Afterburner - The Aviation Magazine

10 June 2026

OTHER

NASA’s X-59 aeroplane completes its first supersonic flight

On Friday, 5 June 2026, NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft reached a major milestone by flying faster than the speed of sound for the first time. During the 81-minute flight, the X-59 performed as expected, achieving a speed of Mach 1.1 [...]
PHOTO OF THE WEEK

SZD-22C Mucha Standard

SZD-22C Mucha Standard (c/n F-642, SP-2258), participating in the International Vintage Glider and Classic Hang Glider Rally, Witków, May 2026. The SZD-22 was the final development of the successful Mucha (Fly, order Diptera) series, designed and produced by Szybowcowy Zakład [...]
SPACE

UK astronaut John McFall moves closer to historic space mission

The UK Space Agency recently announced that, thanks to an agreement signed between the UK Government and the US commercial space company Vast, British astronaut John McFall has the opportunity to become the first person with a physical disability to [...]
AVIATION HISTORY

5 June 1909 – the first National Balloon Race in the United States

On 5 June 1909, the first official national balloon championship in the United States, the National Balloon Race, took place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The first official balloon race in the United States was organised by Carl Fisher, a well-known [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

Saab and General Atomics reach milestone with the first flight of AEW UAV

The Swedish company Saab and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) from the USA have successfully completed the maiden flight of the world’s first unmanned Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft. This significant milestone was achieved by integrating Saab’s LoyalEye radar [...]

From active duty to history – a short review of military aircraft retirements in 2025

FEATURED

14 January 2026

The year 2025 marked aviation history with several notable farewells to iconic military aircraft. These included both well-known workhorses from the Cold War era and relatively newer designs that proved ineffective in the modern combat [...]

First ever wingsuit foil soaring flight with altitude gain

DREAMERS AND DOERS

26 November 2025

In its press release published on 19 November 2025, the Red Bull company announced that Austrian wingsuit pioneer Peter Salzmann had once again pushed the boundaries of what is possible in human flight. This time, [...]

FEATURED