Flight Journal

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT LUFTWAFFE AIRPLANES and pilots that have a near mystical attraction that is far stronger than all of the Axis airplanes and airpowers combined. Our surveys continually tell us that the Me 109, 262 and Fw 190 are much more pop

February 1942. While the Japanese army closed in on Singapore, the Allied Forces had their backs against the wall. They tried desperately to slow the Japanese advance. If they could be stalled even for a short time, the Allies would be able to “advan

For every WW II, gun-toting combat bird, be it fighter or bomber, there were dozens of trainers, liaison grasshoppers, transports, and utility craft that history has largely forgotten. One of those is the Stinson Reliant that, when dressed in camo an

Former U.S. Navy Super Hornet pilot Roderick “Hot Rod” Kurtz was surprised. On a fair weather summer afternoon in August of 2017, just under two years after he retired from active duty flying F/A-18Fs with VFA-154, Kurtz was airborne in a Hawker Hunt

Although self-sealing tanks, structural ruggedness, cabin and crew armor combined with operational tactics such as box formations were vital, the Flying Fortress’s greatest strength lay in its defensive armament advances. Prewar built B-17 C and D mo

THE SKIES OF WORLD WAR II bore witness to a fierce contest of aviation prowess, where legendary aircraft battled for aerial dominance. Amidst this maelstrom, the Messerschmitt Me 109 soared above its rivals, etching its name in the annals of history.

Let’s face it, I was never a good pilot. My wingmen were hotter pilots than I was and they could always wax my butt. I did have a couple of advantages over them though: I had better eyesight and I was a flight leader. Both of these attributes came in

THERE HAVE BEEN COUNTLESS ARTICLES written about Mr. Piper’s legendary J-3 Cub. This one is different for a few reasons, not the least of which is that this Cub has been in regular use for 85 years, 58 of those with the family of current owner Cam Le

It is an actual photo of Lt. S. F. Ford walking away from a virtually new Lockheed P-38L-5-LO Lightning that he crash-landed probably some time after January 1945. The lieutenant was almost surely newly assigned to combat in the Pacific, but with his

As Noorduyn Norseman UC-64B 43-5112 turned final approach on August 26, 1944, pilot Albert Hill idled the 600-hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340 engine and felt the airframe shudder with flaps locked down. When the airplane’s tires contacted the 2,300-foot so

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MIDWEST AERO RESTORATIONS, LTD. in Danville, Illinois completed restoring this Me 109 back to flying condition for owner Bruce Winter, who also owns the P-51D Mustang “Happy Jack’s Go Buggy,” also restored by Midwest Aero Restorations. This Me 109 wa