April 2026 Articles

• In early 1941, you had to be deaf, dumb and blindnot to notice that the war in Europe and Asia was about to drag the U.S. into the fray headfirst. At the time, I was a junior in college when I volunteered for the Navy. If I had waited a while longer, the draft would have volunteered me. So instead of slogging around in mud as a foot soldier, I chose naval aviation as my new home. After I graduated from flight training, I was selected to become a PBY pilot. That lasted a whole day. The class was filled, […]

  

  Flak and Fire – A torpedo bomber pilot remembers his wavetop war

  In early 1941, you had to be deaf, dumb and blindnot to notice that the war in Europe and Asia was about to drag the U.S. into the fray headfirst. At the time, I was a junior in college when I volunteered for the Navy. If I had waited a while longer, the draft would have volunteered me. So instead of slogging around in mud as a foot soldier, I chose naval aviation as my new home. After I graduated from flight training, I was selected to become a PBY pilot. That lasted a whole day. The class was filled, […]
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• September 29, 1943: pilot J/Lt. I.I. Mikailov anxiously scanned the Russian tundra below for familiar landmarks. He had just survived a battle with four JGS Bf 109s, but as the fuel gauge edged toward empty, it was obvious he was still going to lose his aircraft. Resigned to his fate, he bellied his P-40 into the soft turf, and the war was over for Curtiss Warhawk 42-10256. Mikailov was unscathed, but 10256 would sit for another 50 years before its badly brutalized remains would be rescued. P-40 42-10256 was a “K” model, which was a continuation of the P-40E line […]

  

  P-40K – An old Soldier Rescued

  September 29, 1943: pilot J/Lt. I.I. Mikailov anxiously scanned the Russian tundra below for familiar landmarks. He had just survived a battle with four JGS Bf 109s, but as the fuel gauge edged toward empty, it was obvious he was still going to lose his aircraft. Resigned to his fate, he bellied his P-40 into the soft turf, and the war was over for Curtiss Warhawk 42-10256. Mikailov was unscathed, but 10256 would sit for another 50 years before its badly brutalized remains would be rescued. P-40 42-10256 was a “K” model, which was a continuation of the P-40E line […]
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• On January 17, 1991, Attack Squadron 35, as part of Carrier Air Wing 17, was embarked aboard USS Saratoga (CV-60) in the Red Sea, having been underway since August 7, 1990, when the carrier departed Naval Station Mayport at the start of Operation Desert Shield. VA-35’s A-6E Intruders launched from the carrier at 1:10 a.m. and headed for key targets near Baghdad. Over the next 43 days and nights, the squadron would fly more than 400 combat sorties and deliver over 1.7 million pounds of ordnance, helping pave the way for the liberation of Kuwait. In January 2026, the men […]

  

  The Night the War Began VA-35 remembers the opening strike of Desert Storm

  On January 17, 1991, Attack Squadron 35, as part of Carrier Air Wing 17, was embarked aboard USS Saratoga (CV-60) in the Red Sea, having been underway since August 7, 1990, when the carrier departed Naval Station Mayport at the start of Operation Desert Shield. VA-35’s A-6E Intruders launched from the carrier at 1:10 a.m. and headed for key targets near Baghdad. Over the next 43 days and nights, the squadron would fly more than 400 combat sorties and deliver over 1.7 million pounds of ordnance, helping pave the way for the liberation of Kuwait. In January 2026, the men […]
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• When the big three British-built “V-Force” bombers—the Vickers Valiant, Handley Page Victor and the Avro Vulcan—came on line during the early stages of the Cold War, they were all designed for one purpose—to drop a nuclear bomb on the Soviet Union’s doorstep. Thankfully, the 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, NATO strategic nuclear deterrent was a huge success as the delta-winged Avro Vulcan acted as the tip of the spear and stood guard, ready to launch at a moment’s notice during the darkest of the Cold War days. But, as technology advanced and communist walls were torn down […]

  

  Operation Black Buck – A Vulcan and the Falklands … a long day

  When the big three British-built “V-Force” bombers—the Vickers Valiant, Handley Page Victor and the Avro Vulcan—came on line during the early stages of the Cold War, they were all designed for one purpose—to drop a nuclear bomb on the Soviet Union’s doorstep. Thankfully, the 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, NATO strategic nuclear deterrent was a huge success as the delta-winged Avro Vulcan acted as the tip of the spear and stood guard, ready to launch at a moment’s notice during the darkest of the Cold War days. But, as technology advanced and communist walls were torn down […]
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• Some stories stay with you not because they are flawless triumphs, but because they are exercises in stubborn resolve. Written by longtime “Flight Journal” contributor James Busha, as told to him by RAF Squadron Leader Martin Withers, “Operation Black Buck” is one of those stories. It is not a tale of perfect planning or elegant execution. Rather, it is a reminder that history is often shaped in moments when nothing goes right, when plans unravel one by one and people choose to press on anyway. The Black Buck mission came at exactly the wrong time. The Avro Vulcan was nearing […]

  

  On Empty Tanks and Full Resolve

  Some stories stay with you not because they are flawless triumphs, but because they are exercises in stubborn resolve. Written by longtime “Flight Journal” contributor James Busha, as told to him by RAF Squadron Leader Martin Withers, “Operation Black Buck” is one of those stories. It is not a tale of perfect planning or elegant execution. Rather, it is a reminder that history is often shaped in moments when nothing goes right, when plans unravel one by one and people choose to press on anyway. The Black Buck mission came at exactly the wrong time. The Avro Vulcan was nearing […]
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