On April 29, 1975, during a massive humanitarian operation that evacuated the remaining Americans and thousands of South Vietnamese civilians, Major Buang-Ly stole a Bird Dog from Con Son Island, taking his family to safety. Evacuating a Nation Despite the Paris Peace Agreement supposedly ending the war, the North Vietnamese Army kept the war going. […] More
After losing a close friend to an airplane crash in a Brazilian jungle, Taylor McDaniel, an American inventor, came up with an idea in developing an inflatable rubber aircraft, making impacts and crash landing so much safer for pilots and crews. Rescuing a pilot from enemy territory is also risky. This the US military created […] More
The Sikorsky S-67 was a prototype attack helicopter. This high-performance helicopter was the first to carry the Blackhawk name. Attack and Support Missions For the Vietnam War, the US Army needed a helicopter with heavily armed and armored attack systems which could defeat Soviet armor, has excellent speed and crew protection. The S-67 established this […] More
Fast, powerful, and with enough firepower to take on a small army, here’s a list of the ten smallest military aircraft in the world: 1. AT-6 Wolverine The Wolverine measures 33 feet, can seat two people, and has a maximum take-off weight of 4.5 tons. It’s also outfitted with the Pratt Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turboprop […] More
The Bell P-400 was initially known as the “Caribou.” However, it was more commonly known as the Airacobra I. But as far as the British Royal Air Force was concerned, it didn’t live up to their expectations. Here are the five facts you need to know about Britain’s Airacobra: 1. It was equipped with 20 […] More
Imo Arrives For Inspection SS Imo was sailing from the Netherlands to New York to load relief supplies for Belgium. On December 3, 1917, Imo arrived in Halifax for inspection and refueling. The ship had to wait a few more days to get all its supplies delivered. Filled With Explosives Meanwhile, a French cargo ship […] More
The Bristol 188 was a twin-engine aircraft that was built in the 1960s by Britain. It earned the nickname, “Flaming Pencil.” However, during its development, it faced a lot of challenges. Here are the ten facts about the Bristol 188 Flaming Pencil that you need to know and why it became an expensive failure: 1. […] More
Early Design When France succumbed to Germany, the Axis powers knew Britain was finally within reach. However, in order to conquer Britain, Germany had to get control of the skies first. Both Britain and Germany were trying to gain air superiority over each other with both suffering huge losses. As the war raged on, more […] More
Invented By Sir Barnes Wallis The English scientist/engineer/inventor played an instrumental role in WWII. One of his best inventions was the bouncing bomb that destroyed German dams in the Ruhr Valley. However, bombs aren’t the only thing he was known for. The Concept It was supposed to be a supersonic aircraft that could control its […] More
Intubed Propellers Luigi Stipa invented what he called the “intubed propeller.” The idea was to mount the engine and propeller inside a fuselage that formed a venturi tube. Due to its design, it would compress the propeller’s airflow and engine’s exhaust before exiting the duct at the trailing edge of the plane, making the propellers […] More
1. Relied On Photo-Reconnaissance Using photo-reconnaissance planes was vital to the Allied operations in the islands. These warbirds photographed the islands to make it easier for US intelligence to plan their next attack. Back in the base, skilled photo interpreters would continuously examine the evidence. Aside from pointing out enemy camp installations, they could also […] More
The Blackburn Firecrest was a single-engine naval strike fighter. It was considered an upgrade to its troubled predecessor, the Firebrand. Here are the five things you didn’t know about the Blackburn Firecrest: 1. The development of the aircraft was aimed to resolve the key issues that were inherent in the Firebrand design One of the […] More
