Afterburner - The Aviation Magazine

18 July 2025

AVIATION HISTORY

18 July 1803 – Étienne-Gaspard Robert breaks the flight altitude record

On 18th July 1803, Étienne-Gaspard Robert set the new flight altitude record of 7,170 metres, flying with montgolfière-type hot air balloon. Étienne-Gaspard Robert was born on 15th June 1763, in the then Prince-Bishopric of Liége (now Liége, Belgium). He received [...]
SPACE

25 billion kilometres from Earth and counting – Voyager 1

At the moment we publish this article, the Voyager 1 space probe is approaching another milestone in space exploration – the distance of 25 billion kilometres (15.534 billion miles / 167.115 Astronomical Units) from Earth. The spacecraft, launched on 5th [...]
PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze

Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze (c/n 100406, formerly operated by Kriegsmarine / the German Navy), exhibited at Hubschraubermuseum Bückeburg (Bückeburg Helicopter Museum), June 2025. The idea of using an aircraft to improve observation range of submarines was born in Germany somewhere [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

Time for changes – USAF is getting ready for the A-10 retirement

At the end of June, a fleet of upgraded F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft arrived at Osan Air Base in Republic of Korea. The aircraft were transferred from the 35th Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force (USAF) and were [...]
AVIATION HISTORY

11 July 1891 – Joseph Sadi-Lecointe is born

On 11th July 1891, the French aviation pioneer and test pilot Joseph Sadi-Lecointe, was born in Saint-Germain-sur-Bresle, Somme department in France. In his early years, Sadi-Lecointe worked as mechanic in one of aviation factories near Paris. There, he developed his [...]

Operation K – the longest bomb raid at the time

AVIATION HISTORY

26 May 2025

Between 3rd and 5th March 1942, the naval aviation of the Japanese Imperial Navy performed the long-range bomb raid on Oahu Island, commonly known as the second attack on Pearl Harbor. Officially codenamed Kē-Sakusen (K作戦 [...]

20th anniversary of Gripen service with the Czech Air Force

FEATURED

21 April 2025

Twenty years ago, on 18th April 2005, the first Swedish-made supersonic jet fighters arrived to 21. základna taktického letectva (the 21st Tactical Air Force Base) in Čáslav, therefore opening the Gripen era in the Czech [...]

AVIATION HISTORY