ancestor
28 Jul 2023, 17:57 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / The Boeing XB-15 was nothing short of instrumental in the development of the B-29. Without one, the other might not exist at all.
Third Aerial Girls Squad: A One-Off Fighter Jet Anime That's Like Initial D in the Sky
23 Jul 2023, 04:50 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Did I regret dedicating half an hour of my time to watching the one episode of Third Aerial Girls Squad? Honestly, I can't say that I did.
Gulfstream American Hustler: Half-Turboprop, Half-Turbojet, 100-Percent a Weird Idea
22 Jul 2023, 16:31 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / The Gulfstream American Hustler never carried a single paying passenger in either its 400 or 500 forms. But that wouldn't Gulfstream from trying.
Mikoyan MiG 1.44: The Certified-Soviet Story of Russia’s First Gen-V Fighter Prototype
21 Jul 2023, 03:28 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / he sole MiG 1.44 was only seen a handful of times again after the year 2000, the last being at the International Aviation and Space Show (MAKS) in 2015.
Very Large but Not in Charge: The Story of the Forgotten Douglas XB-19
16 Jul 2023, 19:55 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Today, only a handful of artifacts from the great plane still exist, including two of its colossal main tires in museums.
The Abrams P-1 Explorer Was a Shutterbug's Dream, a Plane Built Just for Photography
15 Jul 2023, 21:21 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / The story behind the Abrams Explorer is one of stunning innovation at a time when almost every aerospace engineer worth their salt was working for the military.
Stealth Dorito: The A-12 Avenger II Stealth Jet Walked So the F-35C Could Run
11 Jul 2023, 03:20 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / It'd take until 2019 for the Navy to finally procure their first stealth jet, the venerable Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II.
Ryan FR-1 Fireball: The WWII U.S. Navy's Idea of a Hybrid Drivetrain
9 Jul 2023, 21:38 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Today, only a single remaining example of an FR-1 Fireball remains on display at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California.
Allison T40: The Tale of an Engine So Unreliable, It Made the U.S. Military Rage-Quit
8 Jul 2023, 14:05 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / The story of the American Allison T40 turboprop engine is one of innovation, blood, sweat, and several gallons of engineer tears.
Honey, I Shrunk the 747: The Story of the Boeing 747SP
13 Jun 2023, 22:34 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Today, only a handful of 747SPs remain in service with global cargo carriers. So if you look up in the sky one day and see one, know it's very special.
Piper PA-48 Enforcer: A World War II Icon Made a CAS King With an Engine Swap
11 Jun 2023, 19:42 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / By the end of the Cavalier Mustang II's days on sale, it was clear the old P-51's Merlin engines had reached the zenith of its aeronautical capability.
The Mount Rushmore of Aviation Pioneers ("Without the Wright Brothers" Edition)
6 Jun 2023, 20:16 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Here are some names from the earliest days of aviation that deserve just as much spotlight as the Wright Brothers receive
Ilyushin Il-20: What Happens When the Soviets Try To Build a Tank With Wings
24 May 2023, 07:12 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / But what happens when a Soviet aviation bureau tries to build a flying tank? You get the Ilyushin Il-20, essentially the familiar Il-2/10 with extra armor
War Thunder Fans Declare War on Gaijin Entertainment, Review Bomb Their Steam Page
21 May 2023, 17:30 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Whether Gaijin Entertainment truly heeds the advice of its fanbase and addresses issues with a corrupt and feckless economy and Soviet bias has yet to be seen.
Spotlight USA: Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Is Where Long Lost Warbirds Come Back to Life
21 May 2023, 05:54 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Located just over 100 miles from mid-town Manhattan, NYC, in the cozy little nook of Rhinebeck, long-lost biplanes wow people from across NY State.
Fairey Gannet: The Plucky Story of the Ugliest Attack Jet Ever Built
21 May 2023, 00:26 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / While British train stations and city buildings continued the arduous rebuilding process, the Royal Navy's Fairey Gannet took flight for the post-war Royal Navy
Access Denied: These Canceled Jet Fighters Prove NATO Doesn't Always Get Its Way
11 May 2023, 01:03 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Today, let's dive into a few military jet prototypes NATO decided not to add to the military-industrial complex for one reason or another.
Merlins Over Jerusalem: How Israel Got Their Hands on Spitfires and Mustangs After WWII
4 May 2023, 21:48 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / The story of how the fledgling Israeli state got its hands on Britain and America's favorite piston fighters is one of long odds and geo-political chess play