SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Christopher Draper
Christopher Draper was a British flying ace of the First World War and a stunt pilot. Born in 1892, he became famous for his incredible flights under the bridges of the River Thames and for […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Transatlantic flights
The idea of crossing the Atlantic by air dates back to the era of ballooning. In the late 1850s, John Wise attempted to build a balloon capable of such a journey, but his project ended […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
The Saab company
“Our country should manufacture its own weapons as much as possible. We have good shipyards and armouries, but no domestic production of warplanes”, it was these words, spoken by Per Albin Hansson in 1936, that […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
On 22 April 1991, the Lockheed YF-22, developed by Lockheed in cooperation with Pratt & Whitney, was announced the winner of the United States Air Force competition for a new air-dominance fighter. The origins of […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Transavia PL-12 Airtruk
The story of this unusual aircraft begins in Italy in the mid-1940s, when engineer Luigi Pellarini collaborated with the Milan-based company Carrozzeria Colli. Together, they developed a series of “flying car” prototypes (PL-1 to PL-5), […]
SHORT AVIATION STORIES
Robinson R44
In 1979, the California-based Robinson Helicopter Company began production of its first helicopter, the R22, which entered the market later that year. The small, two-seat rotorcraft was powered by a single engine and featured two-bladed […]
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
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 […]