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Military
First KC-130J for VMGR-452
Lockheed Martin has handed over its first KC-130J Super Hercules multi-role tanker/transport to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 (VMGR-452) ‘Yankees' – a US Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) unit.
Jolly Green II, AH-64D complete first combined test mission
Sikorsky’s HH-60W Jolly Green II – the USAF’s newest combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter – has completed its first combined test mission with a US Army Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow.
Montenegro to acquire two Bell 505s
The Montenegro Air Force has signed a purchase agreement for two Bell 505 Jet Ranger X light helicopters, becoming the first military operator to procure the type.
UK deploys first operational F-35Bs aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth
For the first time, the UK has deployed operational Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighters aboard the Royal Navy’s (RN’s) HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) aircraft carrier.
19th AW, AMC receives final C-130J
Lockheed Martin handed over its final C-130J Super Hercules to the USAF’s Air Mobility Command (AMC) on May 27.
Commercial
Delta’s long-lasting DC-8s
It was the first airline to operate the Douglas DC-8 and kept the type for almost 30 years, flying all the major passenger models, from early turbojets to stretched examples with high-bypass turbofans. Barry Lloyd recalls the aircraft that launched Delta Air Lines into the jet age
Rebirth of the Dancing Crane - Part 2
Following privatisation in the 1980s, Japan Airlines continued to grow, until it faced the threat of bankruptcy in 2010. Having emerged successfully from that crisis, it is now struggling with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, as Jozef Mols details
From Jodel to Jumbo A Life of Flying
As a boy, he was told he was “stupid” to think he could ever become a pilot, but Scott Birrell FRAeS enjoyed a distinguished career in aviation as an airline captain, head of pilot training and a senior examiner
Historic
WATCH: Working with the man behind The Battle of Britain’s aircraft
Ex-RAF pilot Hamish Mahaddie was the man whose job it was to get the aeroplanes together for The Battle of Britain. One of the film’s pilots, John Preece, and Spitfire historian Peter Arnold discuss their memories of him
WATCH: “How I became a pilot in the Battle of Britain film”
John Preece spent the summer of 1968 filming in one of the most iconic historic aviation movies ever made. Here’s how he got into it…
WATCH: How they really filmed the Battle of Britain dogfight scenes
It’s probably the most famous footage from the best-known historic aviation movie of all time – but as pilot John Preece explains, it took a few goes to get right…
Flight Simulation
