SHORT AVIATION STORIES
John Trollope
John Lightfoot Trollope, a British air ace of the Great War, was born on 30 May 1897 in Wallington, Surrey. Trollope was attending college when the war broke out, but he managed to enlist at […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Antonov An-225 Mriya
During its nearly seventy years of existence, the Soviet Union developed several exceptionally large aircraft. Only a few entered serial production, such as the Tupolev TB-3, the Antonov An-124 and the Tupolev Tu-160. Others were […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Convair B-58 Hustler
On 11 November 1956, the prototype of the Convair B-58 Hustler performed its maiden flight. It was the world’s first operational supersonic strategic bomber and a product of early Cold War ambitions. The origins of […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire, one of the most iconic aircraft in aviation history, made its first flight on 5 March 1936. Origins of that legendary fighter date back to 1931, when the Air Ministry issued a […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Lockheed L-10 Electra
On 23 February 1934, the Lockheed Model 10 Electra passenger aircraft, flown by test pilot Marshall E. Headle, performed its maiden flight. The Model 10 was not only the first all-metal aircraft developed by Lockheed, […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Traian Vuia
Traian Vuia was a Romanian inventor and aviation pioneer. In 1903, he developed the “aeroplane-car”, a flying machine concept that he presented to the French Academy of Sciences. Vuia was born on 17 August 1872 […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Hugo Junkers
Hugo Junkers, a renowned German aviation engineer and aircraft pioneer, was born on 3 February 1859 in Rheydt, today a borough of the city of Mönchengladbach. His father owned a cotton weaving mill, ensuring the […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a single-seat, twin-engine fighter aircraft of the Second World War. The aircraft was used worldwide by the United States Army Air Forces in a variety of combat roles, proving particularly […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The F-16 Fighting Falcon, one of the most widely used jet fighters in the world, emerged from the Lightweight Fighter (LWF) evaluation programme, launched by the United States Air Force (USAF) in the late 1960s. […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Jules Védrines
Charles Toussaint Védrines, commonly known as Jules Védrines, was born in December 1881 in Saint-Denis, France. His aviation career began with an apprenticeship at Société des Moteurs Gnome (the Gnome Motor Company), after which he […]