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Historic
Meeting of the Comets
Only once did the two Comets, DH88 and DH106, fly together — and it was 30 years ago this year
Round the World in a Comet in 1992
Some said it couldn’t be done — that this old aircraft would fail somewhere along the way. However, the Defence Research Agency’s Comet 4 XV814 defied the doubters and, in the summer of 1992, made it round the world. The then head of experimental flying at Farnborough recalled a memorable trip in the May 2016 issue of ‘Aeroplane’
First ever colour photos of the Comet
‘The Aeroplane’ scored a world exclusive when it published the first colour photos of the Comet in its July 29, 1949 issue. The piece also explored the design of this revolutionary aircraft
BOAC Comet Captain insights
CAPT. M. R. ALDERSON, who was in charge of B.O.A.C.’s Comet unit, spoke to H. A. TAYLOR for the January 11, 1952 issue of ‘The Aeroplane’ and gave an outline of some of the more interesting features in jet transport operation after six months of preliminary route-proving trials
BBMF Hawker Hurricane returns home
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Hawker Hurricane IIc LF363 arrived back at its Coningsby base in the hands of Sqn Ldr Mark Sugden, officer commanding the BBMF, on April 21 following a ‘major’ overhaul in the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar.
Military
Aero Vodochody contracted to overhaul and modernize Bulgaria’s fleet of L-39ZA Albatros
Aero Vodochody has been awarded a four-year contract to upgrade and overhaul the L-39ZA Albatros fleet of the Bulgarian Air Force
Why is the USAF rapidly moving to withdraw its F-15C/D Eagles from Kadena?
Barely a month after the USAF announced that Kadena Air Base in Japan would lose its F-15C/D Eagles, they are now heading home. Combat Aircraft Journal reports
UK MOD claims Russia has been using Su-57 in Ukraine conflict
The UK Ministry of Defence has claimed that the Russian Aerospace Forces have “almost certainly” been using fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 multi-role fighters in combat missions against Ukraine for at least seven months
Commercial
Scilly zero-carbon flights bid progresses
Three companies have signed a letter of intent to bring hydrogen-powered flights to the UK’s Isles of Scilly
SITA solution supports EPL standardisation
Travel IT specialist SITA has developed a blockchain-based solution enabling the verification of an electronic personnel license without network connectivity
Behind the scenes of Lufthansa's Boeing 747-8i Palma flights
The easing of lockdown restrictions prompted thousands of Germans to reach for their beach towels and head to Palma de Mallorca. But with demand far exceeding narrowbody supply, there was only one tool for the job, as Vasco Garcia discovers
Airbus demonstrates formation flying
Airbus has performed the first long-haul demonstration of formation flight in general air traffic (GAT) regulated transatlantic airspace with two A350 aircraft
Flight Simulation
X-Plane 12 by Austin Meyer – Part 1
Since 1995, a major version of X-Plane has been released every few years. While updates have been coming fast and furious, the user interface has barely been good enough and the testing has been at a minimum. But with X-Plane 12 on the horizon, everything is different. X-Plane’s creator Austin Meyer explains why.
Just Flight’s Mallorca Airport
This is the latest release from Just Flight is developed by a small team of airline pilots who are based at the actual airport.
vSkyLabs’ C-47 Skytrain/DC-3
vSkyLabs Aerospace Simulations has been producing X-Plane aircraft since version 9. This time around we fly the most recent incarnation from its C-47 Skytrain Flying Lab Project.