Fleet Air Arm Archives

8 November 1942 – the first operational use of g-suit

7 November 2024 Jacek Domański

On 8th November 1942, with the beginning of Operation Torch in Africa, the anti-gravity suit developed by a Canadian scientist W.R. Franks, was for the first time used in combat. Wilbur Rounding Franks was born […]

Supermarine Seagull V / Walrus

4 June 2024 Milan Doležal

Supermarine Seagull V / Walrus (c/n A2-4, formerly ´A2-4´ of the Royal Australian Navy, then VH-ALB), exhibited at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon, London, July 2014. In May of 1921, the new flying […]

Hawker Siddeley (Blackburn) Buccaneer S.2B

20 February 2024 Milan Doležal

Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S.2B (c/n B3-14-67, formerly XV865 of the Royal Navy), on display at Imperial War Museum Duxford, June 2014. In June of 1952, the British Admiralty issued specification of a new naval aircraft, […]

Hawker Nimrod II

23 January 2024 Milan Doležal

Hawker Nimrod II (c/n 41H-59890, formerly K3661 of the Fleet Air Arm), exhibited at Hangar 2 of the Imperial War Museum Duxford, June 2014. In the middle of 1920s, the Air Ministry began to look […]

When propeller beats jet – the story of uncommon dogfights

30 June 2022 Jacek Domański

The Korean War is commonly known as the first conflict that seen large-scale jet-versus-jet air battles, with MiG-15 and F-86 Sabre being the iconic aircraft of the era. Nevertheless, it was the war in which […]

Fairey Gannet AS.4

22 March 2022 Jacek Domański

Fairey Gannet AS.4 (c/n F.9395, formerly XG 853 Royal Navy, then UA+113 German Naval Aviation), static display at open-air exhibition of Aeronauticum (Deutsche Luftschiff und Marineflieger Museum), Nordholz, June 2019. The Fairey Gannet is commonly […]