Afterburner - The Aviation Magazine

26 February 2026

AVIATION HISTORY

27 February 1965 – first flight of Antonov An-22

On 27 February 1965, prototype of the Antonov An-22 Antey, a heavy turboprop strategic transport aircraft (NATO reporting name: “Cock”), performed its maiden flight from Kyiv to Uzyn. The An-22 was intended as the third – and largest – Soviet [...]
DREAMERS AND DOERS

Red Bull Train Landing Project – the world’s first landing and take-off with an aeroplane from a moving train

Dario Costa, an Italian aerobatic pilot and former Red Bull Air Race competitor, is widely recognised for accomplishing aviation feats that had never been achieved before. In 2021, he flew through two highway tunnels outside Istanbul within the Tunnel Pass [...]
PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa

Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa (c/n unknown; a replica built using original parts from an unknown number of wrecks), on display at Парк Победы (Victory Park) WWII memorial in Moscow, July 2017. The Ki-43 fighter aircraft was developed in the late 1930s [...]
MILITARY AVIATION

Hungary says farewell to its Mi-24 fleet

According to Hungarian aviation media, the country’s armed forces have just retired their fleet of Mil Mi-24 (NATO reporting name: Hind) attack helicopters, effective in the first week of February 2026. As reported by several Hungarian aviation websites1,2,3 , the [...]
AVIATION HISTORY

20 February 1958 – F-104 Starfighter becomes operational

On 20 February 1958, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the new American interceptor aircraft, became operational with the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the United States Air Force. The aircraft was designed in response to the USAF´s experiences from the Korean War. [...]

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