1. Not A 20th-Century Man In a sense, Charlton Heston was a modern man. He was a theater kid and a political activist, even at a young age. What separated him from others in his acting career, is his affinity to play historical figures. As an actor, Heston played men who were “doomed to fail”. […] More
Top Gun was one of the most popular flying films of all time. Top Gun: Maverick, the much-awaited sequel to the 1986 classic, was also breaking box office records. Still, here are seven things you (Probably) didn’t know about Top Gun: 7. Because the movie was shot in the 80s, they couldn’t rely on digital effects to […] More
Revolutionary Design Jack Northrop wasn’t the first to think of an all-wing design to help reduce drag and maximize lift. But by 1940, he had already flown prototypes to prove its efficiency. Using these results, Northrop promised a bomber that could fly 1/3 faster, carry twice the payload, and had 3 times more range at […] More
Makes Sense On Paper Both the P-38 and the P-51 had Allison engines at one point. Since the P-51 heavily benefited from the Merlin engine, changing the P-38’s Allison to a Merlin makes sense. However, that only works on paper. The Allison had a single-stage, single-speed supercharging system while the Merlin had a two-stage, two-speed […] More
Chuck Yeager was a record-setting test pilot who became famous for his supersonic flight, making him the first human to break the sound barrier. As a combat pilot, he also completed an astonishing feat- he became an ace in a single day. Yeager took down five enemy planes in a single combat mission over Europe […] More
The CF-5 Freedom Fighter was Canada’s first multi-role fighter and the last of the long line of military aircraft built in Canada. Here are the five reasons the CF-5 Freedom Fighter was almost useless in a real fight: 1. The CF-5 was a clean air day fighter and didn’t have any radar or maneuvering flaps […] More
Variable Geometry Wings The F-111’s wings were designed to help manage its weight while improving its speed at various altitudes. If needed, the wings can fully extend to triple their surface area. If fully swept back, the Aardvark benefits in the reduction of drag making supersonic flights possible. Its wings also enabled it to carry […] More
Suppresses Air Defenses The Prowler plays a key role in suppressing air defenses since its inception. Due to its specific and important role in modern combat, the Prowler has helped many of its allies operate and return safely. In fact, the only time the F-117 lost was because of the absence of EA-6Bs which were […] More
During the 1960s, the Soviets built the largest, perhaps one of the most technically advanced, helicopters in the world. The Mil V-12 had twice the lifting power of anything before it, and the Soviets designed the plane to airlift 25-ton ballistic missiles to remote locations. Here are the ten facts about the insane helicopter that […] More
1. It Doesn’t Need To Dogfight We’ve all heard what people said about the F-35’s dogfighting capabilities – or lack thereof. It is true that it had a disadvantage in a turning fight and was ineffective in surviving attacks due to its lack of maneuverability. However, in a real-life situation, the F-35 wouldn’t need to […] More
The ill-fated Avro Manchester was a plane plagued with engine problems. Meant to be the newest frontline heavy bomber of the RAF, in the end, it was almost a complete failure. 1. It was the first aircraft to include all the standard features of a WWII RAF bomber It featured all metal construction, light alloys, […] More
1. Became Its Own Plane Initially, the F-20 was supposed to be the F-5G but it became a different aircraft during development. Though it did share similarities with the F-5 in terms of its sharp nose and cockpit, the F-20 only had one engine – a single General Electric F404 engine. 2. Improved Engine The […] More
