October 2023 Articles

• 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 soft soil airstrip at Fort Smith in Canada’s Northwest Territories, airspeed indicated 100 mph. Three waiting […]

  

  Noorduyn Norseman – Canada’s Rugged, Fabric-Covered Workhorse

  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 soft soil airstrip at Fort Smith in Canada’s Northwest Territories, airspeed indicated 100 mph. Three waiting […]
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• NO, THIS IS NOT A SCENE FROM A MOVIE where the hero staggers away from a “good landing” on Mindoro, Philippine Islands, after being shot down by a Japanese Zero. 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 […]

  

  A Good Landing is One You Can Walk Away From

  NO, THIS IS NOT A SCENE FROM A MOVIE where the hero staggers away from a “good landing” on Mindoro, Philippine Islands, after being shot down by a Japanese Zero. 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 […]
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• The Boeing B-17 underwent numerous changes during its production run to increase its survivability over deadly Axis-held skies. 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 models […]

  

  Firepower – As an Evolving Weapons Platform

  The Boeing B-17 underwent numerous changes during its production run to increase its survivability over deadly Axis-held skies. 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 models […]
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• 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 and wearing roundels or stars, labored in the background performing mundane squadron hack duties or, […]

  

  Stinson AT-19 – The Reliant goes to war

  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 and wearing roundels or stars, labored in the background performing mundane squadron hack duties or, […]
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• After World War II, General Curtis LeMay created something the world had never seen before: an air force powered by all-jet engines that was capable of nuclear and conventional warfare at high altitude or low level. The Strategic Air Command, or SAC, flown and maintained by trained professionals, was dedicated to the preservation of peace. […]

  

  General Curtis LeMay – Strategic Air Command Creator & Commander

  After World War II, General Curtis LeMay created something the world had never seen before: an air force powered by all-jet engines that was capable of nuclear and conventional warfare at high altitude or low level. The Strategic Air Command, or SAC, flown and maintained by trained professionals, was dedicated to the preservation of peace. […]
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• 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. With its sleek design, blistering speed, and lethal armament, the Me 109 became the […]

  

  Flying the Messerschmitt Me 109 – Thrilling tales of aerial supremacy

  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. With its sleek design, blistering speed, and lethal armament, the Me 109 became the […]
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• 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 Hunter, acting as an adversary to help train the Navy fighter pilots and […]

  

  Ejecting from a Hawker Hunter – Roderick Kurtz punches out after an encounter with a USAF F-35

  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 Hunter, acting as an adversary to help train the Navy fighter pilots and […]
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• 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 “advance to the rear” and fight another day. Coordinated attacks by Japanese […]

  

  Adventures in the Wairapa wild cat – A New Zealand P-40 Warrior Racks up the Kills

  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 “advance to the rear” and fight another day. Coordinated attacks by Japanese […]
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